Grumbling fan oven bearings

[Tim Downie]

How long can I expect my fan over motor to last now that it's started to make grumbling noises? Is it going to die soon or can they grumble for years?

Tim

[Richard Sterry]

Difficult to answer, but when mine started doing it (previous house) I took it out and lubricated the bearings - problem solved.

Rick

[Ian Stirling]

Fans can last for years in this state, or die fairly soon. I find that opening these sort of things up, and adding a tiny, tiny smear of grease helps for 6 months to a few years. Pay attention to sealing of the bearing, if it had tape or something over it, clean scrupulously, before replacing similar tape.

High temperature grease is probably easiest to find in your local car shop. A little goes a long way.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Tim Downie wrote on 19/04/2004 :

After putting up with our fan oven making lots of noise for months, I pulled it apart to that it was the fan blades which were loose and making the noise. I simply tightenend the screws, end of noise.

The fan is mounted directly on the motor, so it will be the motor bearings grumbling. It could last for many years or it might seize tomorrow. As someone else suggested, try and get a bit of HMP grease into the motor bearings. Not easy, as they are usually sintered bronze bushes.

[Coherers]

Mine must have started making "grumbling" noises when it was about ten years old. It is nearly twenty now, and it hasn't failed (yet)

[EricP]

Put a graphited oil on the bearings