I'm trying to decide if I should try to find a repair shop to fix an old GE electric motor on one of my lathes or just buy a new one. It's a very old GE 1/2HP, 3/4" shaft motor, but turns smoothly and appears to be very well built. Anybody here familiar w/ electric motors? Thanks

Engines are like garages,never big enough! Check out my distributor restoration site! http://428cobrajetcars.homestead.com

Whether or not to rebuild depends on what's wrong with your motor and if you have a good and reasonably priced motor repair shop close to where you live. Usually if the bearings are not shopt it's worth a rebuild.

 

Kerry

I really have very little experiance with electric motors, but it seems to me that most of the "Old Stuff" was just built to last longer than new stuff. Things like hot water tanks, household appliances, and shop equipment from the "good old days" just seemed to hold up better. (Maybe thats why I like old cars and FE`s better than "modern" stuff!). If you have a motor rebuilder in your area, I`d at least get their opinion as to the value of repairing what you`ve got before replacing it with some cheap off shore motor that may last much less time than your old one did.

428 powered Fairmont drag car, Best ET:10.03@132.11MPH, best 60 ft: 1.29
59 Meteor 2 dr. sedan 332, Ford O Matic
74 F350 ramp truck 390 4speed

did it just quit? Over heat?

Likely as long as the armature is ok, then the field windings can be replaced and it's good to go. Take it to a reputable shop and have it checked. The sad part is likely still be able to get a new replacement cheaper? maybe?

LarryK

1964 Galaxie 2dr 390/6-71/4spd
1964 Country Sedan Wagon 428/5spd
1969 F100 428/4spd
1967 F100 352/now a 4 spd!
1959 B Model Mack

New junk is glued together! Check in the yellow pages for rebuilder.
Ron.

 

1970 Land Cruiser, 351w, NP435
(locked up front and rear)
1965 Galaxie, 428, C6, 3.89 gear,
Detroit locker
1979 Spectra Day Cruiser
stock 350ci Brand X, Mercruiser..53mph on GPS

Seems like from my plant days at Ford, I don't ever recall them rebuilding fractional HP single phase AC motors. We simply replaced them.

The other questions would be with is wrong with it and are service parts to repair it or a replacement motor available.

Regards,
Dennis

..........motor repair, Rod. BTW, "looking at them means more than saying yep, you're right, it don't work, toss it", LOL.

Mickey Thompson's 63 1/2 #997 S/S Hi-Rise 427 Lgt/Wgt Galaxie,
1957 C-600 Cab-over carhauler w/390-4V, 2-speed rear-end
FGCofA member #4908
MCGC member #75

"There will ALWAYS be an FE in my LiFE"

If your motor is a capacitor start/run type it may need nothing more than a new capacitor. These are inexpensive and can be tested with an ohm meter. Just some thoughts -- John

It is a reversible motor and runs approx 1 minute and the circuit breaker trips. The motor turns very smoothly,easily.It has a large capacitor mounted on the outside. Seems like it was made about 1940. Very heavy,well built. I think I would rather spend a little more to get this one fixed,than buy a Chinese version.........Thanks for any suggestions!

Engines are like garages,never big enough! Check out my distributor restoration site! http://428cobrajetcars.homestead.com

.......of carbon dust from the brushes. Pull the brushes and check for wear or cracked, then pull the end-cover/bell and check the commutators. There is mica that seperates the 'whatchamacallits' (brain-fart) of the commutator, LOL. If carbon dust builds up on the mica then you'll start tripping the protection devices. Take a itty-bitty/small file (triangle shape works best) to clean the carbon out to a depth of about .005". Brush should still be available, if they need replacing, JMO, Rod.

Mickey Thompson's 63 1/2 #997 S/S Hi-Rise 427 Lgt/Wgt Galaxie,
1957 C-600 Cab-over carhauler w/390-4V, 2-speed rear-end
FGCofA member #4908
MCGC member #75

"There will ALWAYS be an FE in my LiFE"

That is where I'd start. Once you trip the breaker it is no longer guaranteed to it's specifications.

Before tearing into the motor, spray the brush end with "Berryman's Electric Motor Cleaner". You can find this wonderful product at the auto parts.

TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE APPLYING. The stuff can break down into deadly components. Use it in a well ventilated area, allow to dry before returning the part to service.

NO PRIDE-NO SHAME!
'74 F-100 4x4, it's ugly, loud and smelly.
Those are it's GOOD points!

