I've got a 250GB Seagate ST3250823A. The FD Bearing is frozen solid. I even tried removing the bearing cover, but it's still solid. I've got the platter changer from Salvation. I've also got a bunch of junker drives, and some seem to have the same cast aluminum frame. Instead of buying an exact match donor, can I just put the platters, heads, and PCB into the frame of the same family drive? Are there any guidelines for frame compatibility?

Hi before you do platter swap, try this first http://forum.hddguru.com/barracuda-7200.10-fell-plates-won-t-spin-vt7040.html

It worked for a few for me (Maxtors)

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I think ST is a sub company of Lucas

Well, I gave that a try, but it didn't work. I did get it to spin, but it still takes way too much effort to spin (And it didn't spin when powered). If it did spin on it's own, I suspect it would get way too hot in seconds due to friction...

I've had a few of these problems with Seagate drives.

I've had quite high recovery rates by doing this:

Use a mill or hobby drill and drill a narrow funnel around the spindle so you can gain direct access to the spindle.

Lubricate it with a couple of drops of oil (I use WD40) and wait a few hours.

Then open the drive and try to turn the platters with a suitable tool.

Repeat as necessary. I had one drive that required lubrication for a week before it would spin - but it worked.

you have to continue exercising it (backwards & forwards until it will spin normally again, if you ground the sealing cap off the underside of the drive you can try some drops of oil ( engine or 2 stroke, wd-40 is too thin to last) it will work with some patience.

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I think ST is a sub company of Lucas

I was thinking of oil, but was afraid if I got the wrong oil, it would eventually work it's way out the other end (And spew all over the platter). I tried finding the oil the factory uses, but I haven't had any luck with that! My worry is that this FD bearing seems to rely on the oil as micro ball bearings, and if I use the wrong size ball bearings, there might be some trouble! I'm guessing the thicker the better? Then again, penetrating oil or WD-40, might be good for initially loosening things up?

Yes penetrating oil would help initially but you need something thicker for the drive to run on. Regular engine oil would work fine ( in small amounts). There is a seal on the inside of the spindle shaft to stop leakage into the drive. WD-40 actually evaporates when warmed and would thin out any original lubricant in the bearing area making it re-sieze faster. Synthetic engine oil has a higher heat tolerance so you might want to try it.

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I think ST is a sub company of Lucas

hi
maybe u try swap plates or heads follow video's full of Salvation add with that tools. Can u share full video at here for everybody see it, maybe have some idea for u.

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Well, I've been working the platters for a long time now, and there's still too much friction for it to spin on it's own. I've tried a penetrating oil, and motor oil too. It would be really great if I could get the data without messing with swapping platters, but it looks like the bearings are shot...

Well, I've just ordered the platter exchange tool from Salvation. I should get it by the end of next week. I'll let you know if it's any good! I've got a few stuck drives to try it out on!

pcimage....any updates on Salvation platter exchange tool?

Yep, it does work.

I have used it several times, only on 1 & 2 platter drives.

Makes single head drives like Samsung and Maxtor slimlines easier, it's easier to swap the platters than the heads on these.

Does not work on Calypso drives, due to the platter spacers. You can't get the tool down around the platters to extract them.

Plus the frame that comes with it is perfect for holding steady drives for head swapping, I use it every day! It's well designed and sturdy, with a gap below the HDD for unscrewing the Head Stack screw on laptop drives and others with underside fastening of the stack.

Like with any tool or trick, practice makes perfect!

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Did you end up working out the best oil to use for this disk? Did you end up using motor oil?