| Author | Message | ||
     Whodom |
Joe, Here's a photo of a complete fan off of ebay:  There are several for sale at present. I'm pretty sure I've seen an image of one installed in the bike. I'll post it if I can find one. | ||
| Husky |
That is my concern also, but we can easily open the fans and repack the bearings if they are quality bearings with good shields and seals. I am guessing the bearings are R2, and with the correct high temp lubricant will cost about$10-$15US each at a bearing house like Kaman. So, if thats the case, we have a fix we can each make to our still functional fans or to any replacements we order. Buying a small amount of the grease should be less than $15 for the minimum order to allow you to pack your existing bearings if you clean ALL the old grease out long before the 5000-6000 mile point some folks are reporting as start of failure. If I do buy a Uly, I will attend to the bearing repacking first off if we conclude this is the problem. Regards, Joe | ||
| Husky |
Thanks for the picture. Wow the blades on that fan look as if they would be sucking up from the paper it is sitting on. Am I correct? If so, then the back of the propeller hub will be in a slightly pressurized (stagnation pressure) fairly high velocity HOT air stream that could direct any crap that came in from the front of the engine into the back of the propeller hub. All you have to do is look at the fans on the back of your computer to see how it should be done if you are going to suck on HOT air. Maybe some one can take a picture of the other side for me? Regards, Joe | ||
| Chief |
If you look here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142838/222848.html?1156735160 you will see that at least in my case not only did the bearings fail but the motor armature was badly scored and the brushes had chunks missing from them. So repacking the bearings would not cure the problem. Also this motor is completely sealed there is no air flow through it only around it. | ||
| Husky |
Chief, Thanks, I just bought one on E-bay, item 280022810859 for $25 plus shipping. It has a grill on it (could make a joke here but won't) and is claimed to have only 250 miles on it.  We'll see.... Regards Joe | ||
| Whodom |
Joe, I'll be very curious to see what your dissection of the fan turns up. BTW, what is your background (engineer, general gearhead, other)? | ||
| Husky |
Whodom, I'm looking forward to it! Sometimes i would rather tear into something new than ride. Mechanical engineer by degree, working in Aerospace manufacturing as hands on Project engineer/manager with full manufacturing authority/responsibility. Products ranged from mass spectrometers, gyroscopes, satellite sensor systems, IR cameras etc. Good stuff, but I am a gearhead and still enjoy Dirt Bike riding more than anything else! I am not a street rider, even though one of my Husabergs is plated. But there is something about the Uly that I find unique and irresistible; so if I manage to fit the 07, I will probably get one. Regards, Joe | ||
| Fool4buell |
9200 miles, no fan problems September 2005 build date | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
No other failures? I expected to have dozens. BUMP!!!!! | ||
| Bk1 |
11/05 build. bought 05/06. fan stopped at 3000 mls. burnt brushes. replaced myself for convenience. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Lowflyer Manuf Date: 09/05 Beginning Mileage Problem: 8,000 Failure Mileage: Not Yet Replaced | ||
| Husky |
Bk1, Did you notice anything like some light grease spread around in the motor housing or on the brushes while you were changing the brushes? Joe | ||
| Bk1 |
Husky, I replaced the fan assembly, because my fan was sealed tight,I had to damage it to get a look inside. It was full of black slimy dust. Brush material, I guess. It looked just like the fan pictured previously. The new fan had a weight clip on one blade, the bad fan did not.I hope this is a improve ment! Time will tell. Karl | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Husky, We looking at a lubricant unsuitable for the thermal conditions? I can't imagine that they would use a dry graphite based lubricant nor is what appears inside the fan workable as a lubricant. 400+ degrees is hot, but not unworkable. If the bearing seals are good and we aren't looking at a bearing failure, we must be looking at an internal lubrication failure causing excess heat, friction, and death of the internals. | ||
| Husky |
Ft_bstrd Yes I figure the lubricant is failing due to extreme high temperature. MIL-G-27617 grease is good from about -30 F to 550 F. Its commercial name is Perfluoroalkylpolether. Silicone grease MIL-G-25013 if good up to 450 F. In a closed application like this the general thought is to load the bearing completely full. But thats wrong to do because excessive quantities of grease cause churning. This by itself results in excessive temperatures, separation of the grease components, and break down in lubrication values. I don,t know how fast the fans turn, but for normal values (function of bearing size) the bearing housings should be 1/3 to 1/2 full of lubricant. Operating temperatures of up to 600 F are allowable for Stabilized TFE Flourocarbon and TFE Fluorocaarbon (with glass fabric). So we will see, the fan is on its way USPS. Joe | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Separated lubricant would kill the internals of an electric motor increasing friction instead of decreasing it. I would be interested in what the inside of a zero mile fan looks like. If it's clean and lubricated, I think we have a pretty good indicator of what is happening. Anyone have a defunct fan they'd like to send Husky for analysis? | ||
| Husky |
When I said fill the bearing housings 1/3 to 1/2 full I was referring the empty space in the bearing itself between the races and seals, not the motor housing. When you order a bearing you can specify how full you want the bearing packed with lubricant as well as what type of lubricant you want. Joe | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
If the lubricant isn't supposed to be in the actual case, I can see why the fans might fail. So all that crap in there is from the bearings at either end? Would slung bearing pack lubricant cause brush failure? | ||
| Husky |
I would say yes that it is from the bearings and the brushes. The grease could greatly shorten the brush life. Inspection of the fan I just bought and the parts from a fan that has already failed should clinch it. Joe | ||
| Fastfxrs |
Had the dealer listen to my fan when the bike was in Monday for warranty replacement of the muffler and kickstand assembly. He called yesterday and the fan is in (ordered it after listening to the bike monday)already. He described a clicking sound. My ears are pretty bad and all I noticed was a progressively louder fan. Thanks for all the info guys. I hope my new fan stays quieter, for a while anyway. Tim 12,ooo miles on '06 Uly | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Fastfxrs, What is your date of Manufacture? What was the mileage when you noticed the louder fan? What is the mileage at replacement? | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Interesting how this went from a muffler thread to a fan thread! So in that spirit, HOW ABOUT THEM BUCKEYES ! THINK THEY WILL GO ALL THE WAY THIS YEAR? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Slayer, What is the title of this thread? | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
Ops, we are not in Kansas anymore Toto. Slip out of thread without noticing, SO SHOOT ME AND MY COMPUTER, ALRIGHT ALREADY!  I STILL SAY GO BUCKS! Carry on. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Touchdown! Buckeyes!! | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
OH! | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
IO!!! | ||
| Dragon_slayer |
 | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I hope the Buckeyes win next week and then get their butts kicked by Iowa. Go Hawkeyes!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Xbimmer |
I was checking out a Ducati this morning. The Italian bike had a big ol' flat-motor Japanese fan, and we get the Italian fan. As incredibly Italo-loyal as the Italians are, how come Ducati isn't using fans made in its own country?  |
