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Switched to a new gear oil on our 12-year-old Otis units and the noise dropped by half in a week
We've got three traction units in a downtown office building that always had this low grinding hum. About a month ago, my lead had us flush them and put in a synthetic gear oil he read about, Mobil SHC 632. I was sure it was just another oil. But after running them for a full week, the sound meter reading went from a steady 68 dB down to about 62 dB at the machine room door. The change was clear, less vibration through the floor too. Has anyone else seen a big drop in noise just from switching lubricants, or did we just get lucky with these particular motors?
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paige1661mo ago
Tbh I read a whole article about this. They said the newer synthetic oils have way better additives that actually cushion the gears as they mesh. It's not just about being slippery. The old mineral oil probably lost that cushion years ago and was letting the metal parts vibrate against each other. Your noise drop makes total sense.
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logan_gonzalez2mo ago
So you think the old oil was just worn out, or is this new stuff actually that much better?
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grant.olivia2mo ago
Oh for sure it's better. The old stuff would break down fast when it got hot, but this new blend stays stable. I'm getting way smoother shifts now, especially on longer drives.
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