Hi there again I’ve had a problem with my vacuum blower basically it been seized It a roots 33 blower on a spitfire It was seized over the Christmas period; I filled the blower box full of oil and took a pipe wrench to the drive shaft and quietly rocked it until it was free When you start the machine up on low rev you can hear it revving up and down like it wants to stall so probably the lobs are hitting each other But if you give it full throttle it dose not seam to try and stall its self I though at first to leave it and it will sort its self out but it hasn’t So I thought the only way to sort it was to tackle it head on by going into the blower and cleaning the rust off the lobs Took the gear cog box off from the back of the blower but with out proper tools to hold the cogs whilst I undid the nut I was unable to go any further and that probably was not the solution as I wanted access to the lobs no the gears There are several bolt bolded around the blower case what can be seen with the gear cog box on I presumed removing these bolts would allow me to get into the heart of the blower to the lobs but she would not move and there wear 2 x M8 Allan bolts in the middle which I did not have an M8 Allan key anyway Can so one tell me the best way to gain access to the lobs so I can remove any rust from them or is there an easier way to sorting this problem Thanks in advance Batista230
If your lobes were hitting you would know it from the noise, not reving up and down. That sound like a carb or gas issue from being out of service so long. Lucky you only got the cover off. Disassembling it further without knowing what you are doing and you will be looking for a repair place to put it back together.
If you have it off of the system, take the plate off of the shaft side. That will allow you to look down in to the blower and see what's really there. DO NOT TAKE THE GEARS OFF OR DO ANY WORK ON THE GEAR END. You can also, if necessary, remove the housing from the gear end. That will completely expose the lobes, but will not affect the timing, if you don't go any further. (I do not recommend this unless you can't get the housing cleaned out, get the rust / corrosion sanded off of the lobes otherwise, etc. There are two main points to consider, in terms of having enough space for the lobes to turn: 1.) Between the lobes themselves. When the high point of one lobe rotates by the other lobe, it enters the "valley" of the other lobe. If there is corrosion or debris on that high point, or on the valley of the other lobe, there will not be enough clearance for the lobes to turn. 2.) Between the lobes and end- plates. End plates are the flat plates that the shafts extend through. The same thing applies to the clearance there.. You may, in an extreme case, need to sand the end plates. If so, do so lightly, by hand. Don't get aggressive with it. Do just enough to remove the debris, then stop. To remove the end plate on the shaft side. (The first... and usually, the only one you should remove.), take all of the casing bolts out and screw 2 back into some holes on the plate that are threaded. These holes allow the bolt to push the plate off as they are tightened. To reinstall the plate, simply reposition it in place and tighten the casing bolts. Ideally, you'll need a feeler gauge to ensure that clearance between the plates and lobes is within tolerance. (See the Roots manual for details.) But in general, when the casing is fully attached to the gear end plate, feel the height of the casing next to each lobe and see if one is higher than the other. The lobes should be "flat" in line with the casing when the casing is tight. If not, tap it with a hammer and a block of wood (hit the wood with the hammer, with the wood on the lobe), until it feels level with the casing.
No I haven’t removed it from the machine I gained access from the rear end I guess I now need to remove the blower from the machine which is bolted to the pump and drive shaft to the engine How should i go about removing the blower from the machine? Thanks Batista230 P.S. There are 4 bolts that the blower is attached to the frame/chasse but not sure about the attachment to the pump and flywheel If I can get the 4 ground bolts and pump and flywheel off should the drive shaft from the engine just pull out
It's been a while since I've seen a SpitFire. But in general, you'll remove the 4 bolts that connect it to the system frame, and loosen the clamp under the blower, on the exhaust to the silencer, so that you can lift the blower off of the frame. IF there's something on the blower (like the pump and pump's connecting hoses, etc.), it should be removed before the blower can be removed. My guess is the the 4 bolts under the blower that connect it to the frame are not "studs", but "bolts". So, they should just drop out from underneath the deck the blower rests on. I'm not sure how your system is coupled between the blower and engine, other than that it's direct- coupled. So, getting the coupling loose is something I'd have to see first. Hopefully, you won't have to move the engine to remove the blower.
