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BP step pulley noise

mwill135

Aluminum
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Bought my first BP. J head step pulley 1hp. When I was buying, it was known there was a noise that appeared to be coming from the front pulley. Seller said they thought/assumed it was a bearing. The only thing that would alter the noise was - the lower the belt was on the pulley the louder and more prevalent the noise. As you raised the belt on the pulley it seemed to abate. I’ve begun the disassembly and the front pulley seems to be fine. Bearings and all other parts seem good. I know it’s hard to diagnose from just a written interpretation but was hoping someone may have had similar experience and could shed some light. Thanks
 
what kind of noise?
My first Bridgeport I bought out of a lab I worked at. Had a hellacious clatter.
It had an extended drawbar that I wanted to use at work so I swapped it out before taking it home

Was silent as a mouse after that

Also try hi/lo range and see what the sound does.
 
Spline wear perhaps
To make it somewhat better I once placed a nylon bushing with a thin wall in the housing to keep the splineshaft centered
Helped some but not the ultimate fix
That is new parts

Peter
 
Get a stick of wood about 3/4" square and 12" long. Gently pry it under the high/low speed clutch control lever. It's the one on top with a black knob.
This does eliminate low speed noise. The solution would be to make a thicker washer that goes underneath the part that the lever is attached to. The idea
is to raise the attached shaft a bit.
 
what kind of noise?
My first Bridgeport I bought out of a lab I worked at. Had a hellacious clatter.
It had an extended drawbar that I wanted to use at work so I swapped it out before taking it home

Was silent as a mouse after that

Also try hi/lo range and see what the sound does.

Years ago we purchased a couple of replacement draw bars from MSC, they had a longer hex head and the shaft size has different, most likely an import. That said they rattled when in use. We did not try to determine the cause just replaced them with Bridgeport draw bars, problem solved.
 
Hard to diagnose without knowing what kind of noise, but if moving the belt makes it change it may be the belt making the noise. If the belt is glazed it will make noise going in and out of the groove. Usually it squeals. Put a little oil on the belt so it will slide into and out of the groove smoothly. Then you can eliminate the belt as the source.
 
An old mechanics trick, spray wd-40 on your fan belts occasionally to keep them soft and they will last longer.
 
An old mechanics trick, spray wd-40 on your fan belts occasionally to keep them soft and they will last longer.

Not to disagree but I would like to hear about this from other folks before I do this. Finally something useful for this stuff besides gardening tools.
 








 
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