Tried two different ways to quiet a noisy traction sheave and the second one actually worked

On a job in Detroit last month, we had a traction sheave on a big boiler feed pump making a real bad grinding noise. The first thing we tried was just cleaning and re-greasing the old bearings, which is what the plant guys wanted because it was cheap. That took half a day and the noise came back in less than a week. The second time, I pushed to pull the whole sheave, check the shaft for wear with a micrometer, and put in a full set of new sealed bearings. That fix took a full day and cost about $800 in parts, but it's been silent for over a month now. It seems like the old shaft had just enough wear that new grease couldn't fix the play. Do you guys always go for the full replacement on stuff like this, or do you try the quick fix first to see if it holds?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenarobinson2d ago

So the cheap fix is just a loud rental?

knight.drew2d ago

Actually, a loud rental is usually the expensive fix. The cheap fix is almost always the quiet one, like adding sound deadening material or adjusting a loose part. The loud option often means replacing a whole system, which gets pricey fast. You pay more for the quick, noisy band-aid.