Skywatcher AZ EQ6GT Service - DIY or send it away

[dannybgoode]

So my AZ EQ6GT mount - it is 6 or so years old but lightly used however it is well due a clean and a re-grease.  I am pretty handy with mechanical stuff and have all the tools, have watched a few YouTube videos on it etc and it doesn't look too hard to service.

But, are there any real pitfalls that makes sending it away a more sensible option?  Anyone DIY'd and wished they hadn't or indeed found it pretty straightfoward?

Cheers all

[WbRaDy]

Messaged..👍

[Ouroboros]

I’ve had mine 8 years and so far it seems to working as well as ever. Famous last words!  

I’m thinking: if it ain’t broke …. etc. 

[dannybgoode]

12 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

I’ve had mine 8 years and so far it seems to working as well as ever. Famous last words!  

I’m thinking: if it ain’t broke …. etc. 

There is an element of that to my thinking however the grease does go off over time and running bearings on old, hardened grease could cause damage to them so was contemplating having a tinker...

[Ouroboros]

Yes, I can understand your thinking. 

[dannybgoode]

Watching this video it does not look too complicated.  Less gears and stuff than I expected and nothing that looks a proper fiddle and faff.  Can't see anything that I could get so wrong as to damage anything also.

 

[dannybgoode]

Well I've started :). Actually considering the mount is probably closer to 8 years old much of the grease is actually OK but as can be seen from the paper some of it is loppy.

And now I've got going I want to do it all so over the next few days will get it nice and clean and re-greased

 

 

[chaxastro]

 Hi Danny,
 
It is something I am considering doing with my mount in the future. I'm outside the warranty period, but want to get a bit more use out of it (assuming we ever get a clear sky again?!) before I strip it down.

Re: the recent AZEQ6 overhaul video "Graham Holmes doing a strip down on an AZEQ6"

I've watched it several times, looks fairly straightforward. I stripped down a Meade LXD55 some years ago, by comparison, this looks much easier!

As for choice of grease, I'd go for Bike/cycle grease, the sort that contains Teflon (available from Halfords). I used it on the Meade, worked extremely well.

Regards,

Chaxastro

"Humour is reason gone mad" Grouch Marx

[Jonny_H]

10 hours ago, dannybgoode said:

Well I've started :). Actually considering the mount is probably closer to 8 years old much of the grease is actually OK but as can be seen from the paper some of it is loppy.

And now I've got going I want to do it all so over the next few days will get it nice and clean and re-greased

 

 

Hi Danny,

Do you know the sizes of the needle thrust bearings? I can see there are two sizes and wondered if you knew or could measure the inner and outer diameters along with the thickness?

Will you be replacing/upgrading yours or are you planning to just clean and regrease?

 

Thanks,

Jon

[dannybgoode]

@chaxastro - @WbRaDy convinced me the service was easy enough to do and so far I’d agree. They also pointed me in the direction of this grease. Apparently it is the goto stuff (pun almost intended).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01186U64Y/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_DFEPCKNBZ9PXN4AHE692?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

@Jonny_H - happy to measure them once I’ve cleaned them up. My mount is embarrassingly lightly used so I’m not going to change mine. Assuming I actually get some proper use out of it going forward I’ll look to change them next time I do this.

[Jonny_H]

19 minutes ago, dannybgoode said:

@chaxastro - @WbRaDy convinced me the service was easy enough to do and so far I’d agree. They also pointed me in the direction of this grease. Apparently it is the goto stuff (pun almost intended).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01186U64Y/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_DFEPCKNBZ9PXN4AHE692?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

@Jonny_H - happy to measure them once I’ve cleaned them up. My mount is embarrassingly lightly used so I’m not going to change mine. Assuming I actually get some proper use out of it going forward I’ll look to change them next time I do this.

Thanks Danny - much appreciated.

It does look very straight forward. The only thing I have heard that can be a real pain is the RA locking nut. Did you manage to undo yours yet?

 

Thanks,

Jonny

[dannybgoode]

4 minutes ago, Jonny_H said:

Thanks Danny - much appreciated.

It does look very straight forward. The only thing I have heard that can be a real pain is the RA locking nut. Did you manage to undo yours yet?

 

Thanks,

Jonny

Not yet! You just need the right tool or to be able to at least fudge the right tool. I’ll have a rummage later for something to use. The grease doesn’t come until Friday so taking my time with this one

[david_taurus83]

Has anyone ever been brave enough to try and remove those inner bearings? 

[dannybgoode]

9 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Has anyone ever been brave enough to try and remove those inner bearings? 

Ha - I am not.  I suspect with the right tool it would be fairly straightforward but then of course there is getting them back in again as well.  May well need a bearing press to do that...

