Jet 1642 Motor gone bad

[Cary Falk]

I still can't picture how the shaft could get bent. I still think I would try new bearings before I sunk money into a new motor. As David said, start with the frame number. Unfortunately mind did not have a frame number on the motor tag. If the VFD is the same between the 1.5 hp and the 2hp I would consider upgrading to a 2hp motor now. If you can get the shaft size right and the motor is approximately the same size you can always make an aluminum adaptor plate to mount it up. The good news is you don't have to worry abut letting the smoke out of start/run capacitor this time.

[Jim Underwood]

It is a two HP motor. That's why I'm so surprised that it's failed already.
As I think about what tech support told me today I realize I can conclude one of two things.
Either he's telling the truth and this is the quality of the product, such that it will only last until the warranty is up. Granting this a new motor won't be any better than an old one. If this is the case then I'm no longer a fan of Jet products.

If not then there really was a bad batch of motors and I've just been screwed. And Jet won't admit to it and so I'm either stuck with buying a new motor in hopes it'll last longer than the original. Or I can take a chance on an aftermarket motor in hopes I can make it work with the EVS.

Either way I'm not a happy camper. I don't feel served well.

[charlie knighton]

what was strange was the 2 hp motor had 5 year warranty and the 1 1/2 hp motor had 1 year warranty......and the problem seems to be coming form the 2 hp motor

[Jim Underwood]

Since the bearings for this motor were only $4, I'm gonna try em and see if it makes a difference.
I'll let you know what happens.

I'm also very curious whether the 2HP PM3520 motor is the same since it uses the same inverter. There's a thread on this forum where someone says it is the same motor...

[Joe Kaufman]

The motor would have to be for the original PM 3520, not sure about A, and the B definitely won't fit w/o shortening the output shaft and machining a new keyway.
The B shaft is over 6" long and the keyway is only the last 2" of the shaft.
Joe

[john taliaferro]

I would have to say the motor shaft was ether bent by the factory when assembled or not balanced well ,which took 6 years to hurt the bearings . I would try to fix the armature and replace the bearings .

[Joseph M Lary]

Jim, On my first motor replacement, the guy I talked to told me they had a bad batch of motors , told me to take off the label and sent it to him that would ship me out a new motor and to keep the old motor. The next time I called the same guy, had all the information form the first time . He wouldn't admit to the bad batch this time and said I would have to take it to a jet service center for the warranty service. I know the guy that manages the service center and he said they did not want to replace the motor but they did , this all happened in the first 2 years. I haven't had any problems . Powermatic and Jet where both owned by the same company at one time WMA tool group I think it was .

[Jim Underwood]

Joseph,
Well Jet basically told me that it's out of warranty and they're not going to do anything about it. I haven't called customer service and raised a stink yet. I'm contemplating it though. I don't know if it's worth the hassle...

Dunno that it's worth the hassle of trying to make something else fit, either. If I go aftermarket, then I have to make sure it's EXACTLY the same kind of motor (and a lot of details are sketchy) as well as being machined for the pulley and the shaft being the right length. What's the chance of that? If I use a Powermatic motor, I'll have to make sure the shaft is correct length and machined for the right pulley... I'm inclined to think that I'd be better off just buying the OEM motor and then selling it the whole rig so I can buy a Vicmarc or a Robust...

I started putting the bearings in last night. I haven't gotten it all back together yet. I don't think it's going to make any difference, because I really think the shaft is substandard. I took a close look at it while I had the thing between centers. They've just taken some hot rolled shaft, and turned it quickly and roughly on the lathe, then compressed the armature to the shaft. You can see the "machinist" didn't bother to true up the raw stock (with scale still on) in the chuck before turning it. You can still see the eccentricity of the hot roll surface.... I mean that it really LOPES. I was taught in machine shop class, that you should always start by chucking up the raw stock and adjusting the chuck jaws (machinist chuck jaws are independently adjustable) until the stock runs true as possible, and only then start turning. This "machinist" didn't even bother getting it close....

[Dave Cullen]

Is the motor a standard NEMA size, or is it something unique? If it's standard, I'd be looking for a Baldor.

[Sonny Kemp]

Joseph,
Well Jet basically told me that it's out of warranty and they're not going to do anything about it. I haven't called customer service and raised a stink yet. I'm contemplating it though. I don't know if it's worth the hassle...

Dunno that it's worth the hassle of trying to make something else fit, either. If I go aftermarket, then I have to make sure it's EXACTLY the same kind of motor (and a lot of details are sketchy) as well as being machined for the pulley and the shaft being the right length. What's the chance of that? If I use a Powermatic motor, I'll have to make sure the shaft is correct length and machined for the right pulley... I'm inclined to think that I'd be better off just buying the OEM motor and then selling it the whole rig so I can buy a Vicmarc or a Robust...

