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Old 02-18-2015, 01:09 PM   #1
cheesethin
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Default Gearbox oil leak - cleaning CU boards, BSA & motors

So as I was about to re-attach the batteries to my Gen 1 machine, I noticed oil coming out of the battery contacts hole in the bottom of the base unit.

Turns out that the gearbox input shaft seal can fail sometimes, dumping the contents of the gear box into the base unit. Oil has got pretty much everywhere, onto both CU boards, onto the BSA & probably into the motors though I haven't got them off yet.

I haven't powered it up. I've removed both CU boards and the BSA. And I'm waiting on my new torque wrench to turn up before I remove the gear boxes to find the culprit.

Up for any advice on cleaning the oil off the different components.

With The CU boards I'm thinking lint free cloth & possibly isopropyl alcohol.

The BSA looks like a dog to clean - reading computer enthusiasts forums, lots of people recommend cleaning circuit boards in the dish washer!! Followed by days of low heat drying. Sounds too scary to me. Are the solid state gyro chips waterproff? Anyone dismantled the BSA?

And the motors? Anyone got any insight as to whether oil will affect their performance or be dangerous?

I have other Gen 1's for spare gearboxes and motors, but I'd like to be able to clean & keep the (working prior to leak) CU boards and BSA. I don't think I can trust the boards and BSA from my other dead machines.

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Old 02-18-2015, 02:22 PM   #2
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I'm pretty sure I have used a commercial product for cleaning circuit boards. I recall it being in a spray can with a tube nozzle. Check with your local electronics distributor.

If you use isopropyl alcohol, be sure to get the 90% solution. It's usually on the drug store shelf next to the 70% stuff. Water can be worse than oil, and you don't want it complicating the situation. There's less water in the strong stuff, and it often evaporates with the alcohol.



Remember that alcohol is flammable, and the flames are essentially invisible in daylight.
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Old 02-18-2015, 09:32 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Civicsman View Post
I'm pretty sure I have used a commercial product for cleaning circuit boards. I recall it being in a spray can with a tube nozzle. Check with your local electronics distributor.

If you use isopropyl alcohol, be sure to get the 90% solution. It's usually on the drug store shelf next to the 70% stuff. Water can be worse than oil, and you don't want it complicating the situation. There's less water in the strong stuff, and it often evaporates with the alcohol.



Remember that alcohol is flammable, and the flames are essentially invisible in daylight.
try asking at an electronics supply house/business they have cleaners in a can get some spray air too just use enough towet and dissolve try not to blow too hard to force liquid in anywhere it shouldnt go. prop it up so the gunk doesnt run into someplace you might not want it to go. of course call segway firstfor the best advice.you might polish the axle shaft where it goes through the seal so nothin happens againyou dont want contact cleaner probablyjust ciruitboard cleaner.
an auto crankshaftmachine shop could fix you up with polishing it, crocus cloth they used to call it. maybe have them do it.with expert eyes.good luck let us hearhow you do.use a credit card or as a shield for other components while you spray. you might try spraying on a cloth to get the biggest gunk.
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Old 02-19-2015, 12:46 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Civicsman View Post

If you use isopropyl alcohol, be sure to get the 90% solution. It's usually on the drug store shelf next to the 70% stuff. Water can be worse than oil, and you don't want it complicating the situation. There's less water in the strong stuff, and it often evaporates with the alcohol.
I was always under the impression that this type of alcohol is an astringent. By that term, I mean it pulls moisture from the air.

In a simple term, if you were to put 2 inches of 90% isopropyl alcohol in an open bowl, it will start to evaporate, but also pull moisture from the air.

By the time you have 1.5 inches, there will be more water as a percentage than there was, as the water pulled from the air will evaporate slower than the alcohol.

By the time you have 1 inch of fluid in the bowl, I had heard you were down to 50% alcohol.

If someone knows better the rates of moisture infiltration, feel free to chime in.
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Old 02-19-2015, 12:36 PM   #5
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Quote:
I was always under the impression that this type of alcohol is an astringent. By that term, I mean it pulls moisture from the air.

In a simple term, if you were to put 2 inches of 90% isopropyl alcohol in an open bowl, it will start to evaporate, but also pull moisture from the air.

By the time you have 1.5 inches, there will be more water as a percentage than there was, as the water pulled from the air will evaporate slower than the alcohol.

By the time you have 1 inch of fluid in the bowl, I had heard you were down to 50% alcohol.

If someone knows better the rates of moisture infiltration, feel free to chime in.
An "astringent" is a substance that causes the contraction of body tissues, typically skin. I think you are looking for the word "hygroscopic", which means it tends to attract and hold water molecules.

Yes, alcohol will do this. It is this characteristic that allows gas line anti-freeze to grab unattached water molecules in your gas tank and help transport them to the engine to be vaporized and exhausted. Or, it can grab water molecules on your PCB and hold on to them until you dispose of the alcohol/water.

In this situation, the alcohol acts as a relatively safe solvent for the oil, while the water in the 90% solution tends to vaporize along with the alcohol. Using gentle heat (hairdryer on low, at 12" distance) after alcohol washing will vaporize any remaining water.

I don't know whether the story about 50% water in the bowl after some elapsed time is correct (though I think one might need specific conditions for that to happen), but the solution for this potential problem is to not leave the alcohol sitting around in an open bowl for hours.
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Old 02-19-2015, 08:39 PM   #6
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The context I had heard this item about the 90% alcohol vs the 70% alcohol was with regard to how many people use this product.

Often, it is sold in plastic jugs, or bottles. I have seen people who were using it to use a cotton ball, or q tip to clean a particular item. If they keep going back and re-wetting the cotton ball as an example, or wet new ones, but do not put the cap back on the bottle each time, then the water percentage will change.

It was explained to me that in the course of a 15 or 20 minute project, with the cap off the bottle, the 90% solution will be less than 70%. He said, that after two such projects, it is time for a new bottle, regardless of what seemed to be left in the bottle.

If re-capped right away, each and every time, he insisted that it would retain its solution properties for a far greater time.

I have never had reason to question or test his statements, nor even discuss them much, till this thread.

I wonder if anyone else knows...?
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Old 02-20-2015, 08:44 AM   #7
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Default Tuner Bath

For 40 years I've used anybody's tuner bath(lots of generics)... Made for electronics, and a degreaser....
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Old 02-23-2015, 12:15 PM   #8
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Thanks guys - from your various answers I think a proprietry circuit board cleaner looks like the way to go. Plus the air can for some of the hard to reach bits.

I'll let you know when I done it and tested the machine!

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Old 03-11-2015, 07:37 AM   #9
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Update

Used IPA to clean the Cu boards - worked well in getting it off.
It worked less well on the BSA - the oil on it had become very sticky, more like honey, don't know why. I've got to go back and do some more cleaning.

So haven't finished and tested it all yet..... will let you know.
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