[Jonny_H]

23 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Has anyone ever been brave enough to try and remove those inner bearings? 

I am yet to hear of someone who has.

To @dannybgoode's point - if you have the right tools it is possibly a straight forward job. I am thinking something like a slide hammer bearing puller and a press is needed?

[newbie alert]

31 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Has anyone ever been brave enough to try and remove those inner bearings? 

Inner bearings as the main bearings, or the ones in the worm housing ?

[dannybgoode]

5 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

Inner bearings as the main bearings, or the ones in the worm housing ?

The ones that are pretty firmly embedded in the actual casing,,,

[newbie alert]

On 22/12/2021 at 09:55, dannybgoode said:

The ones that are pretty firmly embedded in the actual casing,,,

I've only actually seen ones in a cgem rather than a skywatcher, but the bearings in the ring gears etc need pulling out squarely or they lock up, same for the ones on the shafts.. It's been said that the ones in skywatcher mounts are abit harder to get out, so a bearing puller may help..

I retract that comment as I've just watched the above video.. looks like nothing I've seen before.. those inner bearing were never shown so unsure of what they are.. the other bearings I was a little shocked about, has anyone modded theirs to have proper ball bearings? Those needle bearings have too much contact surface to run smooth to my mind

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by newbie alert
Added info

[david_taurus83]

Wonder if there is actually any real benefit to those though. I'd say yes to small worm bearings and needle bearings. If it was me doing it, I just like to be thorough and do them all, that's all.

[Jonny_H]

16 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Wonder if there is actually any real benefit to those though. I'd say yes to small worm bearings and needle bearings. If it was me doing it, I just like to be thorough and do them all, that's all.

I think that is my issue. I don't believe my ocd will allow me to replace only 50% of the bearings 😂

[dannybgoode]

First snag hit.  Yes the RA locking nut is a pig.  I have found this though - looks the right size so ordered.  When I reassemble I will not quite tighten it as much and then bent nose pliers should do the trick but it ain't shifting with a locknut tool.

Sealey SMC22 Motorcycle Swingarm Lock Nut Socket 4-Pin 50mm | McCormick Tools

[malc-c]

Not sure what grease SW now use in these mounts, but a few years ago a lot of people would strip an HEQ5 / EQ6 down straight after the 12 month warranty period just to replace the tar like gunk with a better lubricant, often lithium grease.  Some would even replace the main bearings with higher tolerance / precision SKF ones. 

I stripped and serviced my second hand HEQ5 when I first got it, only to find it had already been stripped and had the grease replaced, but at least I had the satisfaction of knowing that any issues thereafter were down to my reassembly ! - I've seen people question the fitting of higher spec bearings, especially as our mounts seldom (if at all ) make a complete rotation, so the bearings are hardly going to see much wear, but over time the constant motion over the same part of the bearings can cause flattening of the rollers as its the same sets that take the forces when the mount slews or tracks, plus the idea of any service is to reduce backlash and play, and often higher precision bearings will help us achieve this.

Good luck with the rebuild.  It will be interesting to see if your get any improvement

[dannybgoode]

4 hours ago, malc-c said:

Not sure what grease SW now use in these mounts, but a few years ago a lot of people would strip an HEQ5 / EQ6 down straight after the 12 month warranty period just to replace the tar like gunk with a better lubricant, often lithium grease

It's not terrible stuff in mine however it's far from the best and it's very gloomy and sticky. 

Will report back on any improvements

[7170]

On 21/12/2021 at 17:12, dannybgoode said:

So my AZ EQ6GT mount - it is 6 or so years old but lightly used however it is well due a clean and a re-grease.  I am pretty handy with mechanical stuff and have all the tools, have watched a few YouTube videos on it etc and it doesn't look too hard to service.

But, are there any real pitfalls that makes sending it away a more sensible option?  Anyone DIY'd and wished they hadn't or indeed found it pretty straightfoward?

Cheers all

I my experience a good indicator of the need for a clean and re-grease (or adjustment) is when the head doesn’t rotate slowly with a small off balance weight in either the RA or DEC axis.

Cleaning and re-greasing is not hard, the tricky bit is backlash adjustment, but that just requires patience.

[dannybgoode]

Grrr - the tool I found is not quite the right size.  I measured 50mm centre to centre of the holes whereas the tool is 50mm edge to edge so a shade small.  I have tried making a tool by screwing some bolts through a piece of wood but the damned thing will still not budge.  Not sure what to do now!!  I could try making another tool with a longer handle for more leverage or maybe get some penetrating fluid on the nut in case it is seized or give up on the RA for now and just re-grease and re-assemble the DEC but that would be half a job.