Hi Jim--
I tried all the 'easy' ways to fix that PTO warble problem.
None were satisfactory in my case.
Once I disassembled the PTO, the reason became obvious: I could
not do anything from the outside of the PTO to get rid of the
grease which had gotten gummy and sticky with age on the inside.
A phone call to Ten-Tec got me written instructions for removing
the PTO from different rigs, along with instructions for how to
do the rebuild with their kit. The kit costs about $20 and
includes every mechanical part needed to make the PTO like new.
Kits differ depending on which model rig they are for, but
installation does not differ.
I had the kits on hand, but didn't want to waste them if they
were not needed. In my case, the rigs had worked just fine
until I had put them in storage for about 5 years. When I took
them out of storage, they were awfully wobbly. This made me
certain that there was no problem due to wear of the parts.
What I did was to disassemble the PTO mechanism, clean ALL the
grease off those parts (I tried alcohol as a solvent, but wound
up having the best success with Dawn dishwashing liquid because
that is what was on my sink).
After thoroughly rinsing the parts, I lubricated them well with
a bicycle grease made by Phil Woods. I had heard that it was
excellent stuff and a local bicycle shop filled a 35 mm film
canister for me free. (There may be better lubricants for this
job, but that is what I used.) When I got the PTO's
reassembled, they were smooth as silk. I do NOT believe it is
possible to do an adequate job without fully disassembling the
PTO, after seeing just what was involved with the mechanism. I
tried heating the rig, running a solution down the shaft, etc.
NOTHING was satisfactory with my rigs.
I would venture to say that in 99% of cases, the problem with
Ten-Tec PTO's is NOT worn parts, but grease which has broken
down with age. On the other hand, since it takes some time and
effort to remove the PTO from the rig, one might want to go
ahead and replace the parts at the same time. I suppose you
pays your money and you takes your choice.
Hope this helps. Best of luck.
Regards, Mike N4NT@bigfoot.com
====================================
Michael O. Hyder
401 E Holston Ave
Johnson City TN 37601-4009
(423) 232-6453
====================================
-----Original Message-----
From: JimN0OCT@aol.com <JimN0OCT@aol.com>
To: tentec@contesting.com <tentec@contesting.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Monday, October 12, 1998 11:04 AM
Subject: [TenTec] PTO warble...
>
>Hi Y'all,
>
>I know this subject has been treated here before. A search of
the archives
>using "pto" and "warble" didn't produce a lot of info. Could
someone send me
>some suggestions [the hairdryer, teflon lube etc.] for trying
to cure this?
>Where exactly does one direct the heat from the hair dryer?
Where exactly
>does the Teflon lube go?
>
>I have a friend [not on the reflector] who has 2 warbley TT
PTOs, and we're
>looking to cure this or we're looking at 2 PTO kits, depending
upon how bad
>the problem is.
>
>Thanks!
>
>73, jim
>jimn0oct@aol.com
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