Looking for some advice, what is a common maintenance procedure for T200 thrusters after a regular use in fresh water . Can I use WD40 or any other cleaning agent ?
Hi @Adil -
No lubrication is required - DO NOT USE WD40!
The T200 and M200 thruster are lubricated by the water they are used in, and should not be run dry in air for more than a few seconds (ideally at low speed.)
Besides thoroughly rinsing with fresh water, you may want to occasionally disassemble the unit, and wipe the rotor and stator to remove any magnetic sandy particles that may have accumulated, and inspect the rotor for signs of damage to the coating that can lead to rust.
IF you’re not operating in areas with sediment, no maintenance is required! The only component that may wear out eventually is the sheave bearings at the top and bottom of the motor stator - reach out via our support form if you ever have issues with these. Thanks!
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Thank you so much
Thanks for this reminder Tony! Unfortunately I havent been flushing after using in a swimming pool thinking this was fresh water - nope!!! The chlorine is enough to cause corrosion in thrusters that have never been near saltwater.
Just wondered whether you had any advice about what solvent (alcohol?) should be used to remove any petroleum based residue from products like WD40 and CorrosionX? There is no way I can remove the lug screw that fixes the stainless ring on the rotor spindle let alone the rust without something like this. Some invariably gets on the plastic mounts so need a way to remove this before it does any damage.
Also wondered if its sensible to use locktight when replacing this lug screw? Have noticed this can be a little loose, resulting in some ‘play’ in the motor and observed some scratches on the rotor spindle. Thinking maybe this might prevent rust from siezing the thread so (counter intuitively) making it easier to get off when corroded?
Also a tip for anyone struggling to get that lug screw (see thread) undone due to corrosion - make sure you purchase a relatively expensive allen/hex key (eg. Wera) as anything else will just round off the screw. In my experience it is very difficult to remove using standard techniques without destroying the stator mount!
Hi @BillyBudd -
That’s interesting! I’m not sure what solvent would be good to remove that - simply running the motor in freshwater may be sufficient? If not, (diluted) simple green cleaner may work well.
A small amount of lock-tite on the set-screw used at the back of the motor, on the shaft collar is not a bad idea. If your T200s are old enough they may not have a flat on the shaft in this area? A small amount of play, with the rotor shifting in/out isn’t a problem. Tef-gel may be a good idea here too?
The T200s all have the flat on the shaft. Had to be careful when reassembling as needs to be in just the right spot to move freely but with minimal play. I’m assuming the motor could vibrate/shudder if there is too much play and felt like it jammed on the nylon protective ring on the stator if too tight.
Interestingly the older ones had some grease applied to the stainless steel spindle collar/ring but the newer ones don’t - presumably it wasnt a good idea (maybe trapped sediment/sand or something).