How Often ?

[dialamaticman]

Thanks for the info on WHAT kind of oil to use for my Royal upright, but my question was HOW OFTEN should I oil it via the filler tube ? Didn't get any response on that question, which is what I wanted to know. Thanks again !

 

[louvac]

I would say....

use your judgement. If you use it everyday....then oil once a year. If it's not your daily driver but an occasional use machine, then every few years. You ONLY need 2-3 drops. NO MORE! I have read in a piece of Royal literature a section on oiling and the type of oil to be used. I will have some time during Christmas break from school to research and I will post it back it here. If you store the machine in a warmer area such as a furnace room, you may need to oil more frequently. If you store it in a cool dry place, you may not need to oil even on a yearly basis particularly with infrequent use.

But what I have said on my post and the same goes for "husky's" post, is nearest the truth. I am not trying to disqualify someone else's opinion, but merely trying to dispel the myth(s).

 

[huskyvacs]

Unrelated to Royal specifically, but if you are dismantling a vacuum completely and you have the motor out on the table, where (what points) would you oil the motor at, and how much oil?

 

[dysonman1]

Never oil ball bearings - they get grease (high temp bearing grease to be specific). Only oil sleeve bearings that are meant to be oiled, and that have an oil filler tube coming up out of them. Do NOT oil composition bearings like the upper Hoover Convertible Motor bearing.

 

[broomvac]

Oiling Hoover Convertible Upper bearing

Hi dysonman1,

I noticed you said we should not oil the upper bearing in a Hoover convertible. This is contrary to what many people recommend. I have heard that I should let 3-in1 electric motor oil soak into the sleeve bearing and the felt pad surrounding it. Would something bad happen if this upper bearing was oiled?

Then again, I have also heard from some that their Hoover upper bearing says "Do Not Oil". When I had my Kenmore Convertible apart, I never spotted such a message, but I didn't know where to look. If mine is a "Do Not Oil" type, where could I spot this message?

Could you kindly explain to me where these contradictions are coming from? Why do some people suggest to oil the upper bearing and others don't? Are there different kinds of upper bearings?

Pics of the machine in question are below. It actually has no bearing noise, but I thought I would add a drop or two of oil to the upper bearing just for good measure since it is so easy to do. But if it is something harmful, I certainly won't.

Thanks

 

[kirbyvertibles]

now I'm curious too. I've never heard not to oil Convertibles before. Every vacuum shop I've ever dealt with always did. What is the risk of doing this?

 

[dysonman1]

Oiling a composition bearing, like the upper sleeve bearing on a Convertible, is harmful to the bearing because as the machine runs, the friction of the armature shaft at the point of contact with the bearing will turn the oil into a 'resin' (like on the bottom of a pot). The words "do not oil" are printed on the top metal bearing plate.

From the Hoover Convertible owners manual, printed 9/76, on page 18 under the heading "Lubrication": "The motor is equipped with one ball bearing and one sleeve bearing. The ball bearing should be lubricated, but the sleeve bearing should never be lubricated".

 

[broomvac]

Thank you for the info. I will leave it be, especially since it is running very smoothly as it is.

Interestingly, I noticed that my 1988 Kenmore (with a Hoover motor, obviously) does not have the "Do Not Lubricate" message on it. No wonder I couldn't find it. None of the NOS bearings currently on eBay have it either. However, after a bit of searching, I did find an old picture from an eBay listing for a U4171 motor which does have the warning on it. Does this change have any significance?

First pic is from eBay. Second is from my Kenmore.

Thanks again!

 

[dysonman1]

The same upper bearing was used in all Convertible-style machines as far as I know. In the 'old days', the words were printed on the bearing plate. In the past 10 years or so, I've noticed the later bearing plates did not comes with those words. However, the upper bearing still should never be lubricated with any oil or grease.

 

[broomvac]

Good to know. I'll leave it be. Thanks.