Best Way To Clean A Motor

[ddfan92]

I have a Magic Chef (Whirlpool) direct drive that was found sitting in a shed for years and as a result, the motor is full of caked on dust around the windings and stuff like that. I've already cleaned everything else up for the most part.

I would however like to know the best way to get that dust off of the motor so that when it's running and it gets heated, you're not smelling the dust that's caked on there getting heated up.

Thoughts & suggestions? Thanks.

 

[DADoES]

 
Air compressor blowgun.

Also, would like to see photos of a Magic Chef-branded, WP-built direct-drive washer.

 

[ddfan92]

Pictures are before I cleaned it. And thanks for the suggestion! Will give it a shot.

 

[repairguy]

Some of the admiral branded ones had plastic wash baskets.

 

[qsd-dan]

Got 4 cans of this stuff for free a couple of decades ago. It works well.

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05018-Lectra-Motive-Electric-Cleaner/dp/B000BXHWCA?th=1

Honestly, I'd just use compressed air and let whatever is left burn off with time.

 

[DADoES]

 
I was not aware of DDs on the Magic Chef label.  Presumably produced after the Maytag purchase and sold via big-box stores?

 

[repairguy]

I never saw one locally. It was after the buyout and could have been a model for Maytag dealers but I’m not positive.

 

[ddfan92]

What year?

Hate to put this on others, but frankly, I'm just not paying for subscriptions to use the date-finder on sites like appliance411 now. Anyone else who can tell when this one was made?

 

[repairguy]

No problem at all. This was a new model for 2007 and it was built the 3rd week of the year.

 

[neptunebob]

Its a wonder you found a Magic Chef

My brother was a member of a Sportsman club in the and he said they used Magic Chef appliances for target practice.  Especially try to shoot that little chef logo.

 

[combo52]

Hi, normally go with compressed air first

Especially for Linty dryer motors.

I have also blasted them with hot water, I do not completely immerse the motor, but it’s a great way to get certain soils off as well. If you do this blow it out with air when you’re done and let it dry fairly soon they’re not designed to be immersed, but I frequently wash Motors, haven’t ruined one yet.

John

 

[ragnboneman]

Nothing wrong with water and mild soap even to clean a motor but you want to take it apart and protect the bearing from the water.
Then dry it out in an oven heated to just below 100c for several hours before testing
Most modern motors are welded so they can't be taken apart to service.

Compressed air is fine, just avoid high pressure that might damage things.
Compressed air has the potential to impart enough speed into something to pierce skin or damage eyes.
Be VERY careful...

This next part comes with a warning not to do this......
Some people use a CO2 fire extinguisher with the defuser removed and inverted can provide a blast of CO2 and dry ice to sot of media blast things clean...
But I have done it a lot over the years to remove dirt from motors and transformers or other electrical equipment. ( when I did not have PERC ( solvent ) or a dry ice cleaning machine available )
Its a two man job one to hold the bottle and throttle it, the other to aim the hose.
Its dangerous if you are not very very careful and can damage equipment with the high pressure.
YA this is probably the most dangerous way you can clean electrical equipment, but if you did not hear it from me a web search would have turned it up.

I am not recommending the CO2 fire extinguisher trick, but you are at least aware of it..

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.safetyone.com%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F01%2Fsafety-one-5-lb-co2-fire-extinguisher.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=bfcc6365ee203e2375e81bb1f909312e178d27ad81e23f20d89660a371e61ddb&ipo=images

 

[ddfan92]

Thanks all for your suggestions! And thanks Mel for the year! I still don't understand why Whirlpool changed their serial numbers, they get confusing after 2001 or so.