Greasy FUN! - Ok not really all that fun. Still pretty cold out right now to be covered with WD40 and using metal tools.
I finally was able to get the end off the big double-ended forklift motor.
It was INSANELY greasy/grimey/dirty inside.
I degunked it as best I could with my fingers and a palate knife. Then just hosed down all the parts with WD40. Should help degrease it and keep from surface rusting while it is apart.
Inside is four electro-magnetic coils and four matching brushes. The brushes are pretty beefy sized, but are VERY worn down and will definately going to need to be replaced.
When I first tested the motor on 12V - I could see a little bit of arcing off one of the brushes.
The commutator looks pretty worn. I think the brushes were so worn down that they were digging in funny. I think brushes are like brake pads - you just need to wear them in a little bit before everything fits really well, right?
The middle chunk of motor, which holds the field coils, is 7 inches long. (on the left in the photo on the top)
Now that I have it apart, I can see if somebody like Jim Husted will take a quick look and offer advice.
You can see more photos of this motor torn apart
HERE