Grease for Nylon gears

billisfree · Oct 12, 2012, 06:14 AM

My Super Cub Cessna has ruined two sets of gearboxes now, overheated the bearings and prop shaft flew off. Somebody sold me this plane without the instruction manual.

What is best lubercant to use on nylon to plastic surfaces?

Vaseline? Light machine oil? Lithium grease?

dedStik · Oct 12, 2012, 09:10 AM

Be aware that petroleum based lubes may actually damage the nylon, try this http://secure.hobbyzone.com/search/t...FQqZ4AodfFMAkg

LesUyeda · Oct 12, 2012, 09:28 AM

You should NOT have to lubricate nylon gears. I would check the clearance between gears, and ensure that they are not too tightly meshed.

Les

tacx · Oct 12, 2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LesUyeda

You should NOT have to lubricate nylon gears. I would check the clearance between gears, and ensure that they are not too tightly meshed.

Les

AHAA, Don't servos have grease on their nylon gears?

lcm1977 · Oct 12, 2012, 10:33 AM

I use white lithium grease on my servo gears. Never had to lube a gearbox. I would go with Les on that one. Make sure your gears are meshing correctly, not too tight or loose, and everything is lined up straight and no bent shafts. If your prop is way out of balance, that could stress the system too.

Ron H · Oct 12, 2012, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billisfree

overheated bearings

Light machine oil

Lube the bearings, not the gears.

Foambird · Oct 12, 2012, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron H

Lube the bearings, not the gears.

Petroleum based lubricants are not friendly to plastic or nylon parts. Nylon gears don't need lube.

matiac · Oct 12, 2012, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcm1977

I use white lithium grease on my servo gears. Never had to lube a gearbox. I would go with Les on that one. Make sure your gears are meshing correctly, not too tight or loose, and everything is lined up straight and no bent shafts. If your prop is way out of balance, that could stress the system too.

I was gonna say Lithium Grease too. It's what I use on my Fishing Reels that have nylon gears, which ain't NONE of my Saltwater stuff...

flydiver · Oct 12, 2012, 01:54 PM

The grease can attract dirt, which will contribute to rapid wear. All by itself grease will not harm the nylon gears. If they are exposed during ground maneuvers the overall effect will probably be more damage than help.

I've used a spray on DRY Teflon lube I found in a hardware store. Seemed to help a tad.

cyclops2 · Oct 12, 2012, 04:56 PM

Nylon is a tough & slick material. If you get the teeth too tight. they can distort for a while & cause some noise

glewis · Oct 12, 2012, 06:42 PM

I use dry graphite powder sold as a lock lubricant. Once you get a nice even coat of it in the gears it is there for good and doesn't need to be replaced or replenished. It's dry, so it won't attract dirt and it also won't harm the plastic. It really quiets the gear noise too.
Glenn

flypaper 2 · Oct 12, 2012, 08:18 PM

Lithium white grease is synthetic so won't hurt the gears.

Gord.

Wehrdo · Oct 12, 2012, 08:52 PM

Silicone lubricant also won't hurt plastic.

billisfree · Oct 12, 2012, 09:50 PM

Thanks all.

My "melted" area is the pressure plate between the gear and the plastic.

It gets hot... nylon gear hub gets soft... plane seems to have weak power for a bit, then shaft pulls free of the gear... prop goes bye-bye. Hub and plastic show signs of meltdown.

OK, I won't try to lub the gears now.

Oct 12, 2012, 06:14 AM	#1
billisfree Registered User Joined Oct 2012 106 Posts	Grease for Nylon gears My Super Cub Cessna has ruined two sets of gearboxes now, overheated the bearings and prop shaft flew off. Somebody sold me this plane without the instruction manual. What is best lubercant to use on nylon to plastic surfaces? Vaseline? Light machine oil? Lithium grease?

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Oct 12, 2012, 09:10 AM	#2
dedStik Hey, watch this! United States, VA, Virginia Beach Joined Feb 2012 3,152 Posts	Be aware that petroleum based lubes may actually damage the nylon, try this http://secure.hobbyzone.com/search/t...FQqZ4AodfFMAkg

Oct 12, 2012, 09:28 AM	#3
LesUyeda Registered User San Diego, California Joined Dec 2004 2,989 Posts	You should NOT have to lubricate nylon gears. I would check the clearance between gears, and ensure that they are not too tightly meshed. Les

Oct 12, 2012, 10:33 AM	#5
lcm1977 Registered User United States, OH, Columbus Joined Dec 2011 82 Posts	I use white lithium grease on my servo gears. Never had to lube a gearbox. I would go with Les on that one. Make sure your gears are meshing correctly, not too tight or loose, and everything is lined up straight and no bent shafts. If your prop is way out of balance, that could stress the system too.

Oct 12, 2012, 01:54 PM	#9
flydiver Registered User Seattle, WA Joined Jan 2007 4,772 Posts	The grease can attract dirt, which will contribute to rapid wear. All by itself grease will not harm the nylon gears. If they are exposed during ground maneuvers the overall effect will probably be more damage than help. I've used a spray on DRY Teflon lube I found in a hardware store. Seemed to help a tad.

Oct 12, 2012, 04:56 PM	#10
cyclops2 Registered User United States, NJ, Frenchtown Joined Mar 2003 7,837 Posts	Nylon is a tough & slick material. If you get the teeth too tight. they can distort for a while & cause some noise

Oct 12, 2012, 06:42 PM	#11
glewis Or current resident USA, FL, Tampa Joined Jul 2002 4,213 Posts	I use dry graphite powder sold as a lock lubricant. Once you get a nice even coat of it in the gears it is there for good and doesn't need to be replaced or replenished. It's dry, so it won't attract dirt and it also won't harm the plastic. It really quiets the gear noise too. Glenn

Oct 12, 2012, 08:18 PM	#12
flypaper 2 Canadian Bacon Kingston, Canada Joined Jun 2004 10,601 Posts	Lithium white grease is synthetic so won't hurt the gears. Gord.

Oct 12, 2012, 08:52 PM	#13
Wehrdo Not failing=Not trying enough United States, IA, Keswick Joined Jun 2011 360 Posts	Silicone lubricant also won't hurt plastic.

Oct 12, 2012, 09:50 PM	#14
billisfree Registered User Joined Oct 2012 106 Posts	Thanks all. My "melted" area is the pressure plate between the gear and the plastic. It gets hot... nylon gear hub gets soft... plane seems to have weak power for a bit, then shaft pulls free of the gear... prop goes bye-bye. Hub and plastic show signs of meltdown. OK, I won't try to lub the gears now.