ATL 3 (or maybe Jobo in general) - nasty noises

[Doc W]

More fun with my ATL 3. I got everything running today and went through an entire program with no problems, except for a HORRIBLE "crack crack" noise coming from, I think, the gear that turns the drum. I am using a 3005 Expert drum with 1 litre of fluid.

I don't know if this is specific to the ATL 3. Anyone else with a Jobo making this nasty sound?

 

[Pasto]

No, it's not normal. I've had the ATL-3 as well as several other models and never had this problem. It does sometimes make a cracking noise when the lift comes down and the gear re-engages. Does it make the same noise regardless of whether the lift is raised or not?

 

[Doc W]

Pasto, if I recall correctly, it seems to happen when the direction of the rotation changes to clockwise. I will test it again tomorrow and pay more careful attention to exactly when it happens.

 

[CatLABS]

Replace and lubricate your transfer gears.

 

[sfaber17]

When I got my autolab, it made those noises due to the drive gear having a missing tooth. I replaced the gear and it is smooth now. You need to use a puller to do the gear.

 

[Doc W]

Thanks everyone. I had a spare new gear in the bag of extras that came with the ATL 3. There were quite a few worn-out ones in the bag as well so they obviously get changed from time to time. I put in the new one and order two more from CatLABS (thanks, Omer). I will give it a whirl tomorrow as soon as the silicone settles down.

 

[Pasto]

Sorry, been out of the loop for a few days. Glad to hear you're getting closer to a solution. Let us know....

 

[Doc W]

(insert large sigh of frustration). No luck. I installed a brand new gear and it is still making that horrible sound which is, as far as I can tell, the gear slipping. Here is a little more detail.

The drum is held on by two clips. The rear clip does not engage the gears on the drum as tightly as the front clip. In fact, it feels like it doesn't grab it at all. Furthermore, when the lift rises, it looks as if the drum is going to fall right out of the machine. The bottom of the drum comes quite far off of the rails and it looks to me like both clips completely disengage. Quite precarious in my opinion. I could probably make a short vid if that would help.

 

[CatLABS]

vid/photos please.

 

[Doc W]

vid/photos please.

Will do. Probably tomorrow.

 

[Doc W]

I think the problem might have to do with the way the drum is connecting to the lift. If this doesn't help, I will make another video of the drum at the correct speed making that noise.

Here are a few photos.

IMG_0001 - the lift with the newly-installed gear with silicon in the middle.
IMG_0004 - my 3005 drum
IMG_0005 - the position of the rollers. At rest the drum seems to sit on both pair correctly, but the manual shows things a little differently so I am not sure if this is correct.
IMG_0006 - the position of the drum with the lift raised. When the lift reaches the top position, the drum really wobbles and looks like it is going to fall right out.

Here is a terrible video of me raising the lift.

 

[CatLABS]

Your funnel selector is not all the way down in the lower position, causing the tank to be pushed out.

Push it down an lock in place and test again. If it pops back up, that means the funnel selector part is broken (very common on this type lift). The solution, unfortunately, would be to tie the funnel in to place, as the replacement part is no longer available and hope you only use Expert drums (upper funnel).

 

[Doc W]

Your funnel selector is not all the way down in the lower position, causing the tank to be pushed out.

Push it down an lock in place and test again. If it pops back up, that means the funnel selector part is broken (very common on this type lift). The solution, unfortunately, would be to tie the funnel in to place, as the replacement part is no longer available and hope you only use Expert drums (upper funnel).

OK, I put the levers all the way up, but when the lift goes up, they click down. Oddly, this doesn't happen if the drum is not on, i.e., if I just raise and lower the lift with no drum in place, the levers stay down. Is it possible that the whole lift assembly is shot, which is why the gear skips too?

 

[CatLABS]

No, just the funnel selector. It is a regular service part, but those lifts were phased out in the early 90's, and as i mentioned that part is no longer available. You can replace the whole lift assembly if you want, but that is a major PITA. I can send you a complete ATL3 upper unit, and you can simple drop in replace it. It will come with a new style lift.

Or

You can tie it down tightly to keep it in place.

 

[Doc W]

No, just the funnel selector. It is a regular service part, but those lifts were phased out in the early 90's, and as i mentioned that part is no longer available. You can replace the whole lift assembly if you want, but that is a major PITA. I can send you a complete ATL3 upper unit, and you can simple drop in replace it. It will come with a new style lift.

Or

You can tie it down tightly to keep it in place.

I will send you an email.

 

[Doc W]

Here is an update for those following this thread.

Omer was able to find the part in question on ebay. The stars must have really been aligned today. Quite a stroke of luck. I hope that this will solve some of the lift problems. I am not sure if this is going to fix the slipping gear problem, but some headway was made.

Thanks Omer, this has been a big help.

 

[Doc W]

Another update.

I will install the new part when it arrives but in the meantime, I am using a special and not very well-known Jobo part called the Twisten Dingus (see photo below). It is not very elegant but it seems to hold the funnel selector in place. Today, I ran the ATL through an entire process and the drum behaved expertly throughout. No more gear noise either.

Thanks again, Omer.

 

[Doc W]

Here is the final update on this thread: the machine is up and running and it is just amazing. Once it is all loaded up, I just push the button and sip coffee and Mr. ATL does the rest. I hope it will last for at least a few years .

Thanks for the help, folks.