A decal on my furnace blower seemed to say the motor was permanently lubricated. The other day I got my head a little lower and saw a second decal saying it should be lubricated every couple of years with 20W nondetergent oil.
I think 3-in-1 is like that, but I can't find my can. I did find a
4-ounce container of Marvel Lubricating Oil. Among the uses listed on the label is "small electric motors."Small is relative. Would Marvel Lubricating Oil be good for a furnace blower?
NO
I'd say it's a bit thin. My walmart has 30wt nondetergent. I'd probably lean that way if I couldn't find 20wt. Nondetergent also gets used in things like pressure washers.
Non-synthetic compressor oils will be low-foaming non-detergent and generally can find both 20W and 30W.
I'd go lighter rather than heavier on viscosity; just lube a little more frequently.
The Marvel stuff I'd presume unless it says specifically it isn't will be detergent-laden. The web site is useless for any actual information; the Turtle Wax site doesn't do anything except link to the old Marvel site. The slogan's right -- it's a mystery.
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It would proly depend on whether the bearings were bronze sleeve, or ball bearing. My first impulse is that marvel would be a little thick for bronze sleeve, proly OK for ball bearing.
I think Marvel is more of an additive to oils, but not sure. I have a bunch, I'll check the apparent viscosity, etc. The folks on rec.crafts.metalworking would have more info on oils, motors, bearings, etc.
SaltyAss is an idiot, with his one-syllable responses.
Ive always used 3 N1 for that application, I am pretty sure its 20W.
JImmie
3 in One does have a version for small motors that is straight 20 weight. Not the same as the "household" 3 in one.
Marvel is basically ATF, and is only suitble for giving Existential Angst an enema. He needs them daily because he is always full of shit.
Notice that his answer is that he really has no idea what Marvel Oil is, but he gives advice anyway.
I always use 10-30 in my oil can with a table spoon of STP oil additive. I never heard of a motor dying from detergent oil. Do you want the dirt to stay in your bearings and bushings or dissolve and flow out. That's how I see it.
Thanks, it looks as if you and Salty Dog are right.
One way to measure viscosity of motor oil is cSt at 40C. CSt is a measure of the number of seconds it takes a certain amount to drain through a certain tube.
At 40C, the cSt of 10W should be 25-35 20W 40-80 30 80-120
I have a fresh can of 10W-30, a remnant of 30W nondetergent in a can I bought last year, and a little 20W-50 in a can several years old. I started with the 10W-30 because it's the freshest.
seconds at 25C
10W30 22 20W50 40 30W 47If the 10W30 has a cSt about 30, the 20W-50 has a cSt of 55. So far, so good. The 30W ND seems to have a cSt of 64, like 20W oil. So maybe that brand of 30W could pass for 20W.
The Marvel Lubricating Oil? Three seconds!
Good show, very inneresting.
But simply shaking MMoil, or feeling it, tells you its too thin. My jugs of it tout it as an additive. So you may be able to "cut" some of the oil you have, and use it in your motor, if the oil you have feels too thick. Or perform you cSt test on various mixtures..
Bad choice. Dries out.
The detergent allows the oil to absorb humidity, which will damage the berrings.
Made for the purpose, and works very well.
I used to use Marvel Mystery Oil. The Lubricating Oil doesn't feel the same, as I recall.
I found a data sheet from Flinn Scientific: 30% mineral spirits, 67% naphthenic base oil distillates.
The mineral spirits could wash away the lubricant. The naphthenic base oil distillates have low viscosity. Their lubricating performance and oxidation stability make them undesirable as lubricating oils.
I don't know how far I'd have to go to get 20W ND. At room temperature, the 30W I have drains from a pipette about like 20W. If it's a little more viscous than the motor manufacturer intended, I wonder what harm it would do.
Someone has already mentioned the turbine oil in the plastic bottle with the pull out spout. It can be found at just about any appliance parts store, HVAC, electric motor or industrial supply house. What I've seen comes in SAE-10 and SAE-20 weight. 3-IN-ONE produces a special SAE-20 blend for electric motors larger than 1/4 HP.
A small bottle of non detergent machine oil with a built in spout is easily available at any appliance parts store, similar to :
It was not a guess.
And, boy does that make you mad!
So now you are both mad and stupid.
REALLY bad advice.
Why? Inneresting, how you think so much of yourself, your own advice, that you feel no obligation whatsoever to elaborate on your little edicts. The hallmark of a spoiled brat, still being supported by mommy.
Howzat Geothermal doin??
You mean other than the fact that ANY advice from you is usually REALLY bad advice?
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