Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Oil disappearing from intermittent in Devry

This is topic Oil disappearing from intermittent in Devry in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jacob Delaney (Member # 8629) on 04-21-2016, 05:16 PM:

For some reason every time I fill up the oil in my Devry (Simplex intermittent) after about a week or so after sitting it's empty. I've done this about 3 or 4 times and of course I would think it's just leaking but everything is clean and I can't seem to find out where the oil is leaving. I fill like I shouldn't just keep filling it up until I fix this because the oil must be going somewhere. I have a few other Simplex intermittents but only one of them has the chain gear that my projector uses and I think that one might be seized so I can't swap it out with that so should I just get a new intermittent (considering how cheap they are now) or are the seals on them easy enough to change myself? I have two good simplex intermittents but I think those have the gear drive on the back and my projector uses the chain drive on the back.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-21-2016, 06:26 PM:

Oil, like gasoline, will evaporate, if that helps some.

And .. Welcome.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-21-2016, 08:15 PM:

What kind of oil are you using?

Posted by Jacob Delaney (Member # 8629) on 04-22-2016, 11:12 AM:

Im using SAE 10 non-detergent Accel motor oil... Maybe not the best. I haven't thought about it evaporating but after only a week or so? I'm not exaggerating it really does go quick. If it's just evaporating then would that leave some residue behind that I should worry about if I just keep topping it off? Thanks guys.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-22-2016, 11:21 AM:

Thats very close to the correct oil. So I don't think thats the issue. Its probably not evaporating, it would have to get pretty hot or sit a long time in contact with air. Those Simplex movements are on the leaky side normally. They didn't earn the nickname Simplex Valdeze for no reason! The case gasket is very likely deteriorated from age and you have the cam shaft at the very bottom of the back side and any oil overfill is gonna pump out along that shaft. In normal theater running those intermittent's were topped off daily and all the oil holes oiled at least once. So if you have to top it off after a week I really don't think that's so bad. I have seen case gaskets on Epay or you could ask John Eickoff if he has any. Even the end clearance settings on the star shaft, cam shaft and input shaft determine how fast the oil will run out. There are spirals on those shafts where they run in the bushings and oil actually gets pumped along them to keep them lubed. Its when one of those oil spirals gets clogged with crud that a movement will seize up because of lack of oil.

Mark