Need help with 10EE lubrication

[Jaxian]

I hate to dredge up this old thread as it had arrived at the correct conclusion of DTE Oil Light for the headstock of a 10EE.

I totally am on board with that.

The issue is they only sell it in 5 gal pails now that I can find at at $200 plus tax and shipping that is a bit much for only needing a few quarts to top everything off.

So my question is what is a Mobil DTE Oil Light equivalent that can be bought in 1 gal quantities?

 

[Cal Haines]

You might try calling around to local machine shops and see if they use DTE Light and, if so, would they sell you a few quarts. Big shops buy their oil in 55 gallon drums and will sometimes just give/sell you a small amount if you ask nicely.

McMaster-Carr has Klübersynth FB 4-32 ISO 32 spindle oil in gallon jugs, but it's $105 a gallon. I imagine that DTE light would sell for at least $50 per gallon these days.

 

[rke[pler]

So my question is what is a Mobil DTE Oil Light equivalent that can be bought in 1 gal quantities?

Mobil DTE 24 can be bought in single gallon jugs. Kinda expensive at $40+, but a pail is $200 so...

 

[Cal Haines]

DTE 24 is hydraulic oil, designed to work with a filter. DTE Light is circulating oil. Not really equivalent oils.

 

[rakort]

Interesting, I don't see DTE light in gallons at McMaster. I swore I bought a gallon there not too long ago. I will have to double check that may have offered an alternative.

 

[Jaxian]

Mobil DTE 24 can be bought in single gallon jugs. Kinda expensive at $40+, but a pail is $200 so...

Yeah, I was about to order that then I went to Mobil's website and they were very specific in the description that that was hydraulic oil and not gearbox oil. Then they went on to describe the DTE Light as the correct stuff for that application.

I saw this thread and what Cal said and that confirmed it. They have a listing of the different additives and it looks like there are some really good ones for gearboxes in the DTE Light and a bunch of not very useful ones in the DTE 24. I bet I would be ok since it's not a production machine but I REALLY don't want to every have to dig into the headstock of my 10EE someday.

 

[Cal Haines]

Interesting, I don't see DTE light in gallons at McMaster. I swore I bought a gallon there not too long ago. I will have to double check that may have offered an alternative.

Yes, McMaster used to carry DTE Light in gallons. Not too long ago they had it listed as temporarily unavailable, now gallons are no longer listed.

 

[barryw]

Just wondering… Did anyone find a source for 1 gallon jugs of Mobil DTE Light?

Also, is it recommended to flush the headstock and other oil reservoirs with some kind of detergent when doing an oil change?

Thanks.
Barry

 

[Cal Haines]

Definitely do not use "some kind of detergent". Know that the "detergents" in detergent motor oils bear very little in common with laundry detergent. Detergent additives in motor oil react with combustion byproducts and form solids that can be trapped in the engine's filter. They are NOT some sort of "scrubbing bubbles" that clean things.

Flush with kerosene. Use new kerosene for the spindle bearing reservoirs. You can filter the kerosene used to flush the center reservoir and run it through as many times as you need, then a final flush with new kerosene.

 

[barryw]

Definitely do not use "some kind of detergent". Know that the "detergents" in detergent motor oils bear very little in common with laundry detergent. Detergent additives in motor oil react with combustion byproducts and form solids that can be trapped in the engine's filter. They are NOT some sort of "scrubbing bubbles" that clean things.

Flush with kerosene. Use new kerosene for the spindle bearing reservoirs. You can filter the kerosene used to flush the center reservoir and run it through as many times as you need, then a final flush with new kerosene.

Yeah, sorry, by detergent I just meant a cleaning agent. I’ve used kerosene in the past to flush the apron on my larger south bend but wanted to check what was recommended for the 10EE.
Would you run the machine at low speed with only kerosene in the reservoir for a short time to clean the old oil from the gears?
I don’t know the history of what was used in my lathe so that’s why I’d like to do a flush and put the recommended oil into the machine.

 

[rimcanyon]

If it was a machine I planned on keeping for my own use, I would take the extra step of mucking out the sump before doing any flushing. i.e. remove the top of the headstock, leave the drain open and put some thinner (mineral spirits) in a squirt bottle and squirt it into all the dirty compartments in the bottom. Don't use it to clean the spindle, shifter, etc. Remove the sight glasses and do the same in the oil compartments for the spindle bearings. Then use some Scott towels to muck up and dry the compartments. If you have some long forceps or tweezers it's not that hard to hold pieces of towels to get it nice and clean. Then go ahead and flush the headstock with kerosene, and run the motor a few minutes to get good splash. The extra step to muck it out is worthwhile, if the sump is full of crud that you don't want to stir up.
You can do the same with the gearbox, but remove the top front panel first so you can clean it thoroughly the same way. There are two compartments in the gearbox, each with its own drain.

I know there are some who say *NEVER* use thinner, but I have never had a problem and I have cleaned a few 10EEs.