Western Chief Disassembly

[Daniel S]

 

I picked up a seized Canedy Otto Western chief a couple of weeks ago, but am having trouble fully disassembling it. Does anyone know how to remove the bracket supporting the shafts inside of the gear box.  I've removed the bolts securing it to the case, but nothing moves.

It has been soaked with penetrating oil for a while.  Does the bracket and shafts come off together or should the bracket come off and then the shafts?  I've searched the forum, but most posts seem to be about removing the cover, fan, or replacing bushings.

[big steve]

to remove the parts you need to undo the square headed bolts that are there i can see them in your picture

[Daniel S]

All bolts that I could see, 3 around the outside of the case and 2 on top of the bracket, are removed.  This picture was just to show that I have disassembled it to a certain point.  My hands were pretty dirty, so I didn't want to touch my phone after removing the bolts.

[yahoo2]

Daniel, technically the plate should lift off but depending on what is seized anything could happen, including damaging a gear or snapping the casting. Not all ottos are the same so it pays to do more thinkin and lookin and less levering and hitting till your sure you are not going to damage anything.

 

first off it would pay to give it a good clean up with a brush or solvent gun and lots of solvent (kero or petrol/gas). then apply the penetrating fluid, I find that a good spray motorbike chain lube works well, especially if you have the patience to sit the part out of the wind and in the sun for a day or two to let it soak in.

 

Have a look at the two shafts coming out of the case and clean any marks and burrs off with a file and remove the rusty stuff with some emery cloth or sandpaper so they will come out without grabbing when the time comes. It is worth a try to see if you can wiggle the fan shaft at this point, use a pair of over centre vice grips and clamp them across the fan shaft or slip the fan back on and try to move it backwards and forwards if any of the shafts start to move give them a liberal dose of your can of wd40/rp7 stuff and gently work them to see if they will free up. keep in mind that there will be a tremendous amount of torque by the time the last cog moves, if it wont move under some pressure and it springs back when you ease off, its about to snap a tooth or twist a shaft off. It might pay to put the brackets bolts back in while you are doing this to keep everything square. if it frees up like this, it will make things so much easier.

 

if you can see the ends of the shafts rotating in the top plate you should be able to remove the bolts again and lever the plate while turning the fan shaft and work the plate off.

 

if the shafts don't rotate, then you will need a good sized pin punch (close to the diameter of the shafts) to drive the shafts out of the bracket. you will need to get a torch and look at the gears to see which ones overlap and hit the shafts in a sequence so that the shaft with the big gear on the top is always last to move so the gears don't clash together and damage. if the fan shaft is stuck as well, then protect the end with a piece of brass to stop it belling up as you tap it with the hammer (or use a hardwood block as a hammer).

 

Then again, if you hold onto the thing by the bracket with the case hanging below, a half a dozen swift hits on the rim of the case with a dead blow hammer and it would probably come apart. I cant see enough detail in the photo to make that call.

 

good luck, let us know how you get on.

[Daniel S]

Thanks for the info. I'll clean it up better after work and see how it goes.

[HWooldridge]

You can sometimes use the gear reduction to advantage. Wash it thoroughly in diesel, naptha, mineral spirits, etc. to remove all the old grease then grab hold of the output shaft (the one with the fan) and try to turn it - either by using the fan itself or care with vise grips on the shaft. The same ratios that drive the fan fast enough to produce a good blast can work to let you slowly move the gear train in reverse.

[Colin Davies]

Hi Daniel,

Here's some info you didn't ask for, but that might help at some point: When you go to reassemble, you can use a square-sectioned leather shoelace to replace the gasket (assuming the old one is toast).  Also, you've clearly got one gear in there that isn't cast iron or steel.  In mine it was phenolic composite (bakelite-impregnated paper, basically) and was coming apart.  It's hard to see if yours is the same.  Anyway, if it is and it's damaged, you may be able to repair/strengthen it by soaking in an epoxy glue thinned with a solvent like acetone (helps the epoxy penetrate deeper into the gear).  It requires some creative clamping, but is pretty straightforward otherwise.  Use paste wax and wax paper as release agents to keep the glue off the shafts, etc.  The one I fixed this way ended up losing a tooth in the end (too much wear before I got it, didn't mesh well, eventually just popped off), but apart from that it was absolutely rock hard and incredibly tough.

Good luck,

Colin

[eco redneck]

All bolts that I could see, 3 around the outside of the case and 2 on top of the bracket, are removed.  This picture was just to show that I have disassembled it to a certain point.  My hands were pretty dirty, so I didn't want to touch my phone after removing the bolts

.when i redid my champion 400 i needed to keep a pail of gas to wash my hands off in  so you are not the only one that had to get your hands dirty

[Daniel S]

Fixing this blower has taken, a lot longer than I'd initially expected.  I've gotten the bracket and two shafts to come off.  I'll keep soaking it in diesel with atf until the rest frees up.  I was a little surprised at how nasty this gear box was.  I've redone a Champion 400 in the past, it was in far better shape to begin with though.  Thanks to everyone for the information, when I finally get this thing going, I will post some more pictures.

[ThorsHammer82]

that PB Blaster in the picture is going to do a better job freeing up stuff that the diesel will.

[Charles R. Stevens]

I red an article by SAE (if I remember right) after testing several products they recommended ATF and naphtha (zippo fluid) it can take a wile and some times a trip to a warm spot and a cold spot will help. I've put things in the deap freeze and then gently heated the outside component to give me an edge.

[HWooldridge]

50/50 mix of ATF and acetone is reputed to work better than Knock' R Loose, Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, etc. I have tried it and my only complaint is that it's hard to store for extended periods because the acetone evaporates so quickly.

[VaughnT]

I use automatic transmission fluid all the time, and it's very good at penetrating the nooks and crannies.  I thin mine with lacquer thinner (at least 50/50, if not 40/60 or more) and store it in a mason jar.  The LT doesn't evaporate nearly as quickly as acetone or naptha, and the seal on the jar is very good.

 

The best way to get rid of corrosion, including gummed grease, is electrolysis.  I have a blower in the tank right now, and it's as bone dry as you could imagine, even though it was once well coated in lube.  The washing soda and electricity really cuts the grease/paint/rust!