Spindle Siezure in Seagate? Tried Drilling Method?

[zed]

Hi All,

In the PC-3000 Manual it mentions a method to drill into the motor and put grease into it. Anybody tried it?

I gave it a go, i could not remove the weld seam..i just used a Dremmel and grinding and ended up killing the motor by going too deep.

I often see Seagate 3.5" IDE Disks with stuck motors, the disk makes a buzzing sound and it's not due to the heads being stuck to the platters. It happens sometimes when the drives overheat and sometimes as a result of somebody dropping the disk on the floor while on.

Any tips on how to get this kind of disk spinning again, drilling or another method?

[dobrevjetser]

Till now, i only could use brute force to get it spinning again. Turning it by hand until the motor has enough power to take over the job. (Can take a long time)

Best regards,

Dobre

[zed]

I cannot spin the motor at all, even with all my force using pliers! It's normally stuck like it's welted tight. I have never been able to do this. Has it worked for you often or only once?

[dobrevjetser]

Just needed it a few times, and always worked.
Perhaps i was lucky

Other solution is platter transplant.

Best regards,

Dobre

[Starling]

Worked twice for me, didn't work once.
Just don't go too deep, 2mm should be enough. The cap is sitting pretty tight in there and it doesn't come off right away. You should drill a couple of holes in it and use a screwdriver with special bit(shown in the manual) to move it from dead point.

[cryoborgofthevenus]

Worked twice for me, didn't work once.
Just don't go too deep, 2mm should be enough. The cap is sitting pretty tight in there and it doesn't come off right away. You should drill a couple of holes in it and use a screwdriver with special bit(shown in the manual) to move it from dead point.

2 mm ? For all 3.5" drive ?? Pheeew....I thought 7200.10 needs only 0.65 mm..am I missing something here ???

Sorry but I'm really a n00b about this drilling thing.....

7200.7 is about 1.8 mm AFAIK

[rchadwick]

When I first did this, I thought the cap would be very thin metal. I was wrong. The cap is about 2mm thick. The weld simply holds it in place. Grind away the weld, drill holes in the cap to get a grip, and you can turn it and pry it out. It's a tight fit.

[cryoborgofthevenus]

Thank you very much for sharing the information !

[zed]

Just wondering what type of oil/grease you use once you have removed the cap. I was going to try some WD 40. Would this work or another type of oil once i have removed the cap to the motor.

[jono-ats]

I guess I really shouldn't post because I haven't tried this on a Seagate, but I have attempted to with Toshiba laptop drivess. So for what it is worth . . . .

On one Toshiba I tried heating the bearing, then I removed the cap with a Dremel tool. No lubricant I tried did any good.

However, on a post-mortem exam, I discovered that the lubricant migrated INSIDE of the sealed chamber, so be careful that you avoid contamination.

I wouldn't use WD40 because it is not really made for high speed lubrication (AFAIK) and it migrates all over the place.

I'd recommend silicone lubricant that is used for electric shavers. It is made for very high RPMs and has a very low viscosity index.

Jon

[rchadwick]

I did some research, and found that the drive manufacturers use something called Ester Oil. When I originally looked for it, I couldn't find a source. However, after 30 seconds of Google, I found this: http://www.id-usa.com/product.asp?CID=33&PID=113

I have no idea if it will work, if it's the right viscosity, if it has too many impurities, etc...

[Odiferous]

Worked twice for me, didn't work once.
Just don't go too deep, 2mm should be enough. The cap is sitting pretty tight in there and it doesn't come off right away. You should drill a couple of holes in it and use a screwdriver with special bit(shown in the manual) to move it from dead point.

2 mm ? For all 3.5" drive ?? Pheeew....I thought 7200.10 needs only 0.65 mm..am I missing something here ???

Sorry but I'm really a n00b about this drilling thing.....

7200.7 is about 1.8 mm AFAIK

Seagate drives have varying thicknesses for these caps.

Some are solid, fairly soft metal about 2mm yet others are a very thin metal that has a hardness similar to titanium.

Sometimes with a seized bearing you need to lubricate it (WD40 is not an ideal lubricant, but it does penetrate and help release seizures) then spin the platters, leave for a day or five, repeat, etc.

I generally have success with these.

[zed]

Thanks for the replies but has anybody actually used this method with a proven type of oil on a Seagate drive and know it works? If so - what oil did you use?