cleaning IH gearbox

[williamsmotower]

I have a new turnkey that hasn't been run yet.

I've seen the aftermath on here of casting sand that may be left in head.

Trying to decide how to go about this.. should i take head off for thorough cleaning... Or try and flush threw drain.

Any advice?

[Cruiser]

First take off the top of the box. It is not sand but cast iron fine from the machining operation that is left behind and it will be in the pockets and hidden. It will be stuck in place lightly and to prove you have any probe the bottom of the box with a magnetic pick up tool. If you get any at all then it is advised to drop the quil out of head and thoroughly clean it internally. then with box open and on floor, power wash it thoroughly too. then re grease your top bearings and filter the oil and put it back together. After you are sure it is clean then you are ready to run it. I tried the short cut and did not get enough of the iron out of it and it was destructive to the system.
Remember, Hind site sees all and knows all !

[ksanalytical]

I've been thinking about tearing mine down too. Wish I'd done it before putting the thing up on the stand and particularly before building a big enclosure around it.

Cruiser,

When you say he should remove the top box, I assume one must remove the motor first. I also assumed that one would need to remove the entire head to get to the critical area. I apologize if the answers to these questions should be obvious, but I hardly get any time in front of the machine at all with my traveling schedule these days.

Ken

[Cruiser]

to remove the top of the box it is easiest to take off motor first. It would be a messy job to say the least to do a proper cleanup with the box in position. But !
Motor off
lid off
drop quill out
drain oil
remove nut from lower point of box to saddle
lower box to bed and set on a piece of wood
remove the two side mount nuts and then you can move box to a suitable location for cleaning. Don't forget to take apart the quil and wash it out real good then inspect the bearings, Grease and reassemble.
The gear box can be done without gutting it, all the bearings in there are oil lubed BUT there are pockets under the gear shafts that can hold iron fine. I'd recommend to carefully lift the gear assy's enough to blast under them. It may be necessary to undo the shifting forks. It is important to make sure that no fine is hiding in any of the cavities. so it would be best to use a power washer and Air to blow it clear. The bearing pack in the cover can probably be ignored. That is the one area that I didn't find any problem with crap.
I hope this is enough guideline to giterdone
If you are going to have it down for a few days then I'd advise getting out a digi camera and take some pics for reference

[williamsmotower]

When you have to remove table or Z, do you ever have to remove ballscrew from ballnut?

Do the balls fall out if you do?

[williamsmotower]

When you have to remove table or Z, do you ever have to remove ballscrew from ballnut?

Do the balls fall out if you do?

[Cruiser]

If you pull the screw out of the ball nut be sure to have a catch pan in place to catch them ! It is best to remove them as a unit and work on it on a cloth for easy access to it for reload.

[Dave.Kellogg]

So with a brand new mill, is it better to:
1. Break-in the gears (by running for a couple hours), then clean?
2. Clean, then break-in?
3. Clean, then break-in, then clean?

[Runner4404spd]

i would run as is for break in, then clean the gear box and replace all the bearings, you;d be surprised how quiet it runs after that. when i first got my mill, i ran the break in and then changed the oil. i then ran the machine for over two years just about daily before having to change any of the bearings in the head.

Jerry

[Cruiser]

Do the magnet test FIRST !
If the magnet can't find any iron fine in the bottom of the box then run it.
Otherwise, your gambling.

[Olin]

I would run as is for break in, then clean the gear box and replace all the bearings

This may be an ignorant question, but where does one get new bearings?

And in reference to "power washing" (or even just cleaning), what fluid is used for that? How does that fluid get cleaned out before filling with new oil?

[jetflatline]

fwiw: I've opened mine up and drained the oil as part of my CNC re-build, and there's some sort of sludge in the bottom of the head even tho the oil that came out is clear. It looks like maybe the drain plug is a little higher than some other parts of the casting -- I'm going to clean all that crap just in case before I put it back together.