Expert: Wayne Kiefer - 7/20/2005

Question
My 12 in. table fan quit working. I have it stripped down to the mortor. Should the shaft of the fan  be easily rotated when it is not on. I can hear  sound to the motor when I plug it in, but the shaft does not turn. What do i do next?
Thank you.

Answer
Fans get sticky on the armature shafts.  You will have to remove the armature and use a solvent to clean the shaft and the bearings.
The bearings in most fans are oil saturated brass bushings and once the oil is gone they get tight.  Sometimes we can add to the life by using a thin grease mixed with oil on the bearings.  It will last a little while.