Upgrading an Old St Croix Versa Grate Motor on the Prescott Exl

Hello
The old motor was noisy and starting to poop out.
At first it looks easy to get at after opening the right side. However the 4 bolts to remove are on the inside along with the small set screw. A 5/15" ratchet head wrench works well for the bolts but the coupler set screw needed some help by wire brushing the corrosion and PB Blaster to free it some what. Then a vise grip on the Allen wrench with a hard twist and crack it did loosen! Then a few more turns and the motor pulled right out after unclipping the 2 power wires.
See pics

Anyone else do this??

Pic 1 - old motor
Pic 2-3 new motor with Zerk grease fitting and offset magnet
Pic 4-5 Prescott EXL

 

I've had mine out to clear a jam several years ago... not too bad of a job.

 

I wish St Croix would upgrade their set screws on the versa motor coupler! It was tough to loosen them!
Do you think the upgraded set screws on the Thelin auger motors would fit? They are very close to the same size! See pics in this thread!
Thelin Brand New Upgraded Auger Set Bolts

 

Sometimes an on the job fix is better than what the OEM did... go for it.

I learned auto repairs from old school mechanics who sometimes had to improvise to improve on the original design, When I got into racing and hot rodding I lost my fear of modifying anything... of course I never went as far as Bruce Jenner did...

 

I like the ideal of adding a grease fitting but it gotta come out somewhere? The only place it would come out is at the seal of the shaft. Maybe place the grease fitting below with a tiny vent hole near the top?

 

Nice job Don. I've never tried the upgraded gearbox with the zerk, but have repacked a couple with fresh grease. Always seems a bit noisy to me due to the large gear reduction ratio, but maybe the new assemblies are quieter.

Mine has a switch retro fitted to turn motor off if i want less noise in the room due to close proximity to seating arrangements.

The motor/bracket slips out easily if you loosen 3 screws, unplug wiring, and then work on the assembly away from stove.

One of my favorite stoves though for efficient & reliable heating along with long cleaning intervals. Dump ash pan, pull cleaning rods, and scrape firepot once per week, never mire frequently. Mine usually stays on for a month or more before shut down and cleaned above exchanger fire plate, usually use leaf blower on exh then. Definitely a great lower cost alternative to a Harman.

 

Well, that's one I'll have to get..... don't have one in the tool box.

 

I've had mine out to lube the motor and eyeball the gearbox. I took it out as an assembly, like JZ mentioned. Piece of cake. Mine really quieted down after I lubed both front and rear bushings of the VG rod. Less strain on the gearbox means less noise. Mine is not audible above the room blower sound.

 

Oops 5/16" LOL