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  1. #1

    12Z motor smoke

    Hi everyone,
    I bought this mill last year, and have not had a chance to use it. I plugged it in when I got it and ran through the gears to make sure it worked. It has been unused in a wooden shed until now. I recently got access to a concrete floor garage and moved the mill in. I wired for 220, and again ran through the gears, no problem.
    The drill chuck adapter was installed in the spindle when I got it with the chuck in the box. In this time the chuck mounting taper rusted. I used an emery strip to dress this with the mill running in low range and the fastest gear. Maybe two minutes of this and the motor smoked like it was on fire! I immediately turned it off and unplugged it. I removed the cap covers and the motor terminal cover.
    My first thought was maybe it was wired for 120, but the diagram is for reversing, not voltage change, so I am baffled.
    Is it normal for the new motor to burn off varnish from the windings?
    I plugged it back in and tested forward and reverse for just a few seconds. It works as it always did, but I am afraid to run it.
    Any thoughts?

    Thanks for any help you can provide.

    New CNC Mill Conversion

    BTW, I emailed all this to Charter Oaks a few minutes ago. They have not had time to respond.

  2. #2

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    OK, good news. I tried it again with the capacitors laying out. I watched as it ran, and the start cap got hot and started spewing oil a little. May just be a bad cap, or maybe something is cooking it. I think it is supposed to drop out of the circuit at speed. Maybe a bad centrifugal switch? I don't know.
    Any ideas?

  3. #3

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    I keep talking to myself, but I see others are viewing the thread...
    Anyone know how to remove the spindle drive motor? Is it just unbolt and lift off or is there something I am not aware of?

  4. #4

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    OK, talking to myself again.
    I was able to remove the motor. It is supposed to lift right off.
    When I removed the mounting bolts, the motor sprang up 1/4"! It would not lift off, so I tied a rope sling and used my engine hoist to help with the lift.
    A few pumps on the handle and the motor popped free and jumped up. I put it on a work table and examined the shaft and the mating female shaft. They seemed OK, but the key was bent and had a huge gouge in it. Apparently, the silicone they tried to hold it with didn't, and it slipped down at an angle. No worries! They just pulled the motor in place with the bolts!
    It was in a bind, but would still turn, although it turns much more easily, now. Maybe the extra work it had to do was too much for the start cap.
    I put the motor back on without the key and it slipped right down into place as it should.
    It being Sunday evening, I straightened the key on my 20 ton press instead of buying a new one. I filed off the gouge and glued it to the motor shaft with hardening permatex gasket sealer I had laying around. I'll wait until it sets before reinstalling it.
    I have several 143 mfd start caps. I think one of them will be close enough to replace the original 150 mfd.

  5. #5

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    Update...Paul Litwinovich from Charter Oaks responded to my email early this morning. He offered to replace the motor (-shipping). Now bear in mind, this is a couple of months past their warrantee. You can't ask for better than that.
    Paul has been great to deal with from the word go.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    1424

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    Quote Originally Posted by ronthomp View Post
    I have several 143 mfd start caps. I think one of them will be close enough to replace the original 150 mfd.
    Sounds about right. Cheap capacitors seem to be a sacrificial item on Chinese motors.
    Tim
    Tormach 1100-3, Grizzly G0709 lathe, Clausing 8520 mill, SolidWorks, HSMWorks.

  7. #7

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    Update: The new motor arrived in a timely manor and well packed. I installed it today and all seems good.
    Paul bettered his original offer since he was not aware of the key-way problem. He knocked the shipping down to $20 and sent a couple of new shaft keys. He advised me to lightly coat the motor shaft in grease to make it easier to remove in the future, which I did.
    Since I am 61 and had shoulder surgery a few years ago, I didn't just throw the 50 pound motor on by hand. I saw where someone else had rigged a sling from a motor hoist, so that's what I did. Three chain drops with long bolts to help level it. It slipped right in there. Be sure to think about how to remove the sling once the motor is in place.
    This is good customer relations and was cheap for the company as this appears to be a new take off motor. I imagine they have many laying around from motor upgrades.
    I intend to save to original one for a spare. You never know with these Chinese motors.

  8. #8

    Re: 12Z motor smoke

    I made some meager progress...
    New CNC Mill Conversion

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