...........it's reset. Trip specification/function must be able to cycle for a predetermined number of times to meet standards. It's been my experience that the reset capabilities fail before anyone perceives that the load trip-point lessens, which it doesn't. These aren't fuses, LOL. At Ford, some of our breakers in the old lighting panels are original and over 50 years old and they are often used as the primary on/off switch, JMO, Rod. 35 1/2 years as a Ford Electrician.

Mickey Thompson's 63 1/2 #997 S/S Hi-Rise 427 Lgt/Wgt Galaxie,
1957 C-600 Cab-over carhauler w/390-4V, 2-speed rear-end
FGCofA member #4908
MCGC member #75

"There will ALWAYS be an FE in my LiFE"

blow/trip the breaker... check all power cords, connections in the plug and in the motor.

Def worth rebuilding if you cant fix it your self.

************************************

1967 FE 390GT engine: 416 CID 233/238* @ 0.050 Solid Lifter w/ 4 spd TL.
1968 GT/CS Mustang. 289/c4
1995 Mercedes e320 I6 DOHC, 216 HP wagon.
2003 Tundra SR5, 4.7 DOHC, 4x4.
Another Galaxie (one day.)

Oh and a Bicycle - daily driver to save gas for the 'F'un 'E'xcursions.

I spent many hours trying to fix an electric clothes dryer that would just stop working mid cycle. Everything testeed ok, but I still threw a fortune in parts at it. Turned out that the curcuit breaker was malfunctioning. It would not trip. One leg opened. Then reset itself. Remember the throwing parts at it? I threw the ultimate part at it, I bought a new dryer. When it did the same thing, I got the clue.

n/m

Your motor may just need a new starting switch. There is a centrifical starting switch that may not be disengaging once the motor starts and therfore the starting winding is engaged while it is running and drawing the extra current. Bring it to a good motor shop and have them check it. They can let you know the price of repair vs. replacement.

Steve

Took a little time to "see what I could see" and tinkered a little. There is a relay mounted externally on the motor that has a set of points. If I hold those points open the motor works just fine!Amazing how smooth/quiet. What are those points for? Can I run it with those points held open? Thanks !

Engines are like garages,never big enough! Check out my distributor restoration site! http://428cobrajetcars.homestead.com

Those are probably the starting points. They are closed when the motor is not running and are supposed to open once the motor gets up to speed. Your motor sounds very fixable. Steve

...I think a modern motor would be much more efficient. Might depend (for you) on how much it gets used. Certainly fix what you have, but also price a good name brand replacement (Baldor, GE, etc.).

only lighter and cheaply made. Amps/hp same forever. My compressor has a GE continious service motor that hasn't missed a beat in 26 years!
Ron.

Some of those old motors were built with heavier materials we associate with longevity and efficiency but the facts can be different. On large industrial motors it is common to have higher horsepower ratings and better efficiency from smaller frame size. On a small motor like this, that may or may not apply depending on what is available in the standard catalogs.

There are great deals to be had on electric motors. You just have to be patient. I bought a brand new Baldor 5 HP motor for $125.00 on eBay last month. It's going to power that SOHC head test fixture I'm building.

For my Ingersol T-30 compressor, got the compressor cheap because it was 3-phase, and got the correct framed single phase Baldor on epay, also real cheap, swap out the motor and reconfigure the starter, works great

That still run great, both reversible 3-phase, the one on my '51 Bridgeport, have to look but I think it's GE, and the one on the big old belt-drive South Bend 16x60 lathe, both are still running great, quiet, no bearing noise, give off hardly any heat, and seem quite happy to run with the single phase/ static phase converter. I'll never miss the partial power lost by running the 3-phase on single phase, both machines (and their motors) are pretty tight and will probably outlast me

If the armature is bad when running a growler test that will need replaced. If you have bad case windings you may or may not be able to get it wound right. It took three tries on one of my big DC motors for one of my machines to be rewound properly. Theres this little law about lead and arsenic that limits your possibilities when rewinding. The first two guys hosed it up. I found a guy in Memphis who still has some "good stuff" and the ability to do it right and it was like hauling dope to get it done. I really didn't want to see that big old motor scrapped.

I hope you just need new brushes and a little cleaning in the commutator, BTW, use only ND 30 wt on your brushes. Detergent oil will ruin the brushes and can groove the armature when the brushes get down to the holders because it will keep on running longer than it should.