Replace motor on 1982 BusyBee Knee mill

Starting caps (capacitor) provide a "charge" as it were to get the motor started from a dead stop. They're usually under one or two rectangular covers on the outside of a motor. The other thing that can fail is when a coil winding shorts out internally but the cap is the first thing to check.


If that's your problem it's usually much cheaper and easier than replacing the whole motor.


So, if you were borrowing it why aren't you offering to buy it from him anyway?

John

Ahh - capacitor, yes I do know that - no it wasn't checked ... "rebuild" has also come up as an option.

can't buy it, can't afford it, (with all the tooling) but mostly no where to put it :(
 
I had a similar experience with my bandsaw, I thought the motor was burnt and I needed a new one but the guys at the woodworking site asked me to take the motor to a rebuilder to check the start capacitor and sure enough ,the problem was from a bad capacitor , cost me $40 and the motor is good to go for another few years.

Maybe that's all it is on yours also and you don't need to change the motor at 5X the cost.
 
at one point I actually had to give the cone pulley a spin with my hand to get it going
This is the classic sign of a failing start capacitor. Not unexpected on a 1982 machine.

Hopefully the cap will be labelled with the micro farads rating. Take it to a local electric motor shop and they can test if it is in spec or not. A replacement should not be expensive. $15 to $25 CAD. Hopefully the motor will be good for another 35 plus years!

Craig
(Depending on use, the machine could be due for new bearings after 3-1/2 decades.)
 
Thanks all .... popped the capacitor off to test it ........ didn't need to it was bulged and leaking and had some kind of crystal growth under the cover. Luckily it was labelled & there are at least 3 industrial electronic supply places within 5 minutes of me. So going to try replacing it. The shaft is a bit squeaky, but has a bronze bushing at the back of the motor instead of a bearing. so probably not going to be replacing bearings (unless it becomes necessary)
 
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