Keystoker-removing gear motor

Hey all!
I have one thing left to do with my keystoker before I fire it up.....and I want to do that this weekend. My gear motor was jammed again when I test drove the unit two weeks ago. When I had my coal delivered I had the expert check it out and he told me to just take out the two screws, remove the gear motor, vacuum and reinstall. He made it sound really simple but I'm sort of worried about doing it. How hard is it? He said I may need to pull on the bar (threaded nut thingy?) to get it to come out once I remove the screws. Anyone have any advice for me? I"m going to tackle it tonight after the kiddies are in bed so I am not distracted. He told me to just slide it back in after I clean it and put the screws back and that's it. Really? I'm skeptical.
Thanks in advance!
-Deb

Based on the Keystokers I have owned I can offer the following:
1. empty the hopper
2. remove the four (or 2, depending on your stove) screws on the side that hold the stoker motor bracket to the stove (edited thanks to Chris , the one I have here has 4)
3. pull the entire assembly out the back of the slot (motor, and pusher block with the adjustment screw on it), the motor and plastic cam will seperate from the pusher block
4. clean the entire slot thouroughly with a small wire brush and vacuum
5. inspect the small nylon screws on the side of the pusher block for wear, replace if needed
6. reinsert the stoker motor/cam assembly into the pusher block and slide the entire assembly back into the slot.
7. reinstall the 4 screws and verify operation
8. enjoy the warmth!

hope this helps, post back if any problems, have fun!

Be sure that the motor and whatever it is supposed to turn does so freely. There may be some resistance, but it should turn. If not you could have a jam in the stoker mechanism (chunk of coal?) or the gearbox (not likely, but you need to check). Motors (especially pool pumps) can get stuck after a long rest, a little lube won't hurt either.

Added clarification - to get the stoker motor out, there are (2) two screws, one on each side. The motor along with the pusher block will come out of the stoker assembly as a whole. After that, you remove the stoker motor from the plate with (4) screws in case it needs replacement.

My stoker had the nylon screws all melted out of it, and also the cam had been melted (and replaced) at some point. Otherwise, it was in good shape. I re-tapped the threads and installed new nylon fillister-head screws (McMaster-Carr).

It really is quite a nice design they have.

Chris

europachris wrote:My stoker had the nylon screws all melted out of it, and also the cam had been melted (and replaced) at some point. Otherwise, it was in good shape. I re-tapped the threads and installed new nylon fillister-head screws (McMaster-Carr). Chris

Do they use Nylon so they shear to prevent damage in a jam-up?

coaledsweat wrote:

Do they use Nylon so they shear to prevent damage in a jam-up?[/quote]

Nope, the screws (two per side) are just to keep the pusher block aligned and spaced properly within the stoker housing. Nylon due to naturally being slippery and wear resistant. You want to adjust them so the block just slides freely in and out without binding. Too loose (or missing) and the block just flops around and doesn't really push the coal effectively.

Oh god, I hope I can figure this out. I hope nothing is melted!

The screws are either on the side or the bottom, the stoker gearbox unit should come out at one piece...

Just don't take the actual gear box apart! if you do, be carful. There are a ton of reduction gears in there and if you mess that up....

like Chris wrote its easy. i did it from a wheelchair lol you can see the stoker cam in there. just make sure the push bar moves easy. mine had some gasket material binding it up. i trimed it off and adjusted one nylon screw for more free play. just keep push the bar in and out , without the motor in. i took some fine sandpaper to clean the crap off the bar and where it slides. the stoker motor should never move when the stove cycles. i didn't like the 2 mountings screws. i'm going to replace the with phlipshead screws and add a lock washer. when mine was jamming , it loosed up both screws.

europachris wrote:My stoker had the nylon screws all melted out of it, and also the cam had been melted (and replaced) at some point. Otherwise, it was in good shape. I re-tapped the threads and installed new nylon fillister-head screws (McMaster-Carr).
Chris

To quote from Keystoker's literature.
"NYLON CAM MELTS
Under normal operating conditions, nylon cam will not melt. Melting of nylon cam can only be caused by a draft problem.
1. Blockage in exhaust system
2. Excessive draft - Draft needs to be set with draft gauge to -.02"


byrdy11; If you would like I can scan to pdf a copy from a Keystoker manual with illustrated instructions for "how to change a gear motor"
Because this may be copyrighted material I don't want to post it on the forum but I'll e-mail it to an e-mail address if you pm me with one.

gaw wrote:To quote from Keystoker's literature.
"NYLON CAM MELTS
Under normal operating conditions, nylon cam will not melt. Melting of nylon cam can only be caused by a draft problem.
1. Blockage in exhaust system
2. Excessive draft - Draft needs to be set with draft gauge to -.02"

Heh, blockage in exhaust system.....on my stove, the entire thing was a blockage, from one end to the other. It was chronically constipated with fly ash and coal particles.

I have since given it the proverbial enema, and all should be well now....

Oh, I was also told by Keystoker to run -.04 draft with the direct vent.

Chris

europachris wrote:
Oh, I was also told by Keystoker to run -.04 draft with the direct vent.

Chris

I'll have to remember that. I have a used direct vent recently acquired to heat the shop. This will be my first tinkering with that setup. I was thumbing through the installation guide today and found the info I posted earlier. Stumbled on it as a matter of coincidence and thought I would share.

Just finished....it wasnt hard, but took me a while because even though I cleaned all the coal out from around the plate it would not come out. I had to get a long flat piece of wood and use a hammer (from the stove door end) to force it out the back. I figured something had to break but once I had it out an inch or so I could pull the whole thing out. I set the motor down and cleaned the plate with the push bar, then wire brushed the whole inside of the 'chute'...that was a mess......a mess. Then I took out the four other screws and cleaned all the coal fines that were gunked around the cam. The cam looked ok. But I didnt see any nylon anything other than the cam. Does this sound normal? I should have taken pictures to post because I didnt see ANY nylon screws guys.....none. All mine were just regular screws. What does that mean? After I cleaned it I just put the whole thing back together and it slid right back in place. I changed my air filters on the combustion motor, cleaned up and went back to my coffee....The screws that hold the whole assembly to the stove body seem really cheesy.....after an initial turn with teh screwdriver I got them out by hand.....that doesnt seem right, but, whatever.
Have a good weekend!
-Deb
Thanks a BUNCH for the advice.

Your nylon screws on each side of the pusher block might have been replaced by steel screws, or maybe they were steel right from the beginning? Hard to say.

I've attached a picture of my stoker block showing the white nylon screws.

Chris

You know, looking at your picture, I realize that I dont have any screws there at all. The pusher bar was what was jamming up on me all along and nothing was wrong with the motor. The pusher bar has a slot that fits over the cam and the whole thing slides in and the two screws hold it to the stove. There are no screws for mine in that region where I see yours. Different stove (mine is a keystoker 90) I guess. When I look in there I can see the four screws that hold the motor to the plate-I took that apart and cleaned out the coal ash that put it all back together. I found the manual for my stove and the only thing I did wrong was I didnt disconnect teh wires from the motor. It is a pretty neat design.