Hammond M3 run motor feels sluggish

[mpcaruso3]

I just started working on an m3 which has sat unused in the corner of my church for a couple of years now. I think I have all the tone wheels moving freely right now but the center axle seems stiff. The start motor only seems to spin the assembly until the spring near the run motor is wound tight, then everything stops. Would one assume that the run motor still has too much friction.

I too found the old can of hammond oil and have been using that. One of the 3 wicks at the run motor is broken. Fortunately it is the one next to the flywheel so i was able to manually oil that bearing with the help of a coffee straw. The two remaining wicks that feed the run motor/tremolo look fine but the reservoir cup is not draining at all, and from another post now think these might be clogged. Any suggestions for cleaning these besides lighter fluid. Lastly, I imagine the other two can not be fixed unless you take the run motor apart.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I think it is a 1956 M3 and the cabinet looks new, so I would really like to get this working and add it to my music room.

[Wes]

You probably have a stuck bearing in the generator. Disconnect the spring between the run motor and the generator, and turn each by hand to verify.

[mpcaruso3]

You probably have a stuck bearing in the generator. Disconnect the spring between the run motor and the generator, and turn each by hand to verify.

Is there a way of articulating how much friction I should be feeling when everything is working right and I move the TWG by hand. For example, if I give it a good spin, should it rotate freely for a couple of revolutions.

[tonewheel1966]

It won't run freely by itself but you should be able to turn it with your thumb and finger easily. Generally there is a bit of play in the gears so it will turn a bit and then you'll feel it turning the tonewheels as well. It's about 5 years since I had to free up a stuck tonewheel generator so I hope this makes sense.