ITT: I learn about electrical motor repair.
 

Awesomos,

I have an electrical motor that, as far as I can tell, is in need of repair.

Said motor is a rather important part of a John Deere A90 multi-fuel space heater (torpedo style).

The motor spins the fan that blows the (intensely) hot air as well as spins the fuel pump that feeds the burner. I have almost no knowledge of electric motors but my guess is that bearings need replacing. The shaft has entirely too much "play" in it and it seems to disengage and won't spin.

Anyway, why I'm asking here. The motor is not a standard electrical motor because of the quasi built in fuel pump on the back side of the motor. There are no replacement motors available for these heaters, and the motor doesn't seem to be serviceable by your average DIY'er.

What I was hoping you guys could answer is this, do any of you know of a good electrical shop that could repair this kind of motor? Is there a decent place I can mail this thing to and get it repaired for a fair price? My internet searching has not turned up much.

The John Deere A90 is an old torpedo heater that can burn kerosene or diesel (and maybe other stuff?), they are super nice heaters that put out ton of heat. I can't post any pictures of the motor until later today but here is my craigslist ad for it ---> John Deere A90 Heater - For Parts or Fix

I'll post pictures of the motor and fuel pump tonight so this thread has some context.

Anywho...who knows about electric motors and how to get one properly repaired?

I've tried to find a local shop to repair it but the only place I've found is over an hour from me and has stupid short hours, and I can't get there because of my work hours. Plus they seemed a bit incompetent when talking with them on the phone....

Pretty much ever city has one old shop run by one old man who has been repairing electrical motors and generators for 50+ years.

If you can still find a physical copy of the Yellow Pages for the major city nearest you, look under "Electric Motors, Repair."

Failing that, call up whoever in your area services well pumps, agricultural pumps, etc. They will know who to talk to.

I was kind of hoping for one of these places, but one that had joined the 20th century and takes internet orders and I can just mail them the dang thing.

All of the electrical repair places I've found are 40+ minutes away from me and all have 9am-4pm hours, Monday - Friday. Unfortunately I have a normal M-F, 8-5 job and can't make it to these places during their business hours.

Ah well, I'm just being lazy I suppose...

Often times a shop that services alternators will also work on electric motors. Just another option to check into in your local area.

In my experiance, the sort of people who still know how to competently repair small electric motors are all members of the subset of people who don't particularly care about having a website.

A bit of web detective work indicated these heaters were made by Reddy for JD. Reddy parts are still available. If it's only bearings, a motor shop would probably be cheaper. But if it's only bearings, tear it apart and DIY. Bearings are available in almost any size, and fairly cheap. I like to use VXB. Order direct or through eBay.

But reading indicates it is often the pump, which must be rebuilt using a parts kit. Apparently, it works much like a vacuum pump with movable vanes.