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Spindle lube leak almost wrecked my machine
I noticed a small oil puddle under my CNC spindle yesterday. It seemed minor, so I kept running jobs. Soon after, the spindle made a weird grinding sound that got louder fast. I hit the stop button before anything broke. This could have led to a full spindle failure if ignored. Now I'm checking all my machines for similar leaks. Has anyone else dealt with lube lines coming loose over time?
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derek_hill6mo ago
Our old Haas at the shop had spindle bearing leaks pretty often. That grinding sound might just be from the mess, not a total failure about to happen.
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grant3476mo ago
I used to just run it until it died, but @danielb65 is right about cleaning it first. Saved me from a huge repair bill last month.
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danielb656mo ago
No kidding, @derek_hill. Those leaks can make a real mess. I've had to clean out gunk from the bearing housing more times than I care to remember. Once it's clean, the grinding often stops because it was just crap in the way. Just don't ignore it too long or you'll be buying a new spindle. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.
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