[haastec]

I disconnected the belts and the noise is still there. I know for sure its not the spindle motor bearings as they were just replaced. Im 99% sure that its just gear slap although the video may not show that. When I turn the motor or encoder spline back and forth I hear a slap from the gears right under the encoder spline. Now if I spin the motor by hand fast enough for it to get a few revolutions the gear teeth are engaged with each other and I dont hear the slap. So I need to figure out why the gear slap is there when the machine is running. Can something electronically cause the motor to slow down and speed up for a split second causing the gears to slap like that? Im talking like milliseconds......just enough for the gear teeth to lose contact with each other then recontact causing that slap noise. The RPM display only fluctuates 1 rpm so it seems as if the encoder motor is ok but who knows. The encoder belt looks good, no missing teeth...I dont have a new one to compare it to so I cant tell how worn it is if at all.

I have a VF3 of the same model year and its so quiet you can barely hear it running. I would consider swapping the encoder motor from that machine but I cant be down both machines right now....I only have 2.

it is possible that the encoder, belts and/or pulleys for the encoder could give those kind of results. If you haven't already, I would remove the encoder. Inspect the belt good, and just as important look at both pulleys good. Most likely they are both aluminum and they will wear out. There should be a noticable flat between the encoder pulley teeth and make sure the teeth are not twisted. The pulley mounted at the transmission can be harder to inspect but look at it closely also.

If unsure, I would replace all three items for the encoder; belt, pulley @ encoder, and pulley @ gearbox FYI the pulley at the gearbox is sweat fitted onto the GB shaft, but comes on/off easily with a quick heat up with a torch. A new one should be made out of steel and will last much longer. If they havent been changed in a long time, it's still cheap insurance for future issues even if it doesn't fix your current problem.

Good luck!

[JMFabrications]

it is possible that the encoder, belts and/or pulleys for the encoder could give those kind of results. If you haven't already, I would remove the encoder. Inspect the belt good, and just as important look at both pulleys good. Most likely they are both aluminum and they will wear out. There should be a noticable flat between the encoder pulley teeth and make sure the teeth are not twisted. The pulley mounted at the transmission can be harder to inspect but look at it closely also.

If unsure, I would replace all three items for the encoder; belt, pulley @ encoder, and pulley @ gearbox FYI the pulley at the gearbox is sweat fitted onto the GB shaft, but comes on/off easily with a quick heat up with a torch. A new one should be made out of steel and will last much longer. If they havent been changed in a long time, it's still cheap insurance for future issues even if it doesn't fix your current problem.

Good luck!

Thanks again for the suggestions. Im going to order those 3 parts now and see if that solves any of the issue. If not I will probably just let it go, it doesnt seem to be hurting anything other than my ears. Im using DTE 25 gear box oil, should I consider something thicker?

[haastec]

Thanks again for the suggestions. Im going to order those 3 parts now and see if that solves any of the issue. If not I will probably just let it go, it doesnt seem to be hurting anything other than my ears. Im using DTE 25 gear box oil, should I consider something thicker?

I have never used anything but the DTE25 so I cannot comment on the success of running anything thicker.

If those parts still do not fix it, I would try to find a time to swap the encoders between machines. Shouldn't keep you down to long to test with the donor encoder but I understand time is money. Either way, just be sure to reset the spindle orientations when finished. Both machines!

Just a note, if you unplug the encoder, expect an encoder alarm when you plug it back in and command an RPM the first time, this is normal. Reset and try again, it should be good to go after that.

[JMFabrications]

I have never used anything but the DTE25 so I cannot comment on the success of running anything thicker.

If those parts still do not fix it, I would try to find a time to swap the encoders between machines. Shouldn't keep you down to long to test with the donor encoder but I understand time is money. Either way, just be sure to reset the spindle orientations when finished. Both machines!

Just a note, if you unplug the encoder, expect an encoder alarm when you plug it back in and command an RPM the first time, this is normal. Reset and try again, it should be good to go after that.

As a last resort I may try to swap the encoders. The VF3 has a SMTC and I have never removed the head cover but it looks to be 3 pcs or so....not sure if its any easier or not but I may give it a shot. Ill do it after hours so we dont lose machine time.

I greatly appreciate all your help! Ill be sure to report back.