No. The coupling flanges (I guess that's the "flywheel" you mention) are locked onto the shafts via set screws and keys. The shaft of the motor is not removable. And neither is the shaft of the blower, for all intents and purposes. You'll have to loosen the set screws and slide the coupling flange off of the respective shaft. And don't be surprised if you have to use a hammer to "tap" it off by hitting it around the outer perimeter of the flange so that the force of the taps is moving away from the motor or blower. It's a good idea to mark the blower shaft before removing the flange, so that you know how far to slide the flange back when you put it on again.
BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER... Since the system will run... Loosen the casing bolts around the front and back of the blower. There are about 16 in all, counting the ones that hold the "feet" onto the blower. Turn them all about 1 full turn counter- clockwise. Then start the system. Then spray a good penetrating lubricant (I use PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench, but I don't know what's available to you in the U.K.) into the blower lubrication port for about 30 seconds while the system continues to run. Run it for 3 minutes or so. Turn the system off. Tighten the bolts again. Start it back up. That may solve your problem. If not, then look inside the blower as described above.
almost forgot about that There is a straight bar that runs from the engine to the blower then a belt from the blower to the pump Do you think the blower will just pull out of the bar Tell me again about the end plate I’m not sure what it is Are they coupled up to the drive shaft just a straight bar that the lobs rotate round
This would be a more logical option to try first So I don’t undo the blower casing screws completely I just untighten them by one turn Then I run the machine and spry the blower well with a light easing oil (WD-40) Leave it to run for the oil to pass through the exhorts Stop machine tighten the bolts What would this achieve by untightening the bolts with the machine running? And what I the coupling flange
No, you don't loosen while it's running. Loosen them all (front and back) and then start it up. Loosening the casing bolts relieves the tension on the end plates and lets them move out from the casing, which allows more space between the lobes and end plates. (It doesn't do anything for the clearance between the lobes, so if that is where the bulk of the problem is, then it may do nothing at all to provide relief. But first things first...) Me personally, I tighten them back while the system is running. But I can't recommend that you do that, for safety concerns. I don't use WD40. It leaves a residue that can be hard like a shellac when dry. That's why I recommended two other products. Marvel Mystery Oil would be another to try, if you have access to it.
Click on this link, wait for the PDF to open, and scroll to Page 2. When you look at the diagram, find the mounting feet of the blower. They're connected to the end plates. http://www.rootsblower.com/documents/URAI/urai_spec_s-12k84.pdf
I’ve loosened the casing bolts and started the machine oiled it with (not sure on the brand name of oil but) a ‘Morris lubrications’ www.morrislubricants.co.uk easing oil put plenty in and it all came out the exhorts as black ****e so I don’t know weather as you said it may clog/leave a residue in the exhort system Then I tightened the bolts back up didn’t get chance to start the machine up again as I had run out of petrol But when you turn the drive shaft by hand you still get stiffness every two turns Now I think about it for the problem it is I can’t rely justify taking the blower off of the machine to fix the problem If there was a way to do it with the blower bolted to the machine then I’d probably do it
My suggestion is to loosen the bolts again and run it while adding the lubricant. Then tighten the bolts. If that doesn't work, the blower will have to be taken off of the machine. There's simply no other way.
The bolts I slackened wear the ones you can see in the photo in photo bucket listed below http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll319/Batista230/?action=view¤t=boltstosend.jpg http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll319/Batista230/boltstosend.jpg <a href="http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll319/Batista230/?action=view¤t=boltstosend.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll319/Batista230/boltstosend.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Unless I’ve undone the wrong bolts then I think I’ve done practically all I can do As I don’t think it is worth wile taking the blower off the machine Thanks for your input Batista230
If it were a blower problem, you would hear rhe lobes hitting andmaking noise. What you're describing is an engine problem. A vacuum leak or carburetor problem is what it sounds like. Usually if you get any moisture in the blower and let it set awhile it will freeze up. Just spray a little wd-40 down into the lobes and turn the shaft just like you did. You should have no more problem as long as you don't let moisture sit.
THE PROBLEM IS: Your blower has an accuminlation of SOAP built up on the lobes!!! Once you get it turning freely...run clear water thru it for a minute or two...then let run for two minutes to dry THEN put the WD 40 thru it...your problem will be solved...guaranteed!!
