Help needed separating motor from squirrel cage (1 Viewer)

[tlaporte]

When it comes to anything tool and tech-related Mud is where the smartest guys I've encountered hang out. I'm usually over in the 45 Owner's forum but I've got a general tech conundrum and I'm hoping I might find some help/suggestions in this forum.

I picked up a 1 or 2 HP motor off the recycling heap at work a while ago (too long ago that I'm embarrassed to admit) that was attached to a fan shroud. I think it was somewhere in the HVAC system. Based on some simple testing I think the motor itself is good, it just needs a new centrifugal switch and maybe a new start capacitor.

My real trouble is that I can't get the motor shaft removed from the fan and the fan shroud.

Here's an overview picture of what I have:

The shaft end of the motor, where it attached to the fan blade looks like this:

As you might be able to see, I broke the head off of one of the bolts trying to screw it in/out in order to achieve some separation between those two bushings (I'm not certain I'm using the right terminology).

I'm assuming that I need to get that separation of those pieces (which are press fit on the shaft?) in order to then be able to extract the motor. I'm just not sure what types of tools or techniques that I would use.

Anybody here have thoughts or suggestions for me on how to approach this?

Feel free to ELI5, for in this realm I am a true neophyte.

 

[Malleus]

The motor shaft shouldn't be press fit into the bushing; most likely it's just rusted in place. I wouldn't recommend using heat, as you'll likely damage the output bearing, if not the winding sealant.

Try PB Blaster or naval jelly for a couple of days. Usually, I would recommend impact at the shaft end, but in this case, that'd probably damage the output bearing too, unless it's just a tap or two with a very light hammer, or brass rod ( don't use steel, the motor shaft isn't hard). You may be able to get a small puller on it; there are some made specifically for windshield wiper arms that'll be the right size. I have this one; I love it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-...54589&wl11=online&wl12=19252647&wl13=&veh=sem

HTH

 

[Pin_Head]

With a keyed motor shaft, there is usually some kind of set screw on the hub to prevent it from walking off the shaft. Remove the set screw and it should slide right off.

 

[BILT4ME]

Fans use tapered hub bushings made by Browning. The fan hub has a set screw in it that needs to be removed first. Then do as you are with soaking it in PB blaster.

You will actually push the fan wheel AWAY from the hub, THEN the hub will have to be pulled from the shaft (most likely with a two-or three-jaw puller)

You can also help along the process by tapping the fan wheel toward the motor body while doing this. You have to be careful though, because you may blow the bearings out the back of the motor. I watched a guy swing a sledgehammer at a large on trying to do what you're doing, and it broke the casting on the back of the motor housing. Hence, the reason for the threaded holes and bolts to back it out.

What you have in front of you appears to be a Dayton brand fan probably used for an oven vent hood or a car wash dryer blower.

 

[LINUS]

I just did this exact thing to my home furnace ~Halloween -- pre-Winter cleaning & oil.

As mentioned, look for a set screw - mine wasn't your normal Allen type, strangely it was a square drive head. Essentially a countersunk miniature plumbing pipe plug - or the same plug we have to access birfield grease chamber in each side the axle.

Took me a bit to figure out it was a set screw, never had encountered that design.

If you really don't see one, I 2nd the lube/PB & use a flange puller, has a dimple for one on that shaft end.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

looks like a taper lock... pull the bolts out and drive them into the other holes. add heat and torque the bolts. it'll crack free when it goes...

 

[tlaporte]

As many of my friends know, I work at a glacial pace. But given the right tool, this turned out to be a one banana job!

Picked up this puller from eBay and 5 minutes after receiving it I had my motor separated from the squirrel cage.

Now to diagnose the issue with the motor and get it running. Thankfully there’s a lot of good info out there for electric motors. Hopefully it won’t be five more years before I get that taken care of.

Thanks to all who offered advice! It helped me understand what I was up against.

 

[firestopper]

Glad you got it off. Like many mentioned, penetrating oil is always a big help. I presoak everything prior to teardown.
interesting looking puller. Hard to tell from the photos but would a 3-jaw puller have worked? If so, you wold have have a more versatile puller in your toolbox for the next pull job.

 

[tlaporte]

@firestopper I had actually borrowed a 3-jaw puller from a colleague awhile ago, and I couldn't get the jaws under the hub, IIRC.

It's not clear from my picture but it's probably more obvious from the picture in the Amazon link that this puller actually does offer a 3-jaw option. The three jaws are similar to hex keys that hook into the holes.