John, I checked out my smoke unit. Placed a drop of oil on both main and whistle motors.
I noticed the one impeller was broken at 2 blades. I removed the pieces, spun the motor by hand to verify it wasn't getting stuck. I reassembled, tested it out and passed with flying colors. Oh yes, I soaked the wick with plenty of fluid while I had it opened it up. It sure put plenty out. Even with 2 less blades, I don't see any difference in smoke output compared to an impeller with all blades. I guess someone is watching over me.
I did include this photo to show the bottom impeller for whistle.
