AE40 governor squealing issue

[JudgeRob]

I've tried cleaning the dial and oiling gears up a little.  The governor was squealing.  I read enough to know that the governor should not be lubricated inside. 

I stuck a Qtip in there and cleaned it pretty good. I think the alcohol might have stripped any kind of natural "lube" that was in there.  Now the squealing is even worse.

The thing is, when I test it right after swabbing with the qtip, it turns nice and quiet and I get a nice 1 second return on the dial.

Once the alcohol thoroughly evaporates, it starts squealing and slows considerably from the extra drag.

I imagine the squealing is vibration that is slowing it down.

Curious what I should try next.  I see TelePlay's post on governor adustments (very nice post BTW).  I thought about trying to bend the leafs to make more friction but while maybe that woudl get rid of the squeal, it might also slow it down.  I figured before I start bending things I would get some thoughts from others and see if anyone else has had this problem?

Here's a short vid:


https://youtube.com/shorts/W5mzAPBjik8?feature=share

[TelePlay]

That squealing is metal on metal. Can't tell what is the cause watching the video.

The governor brake shoes are a rubber type material. The brake shoes rub on the brass inner surface of the governor raceway. Both the raceway and shoes must be lubricant free.

The AE governor is a simple design that is easily cleaned and lubricated compared to WE governors. The governor shaft (with worm gear) has two bearing points, one that is inside the raceway and can only be lubricated by taking the governor apart. All this is discussed within the topics listed below.


Disassembly:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28443.0

Assembly:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28445.0

Governor Adjustment:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28413.0


If you are not comfortable with this level of dial service, you can remove the dial from the phone and send it to Steve Hilsz:

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4384.0

[RDPipes]

There's a very tiny oil port at the very end where the brake drum, for the lack of a better word, is mounted
that you put just a drop of oil in and I usually also oil the worm gear and that usually quiets it down.
Otherwise you can clean it with ISO and then oil, works for me.

[TelePlay]

There's a very tiny oil port at the very end where the brake drum, for the lack of a better word, is mounted
that you put just a drop of oil in . . .

Yes, there is and I've never used it that way. Used the opening to run a solvent wetted pipe cleaner through to clean the bearing surfaces before putting a small drop of oil into the bearing point from inside the cleaned raceway drum.

Oiling it that way not only puts lubrication on the pin shaft that fits into that hole but also the face of the drum which is the thrust bearing surface for the collar on that end of the shaft.

[JudgeRob]

Thanks guys, very helpful!  The problem was the bearing with the shaft in the back of the drum.
I cheated and did not take it apart.  I was able to use one of those oil bottles with the very fine tip and (under magnification) guide it to the back of the drum and deposit the gentil-est tiny amount of oil to the bearing without getting any inside the drum itself. 

I then routed around with an alcoholic Qtip just in case. 

Anyway, happy to report, I have a smooth and quiet dial!  Then I discovered the pulse contacts were still dirty even after cleaning.  So I REALLY cleaned them and made my first call! 

[TelePlay]

The only thing you need to clean leaf switch contacts is white card stock paper. Cut a 1/4 wide strip about 2 inches long and pull it through a contact when closed.

https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=28363.msg273604#msg273604

The contacts were coated with a rare earth metallic compound which is easily ground off with an abrasive. The rare earth didn't corrode so the only issue was dirt/crud build up.  WE techs had packs of card stock strips for cleaning contacts on the field.

If the rare earth coating is removed, the remaining metal will cause problems related to conductivity.

[JudgeRob]

Business cards seem to work pretty well. I built a standup arcade cabinet with leaf switches for the button contacts and use business cards to clean those too.