Blocked oil passage to spindle bearing in lathe headstock

Can you insert a steel rod in the hole in such a way that the tip of the rod could touch the ball? if that's possible, maybe you can stick a strong magnet to the other end of the rod and pull the ball out that way.
 
Is there enough room to pull the bearing out to the chuck alignment shoulder with out removing the head shaft? If so you may be able to wash the bearing, bearing race and head shaft with solvent and/or brake cleaner.
When I had to pull my head shaft I used 1/2" all thread rod and spacers (shims) to get the press fits out. It wasn't easy and it was time consuming but it can be done by using the housing as a spacer and not pushing against it. I was able to get most materials required from the company shop.
Good luck
Ray
 
Got to thinking, when you forced the oil pass the ball you might have wedged it in
 
If the ball is clean, as in oil/grease free, and you have a straight shot to it, get a drill rod or similar and put a single drop of super glue on the end face. Insert, touch the ball, and give a few seconds for the glue to set. Should hold tight enough. Hopefully not enough tap chips in there to interfere.
 
I was thinking of the superglue method too but I can see how that could easily go so wrong- could make things worse
m
 
The Asian ball oilers do not tolerate having the ball pushed down below flush with the top of the oiler. It tends to allow the ball to migrate to the corner of the oiler internal cavity with the spring holding it there. I was unable to get mine back into place again. If you are using an oiler that pushes the ball in too deep, you will continue to have this problem. Been there, done that. The ball only needs to be pushed down a small amount to let oil into the oiler. I used a sheet metal screw screwed into the oiler to lever the old assembly out, and then replaced it with a new one. I agree that suction is probably still your best bet from where you are now to get the trash out of the hole. Even oral suction might get the job done. Blowing air into the hole is a poor idea, will just contaminate the bearings worse with the swarf that is now in there.
 
Back to the vacuum idea, rig it up again but include a bypass port with a valve on it, operate it such that it doesn't quite trigger the bypass on the vacuum itself. with the vac running try opening and closing the bypass valve quickly it might help to dislodge the ball.
 
I tried the superglue on a stick method. I think the ball truly is wedged in there. Afterwards I sprayed it out with brake cleaner in an attempt to reduce the chance that it clogs it further.

I will try the vacuum again with an external bypass valve
 
Success! I have removed the blockage.

First I had to drill out the 9/64" passage to 1/4" all the way down to the ball bearing. The drill striking the ball seemed to loosen it. After that it took about 30 minutes of prodding with a seal pick and (pulsed) vacuuming to free it. The external bypass valve definitely was the solution.

After that I flushed the bearing with solvent and then oil. A lot of crud came out and now the spindle is spinning a lot more freely. I am back in business.

Thanks Everyone!
-Jason White

On a side-note: is brake cleaner/solvent bad for the spindle bearing?

removed_bearing.jpg

drilled_passage.jpg
 
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The Grizzly 602 uses the same type of oiler. As I recall, I used a short piece of iron nail inside of a piece of plastic tubing to prevent shorting out the magnetic flux to the passage walls. A small neodymium magnet was fixed to the end of the nail. It also helps to flush any oil from the passage as surface tension can provide a fair amount of holding force. Lighter fluid is fairly low viscosity and shouldn't hurt the bearing. Run a small amount in and let it drain. repeat a few time which should flush the residual oil out. Make sure that you thoroughly oil the bearing when you're finished.

Another possible method would be to clean and dry the top of the bearing to remove any oil and use a small wire with a very small amount of hot melt adhesive on the tip. The hot melt is very sticky and bonds rather tightly when cool. As adhesive goes, it is less likely to mess up a bearing as it doesn't flow and any residual can be removed with a pick.

After the bearing is removed, clean the passage thoroughly with a swab and solvent.
 
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