Disassembling a Motor

[crokett™]

Someone gave me a 40s-era bandsaw.  The motor is a GE motor, no name plate.  I can see that mud daubers built nests inside the motor at some point.  I want to clean that stuff out, and I want to rewire it.  Both would be much easier with the end of the housing off.  The motor has a tag that says "to disassemble motor remove the bearing end cap on the terminal end".  I managed to figure out what the  bearing end cap is but I can't figure out how to remove it.  I'm pretty sure it is the red circle with the GE logo in this pic:

   

 I tried a screw driver and an awl, the awl seems to just be bending the endcap without actually getting it loose.  Is there something else I should be doing?

[Mr_Mike]

Remove the four through - motor screws and the end bell should come off. Just tap it off. Figure out if any wires need to come off first. The shaft should have a bearing pressed on it. Then the bearing should be a slip fit to the end bell.

[crokett™]

Remove the four through - motor screws and the end bell should come off. Just tap it off. Figure out if any wires need to come off first. The shaft should have a bearing pressed on it. Then the bearing should be a slip fit to the end bell.

I don't think any wires have to come off.  the end bell wants to come off but I think the red cap and the bearing have to come off first.   this is the first electric motor I've tried to take apart since I was 12...  I found a foruim where a guy had a similar GE motor, but he didn't say how he got it apart.

[cvillewood]

What Mike said, but mark the orientation of the housing.

Check the bearings too.

[TDKPE]

GE used to glue the bearing caps onto the end of the unit bearing fan motors (the ubiquitous 20" box fans with 3-wing metal blades, then 5-wing plastic blades on the next gen ones), back in the day. Can't take them out without wrecking them. Don't know what's up with your motor, but I'd look at it with an eye toward the cap being glued.

[crokett™]

GE used to glue the bearing caps onto the end of the unit bearing fan motors (the ubiquitous 20" box fans with 3-wing metal blades, then 5-wing plastic blades on the next gen ones), back in the day.  Can't take them out without wrecking them.  Don't know what's up with your motor, but I'd look at it with an eye toward the cap being glued.

I have the through bolts out.  The end bell wants to come off, at least prying (not too hard) with a screw driver starts to separate the bell from the rest of the casing.  It doesn't seem to want to move in the middle.  I'll try to do some more research and possibly post over at OWWM.  My problem is I don't have a tag on the motor so don't have a model number.

[JGrout]

I have the through bolts out.  The end bell wants to come off, at least prying (not too hard) with a screw driver starts to separate the bell from the rest of the casing.  It doesn't seem to want to move in the middle.  I'll try to do some more research and possibly post over at OWWM.  My problem is I don't have a tag on the motor so don't have a model number.

that is because the bearing is seated in the bell end and the arbor. take off the kid gloves get a hammer and a block of wood and hit it 

It will come off 

Joe

[crokett™]

I finally had some time to deal with this last week. I figured out that there's a retaining clip on the motor shaft that had to come off first. I've got the motor oiled and rewired with a switch and a modern extension cord. The only thing I don't like is the THHN running from the motor to the switch because there's no place to do a proper clamp for something like armored cable. I will eventually fab up a new cover plate over the terminals that I can hook up armored cable so I don't ruin the existing plate.

[JohnZale]

I finally had some time to deal with this last week.  I figured out that there's a retaining clip on the motor shaft that had to come off first.  I've got the motor oiled and rewired with a switch and a modern extension cord.  The only thing I don't like is the THHN running from the motor to the switch because there's no place to do a proper clamp for something like armored cable.  I will eventually fab up a new cover plate over the terminals that I can hook up armored cable so I don't ruin the existing plate.

I know this post is 4 years old but hoping you remember how you pulled this motor apart. I can't seem to find the retaining clip you mention. It seems like if I could get the fan blade off the shaft end then the back end would pull right out of the motor. I've attached some pictures, any suggestions?

[attachment=36971][attachment=36972][attachment=36973][attachment=36974][attachment=36975][attachment=36976]

[tehach]

Bumping a very old post to help anybody who finds this from a search.

I have the same type of GE motor (5KC45PG805X) with the red logo cover on the end. The red GE logo is on a thin, hat-shaped cover that appeared to have been glued on at the factory. Score the joint between the cover and the end bell with a razor knife. Then gently wiggle the blade into the cover-end bell gap until the cover pops loose. There is a metal clip underneath. Remove the clip with needlenose pliers and the end bell comes off the shaft.