Someone Explain Gear Case Oil Please

[launderess]

Can one of you big strong men explain the various weights of gear case oil and their uses? I'm such a ninny when it comes to such things, and you all are so smart; while I just don't know nothing about nothing!

Problem my portable Ironrite you see. Gear box must have oil, but not the normal Ironrite gear oil (SAE 50)because that and other lightweight oils leak out of the box when the unit is tipped on it's side for storage. Portable Ironrites (model 890) are designed to be folded down for storage, while their larger cousins were never to be tilted downwards once their gear boxes were filled with oil, because the oil would leak and possibly get into the motor.

There are so many weights of gear case oil, but someone recommended "Royal Purple" SAE 85, but I just don't know.

Launderess
(Sitting on the veranda, sipping iced tea, while waiting for a response).

*LOL*

 

[sudsmaster]

Must be a warm night in NYC, to sit on the verand sipping iced tea at this hour...

Nevertheless, never heard of "Royal Purple SAE 85" gear case oil. I'm kind of suspecting that any SAE 85 gear oil would work just fine. However, it is still liquid enough to run out of something if given a large enough gap. You could go to an automotive shop and get some SAE 85w90 gear oil (a typical manual transmission oil).

 

[2drumsallergy]

Gear Oil

Hi Launderess,
In the UK oils are graded by the US system namely the SAE (Society of Automobile Engineers) and the API (American Petroleum Institute). Basically the higher the number the thicker the oil is. I live near a main Sea Fishing Port and the chandlery stores stock EP180 (Extreme Pressure 180) gear oil for some marine applications, it is almost syrup like in consistency; EP180 is the thickest grade they stock. You could also try adding some STP or Lucas oil treatment to your existing gear case oil as this will thicken it quite considerably; or there are a number of products on the market to stop leaks in Power Steering systems which are typically caused by worn seals. The beauty of the Power Steering leak treatment it will not alter the viscosity of your original oil.

I hope this helps.

David

 

[launderess]

Thanks everyone:

Am thinking Ironrites of this model did not use gear oil, but gearcase grease. Grease makes more sense as it wouldn't leak out when the unit was tipped sideways for storage, as designed. Unlike the larger Ironrites, the 21" portable models do not have a drain plug on the bottom of their gear case boxes for draining worn gear oil. This again leads me to think gear case grease was used, as do no think anyone expected Mrs.American housewife in the 1950's to turn the thing upside down to drain out the old gear gunk.

While some liquid grease did leak out when unit was transported to me, (idiot UPS turned the darn thing upside down), am guessing even gear case grease turns to some sort of liquid after awhile, or maybe previous owners put Ironrite oil instead of grease, who knows. Do know there are traces of thick grease like substance over the gears.

Have a tube of all purpose motor grease, will put a tiny dab on the gears and sew how it goes.

 

[ironrite]

When I was overhauling my Huskylock 800 serger, I used a combination of Triflow synthetic grease on the big main gears and then the Triflow superior lubricant, more like an oil, for its oiling points. This is the stuff they use at the sewing store when they are working on sewing machines and vacuums. The serger now runs like a sewing machine! If you have not cleaned out the gearbox, you may want to get some nonflamable brake cleaner and a stiff brush or old toothbrush to clean up the area. Also check if the chain that drives the roller needs a bit of grease as well. I've linked the Triflow site for you.

http://triflowlubricants.com/index.html

 

[sudsmaster]

Gear and wheel bearing grease can liquify a bit, over time.

It might interest you to know that grease is essentially a type of soap. It's called a "mineral soap", and usually the mineral is calcium. In other words, grease is ... soap scum ... so, too bad you cleaned out your W1070, you could have recycled the scum for use in the Ironrite gear box (just kidding, of course, kids don't try that). Also, other minerals used to form greases from oils and fats include lithium (quite popular 'cause it's white and relatively clean), molybdenum (almost impossible to get moly stains out). I would say that a lithium based grease is a good all-around one to try in the gear case. It's what I used in my vintage Sunbeam mixmaster, and it hasn't complained a bit. Of course I haven't run it after an initial test, but that's besides the point. These machines can talk.