# What type of grease for worm drive on AF 474 Diesel



## chrisallen21 (Sep 1, 2016)

After 30+ years of storage, I dug out my dad's old AF set (circa 1952 I think). There were two passenger sets (powered by an AF 474 Diesel engine. I wanted to start with a thorough cleaning right down to the worm drive just in case some of it had hardened over the years. A bit of degreaser cleaned it up nicely so I could inspect the sprocket teeth and now I am looking for opinions on what type of grease (and how much) to apply to keep it well lubricated going forward. Other posts show a grease with a red hue to it (reminds me of trailer hitch grease I used to apply to the hitch of our travel trailer). Is there a certain viscosity or 'thickness' that works best? 

As well, what type of oil is used for the marked lubrication points on the both of the engine? Other posts mention something like 3 in 1. 

Finally, are there any distributors in Ontario and/or Canada? The shipping from the US is crazy expensive (not to mention the dollar price difference). I do live about 30 minutes away from Port Huron, MI so I am thinking about renting a post office box and then going across to pick up the goodies if need be.

I added a pic of the 474 and the 'before' pic of the worm drive. The worm drive looks like it was well lubricated prior to storage which is a good thing.

BTW, I LOVE the helpful members here. The tear down pics and advice are awesome for a new guy just starting out and looking for assistance from the old pros!:appl:


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Assuming these will not be run continuously in a commercial display setting the most important criteria is a medium weight that will not harden. There are many choices that will work. I have some Hob E Lube and Labelle lubricants, they have been around a while. I use a light oil on the oil points and a white teflon grease on the gears. A standard weight oil like the 3 in 1 or an SEA 30 will work on the axles. However I use the Hob E Lube medium weight oil since I have it.
Pretty much any lubes sold in hobby shops are fine for the Gilbert engines in periodic use. The bigger problem you may discover is chassis wear at the axles from hard use. This will happen to all these engines sooner or later. If it is running poorly after cleaning, lube and brush adjustment then that is the problem. The only solution is to rebush the chassis. There are several service providers who will do this.


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