B245 Lichtbatteriezunder Lubrication

[Darryl.Richman]

Bruce, I may be speaking through my hat, but having just taken 2 D2 magnetos apart, I can't believe that your B245 can't be serviced with some care. I hope Peter can jump in here and give some information.

[bmwmyplace]

Hi Bruce , Well its funny but I am in the middle of this also . I read the book that says to lift one cap then pour oil in the other till it flows out ..... So I got the oilcan and gave it about 10 squirts and stopped no oil came out of the the other Klappoler .. so I went for a short ride and most of it migrated out of the lower housing, I concluded the gasket on the cover was either missing or not a good fit. I was also concerned that the oil might migrate to areas where oil is not wanteed ,,,, so for 300mile so good so at the moment I just give it a little oil often.

Last night I spoke to the guys at BMZ who said that the cover didnt seal that well and they thought it a good idea to put some light grease on the gear wheels and continue to lube the wick system (kloppoler) to lube the bush on the idler gear . but a little often

This gear is designed to run loose BTW I was given an end float of .25 to . 5 mm but it was difficult to understand how this was measured, it could the difference between the size of the idler post and the ID of the bush Im not sure but I will discover this in due time.it certainly isnt backlash in the gears as they are way too small for the type of clearance

The type of grease use in the transmission in my view would not be suitable as it is runny grease which colapses as the gears go through it , it would therefore fall to the bottom of the housing and be of no use.... you need a sticky grease I use Moorleys which is fairy light and very stringy

Now having said all this Peter " N"will probably come out and rebuke me for being a complete idiot but at least I will have a go.....and havent ruined anything YET

Knock on wood. so to days job is to remove the mag and check it out

PG

[Peter D. Nettesheim]

OK,OK,OK........Hold on a minute.
I don't believe all these comments as to what type of oil is best and where and when it should be changed. Quite frankly, none of what you are talking about even addresses the issue. The average quality of lubricants today is so far superior to what was used years ago you could almost use anything modern and it would be better than what was commercially available years ago. Here is my question, and it assumes you know the difference in operation between a common "D" Zunder and the B245 (which you should know if you are servicing/maintaining it). The gear set in the "D" Zunder connects the Magneto portion with the Generator portion. These gears are what gets the lubrication from the two ports on top of the Case. The B245 doesn't even have these gears so what are you talking about? Thats why there is no ports on top of the B245. These gears are not even there to lubricate. And you are talking about what oil is best?
Peter D. Nettesheim
PS. Earlier I indicated that the gear failure in Darryls magneto was due to improper lubrication and it was indicated something got caught in the gears. It is obvious from the pictures that the gears were badly worn out from extensive use or improper lubrication. It was only the gears getting jambed that caused them to crack. The pictures clearly show them worn out prior to the shock that broke the weakened gears.

[Bruce Frey]

As stated in the subject line, I am talking about the B245. This B245 is the version without a klappoler (the manual says there are versions with and without). The manual also says that relubrication is not necessary for versions without the klappoler because it is filled with a wonderful product called 'Ambroleum.'

The Ersatzteilliste I have for the B245 shows the klappoler version. While the B245 may not have the magneto section that the D has, it DOES have upper (generator) and lower (points and distributor) shafts with bearings and it DOES have gears connecting them.

I will rephrase the question to this way:

Should I ever be worried about lubrication? This is an 'older restoration' and I have no history or details about it. (I am not looking for more things to do)

If yes, what do you do, and with what lubricant?

As I mentioned in my first post, I do get an occassional drip from under it.

Best regards,

Bruce

[VBMWMO]

Peter's comment on oiling magnetos got me thinking.

The B245 on my 1935 R12 does not have the klappoler on top...in fact, there is no hole in the casting for one.

I have never removed it or taken it apart.

The manual I have says that for units without the klappoler, relubrication is not necessary because the unit is filled with Ambroleum.

With Google, I learned that Ambroleum was a Shell product replaced by Shell Retinax G, which has also been discontinued. Googling around, I see recipes for mixtures of grease and oil and references to Fließfett, a low viscosity grease for gears.

Is there a modern commercial product out there? Is this the same (or similar) as lower unit lube for outboard motors? Is this the same as the grease used in the early model transmissions?

Occassionally, a drop or two of what appears to be oil will seep from underneath the unit, so one of these days I need to think about servicing it.

Any ideas of what lubricant to use? Has anyone ever re-lubed one of these things, or is this a "Kids....don't try this at home" kind of thing?

Best regards,

Bruce