PSA: Tried a new grease on the old Otis traction machine at the Miller Building

Honestly, I was working on that 1968 Otis traction unit last month, the one with the original bronze bearings. The old guy who used to service it swore by this thick, black moly grease that's basically tar. I figured I'd try this newer synthetic high temp stuff from the supply house, said it was better for older systems. Ngl, it was a mistake. After about three weeks, the motor started running hot and we got a call about a burning smell in the machine room. Turns out the new grease was too thin, it just pumped right out of the bearings under load. Learned that sometimes the old ways exist for a reason, especially with that vintage iron. Had to flush the whole thing and go back to the heavy stuff. Anyone else run into problems trying to 'upgrade' the lubricant on an older unit?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakel254d ago

See, I gotta push back on that. Everyone gets stuck on "vintage iron" like it's some sacred relic. Those old greases were thick because the tech was bad, not because it was better. A modern synthetic is engineered for a reason. If the new stuff pumped out, maybe the bearing clearances were already shot and the thick grease was just hiding the problem. You might have just found a real issue that needs a real fix, not a band-aid.

mason_reed475d ago

That "thick, black moly grease that's basically tar" line got me. When you flushed the system, how bad was the cleanup? I've heard that thin grease can get into places it shouldn't and is a real pain to get all the way out. Did you have to take apart the bearing housings or just run a solvent through?

harperr825d ago

Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare cleanup job (I can only imagine). Solidarity on learning the hard way about that old grease.