I started putting the bearings in last night. I haven't gotten it all back together yet. I don't think it's going to make any difference, because I really think the shaft is substandard. I took a close look at it while I had the thing between centers. They've just taken some hot rolled shaft, and turned it quickly and roughly on the lathe, then compressed the armature to the shaft. You can see the "machinist" didn't bother to true up the raw stock (with scale still on) in the chuck before turning it. You can still see the eccentricity of the hot roll surface.... I mean that it really LOPES. I was taught in machine shop class, that you should always start by chucking up the raw stock and adjusting the chuck jaws (machinist chuck jaws are independently adjustable) until the stock runs true as possible, and only then start turning. This "machinist" didn't even bother getting it close....

Jim if you would be interested in selling it just like she lays Email me a price and I might be a buyer.

[Joseph M Lary]

I got the old motor if you want it .I was going to see if it cold be fixed ,but after about 6 years I don't think that willever happen .I never pulled it apart ,it ram when I took it off , sounded let some thing was loose inside .I do not think it was the shaft .maybe you can use it for parts to fix yours .

[John K Jordan]

Jim, based on experiences I've had, if I thought it was a factory defect I would definitely escalate it through Jet.

Here is one story: I had a Honda XL250 that suddenly blew the engine. Though far (years) out of warranty, I proved on disassembly that it was a factory worker's defect. Honda ended up replacing the entire engine and throwing in a new battery.

I think the key was my letter writing. Forget phone calls, you can get someone who can dismiss you on a whim and hope you will go away. They can later deny they even said what they did. With a real letter, written on paper, they have to actually think before writing a response.

In my case, I sent a letter to Honda of America, a copy to Honda of Japan, a copy to Ralph Nadar who was heavily into consumer protection at the time, and a copy to some other consumer agency (forget who). The letter and copies showed the recipient list so Honda of America knew someone else was aware of the issue and might pay attention to their response. They couldn't just ignore it and pretend they didn't know anything about it.

My letter carefully documented exactly what happened, the details of I discovered about the engine, the name and response of the local Honda dealer ("sorry, can't help you"), the financial and use loss I suffered, and how my opinion of the Honda company had changed. The result: Honda actually sent a real person, a regional representative who drove at least 100 miles to look at my motor! By coincidence I walked into a Honda dealer just as the guy was asking the owner if he knew how to find me. Ha!

If I had your motor, I would document the same way, include photos, get a local machine shop and motor shop to take a look and if they agree the workmanship is substandard, include their findings along with company name and contact info. I would include my projected financial loss including loss of use. I would state how my respect for their reputation for quality and service was being stretched thin by this experience. I would mention this issue is being discussed right now on an international woodworking forum read by thousands of Jet customers, many whose future purchases might be influenced by Jet's response. I would send the letter at least to the top of Jet and the parent company, first researching who is in charge. Optionally, you could have a lawyer send the letter on his letterhead but that would cost some money.

If you are convinced the failure is actually a result of a factory defect and not from normal wear or neglect or abuse, this may well be worth your time.

JKJ

[Brad Adams]

I don't think the manufacturer is at fault on this one. There is no way you have used this lathe for over five years and not noticed a bent shaft on the motor. You said yourself, the sound started last fall. So you kept using it even though it was making noise, without investigation? I call B.S. on this one. The bearings were probably going bad last fall, and the continued use caused the failure. I don't think its fair to pile on the manufacturer for an obviously out of warranty lathe that has been used for over five years without problem. Making a "stink" with them is wrong. Man up and buy a new motor.

[Jim Underwood]

Thanks all for the kind offers. Hold the thought for a bit.
I put the new bearings in this evening, and while it might have been more quiet (I won't know for sure til it's under load) it definitely didn't cure the bent shaft.
So. Tomorrow I'm going to do two things;
First I'll take the motor to my local motor shop and see what it'll take to match it up. Then I'll have price and availability on an aftermarket motor. And that just might help the rest of you going through this same problem.
Second I'll call Jet customer service and ask what they're going to do for me. I have no real basis for expecting anything legally since warranty ran out. But the decent thing for them to do is, if not replace the motor, at least give me a discount or free shipping or something. If they don't admit the bad batch of motors and keep to the "normal wear and tear" line, I'll just not buy anything from Jet. Ever. Again. Because I can't expect any better quality than that can I?
I've had experience with two 1014 lathes( my first one was screwed up from the factory and I had it replaced) and this 1642. It just seems like the quality control isn't there...
So. We'll see.

[Jim Underwood]

Hey Brad,
You're welcome to your opinion, but in mine, you're wrong.
That shaft shouldn't have bent under normal use.
Period.
And it's well documented on this and other forums that Jet had a batch of bad motors at the same time I bought mine.
Should I be penalized because I didn't run the dog crap out of mine and the defect didn't show up as soon as others did?