LEM Meat Grinder Leaking Oil
General Topic
Just curious if anyone else has crossed this bridge. I've had this grinder since new.....2006-ish. The last couple of deer grindings last year and before....I noticed a few drops of what looks like oil left on the table top when I move it. Has anyone else had their LEM do this? If so....what was your fix? Thanks.....
Part - Grease Seal for Big Bite Grinders | LEM Productshttps://www.lemproducts.com › product › 1777-big-bit... Grease Seal for our entire line of Big Bite Grinders. This Grease Seal is located in the grinder motor and is used to prevent grease leakage. If you see grease in the hub of the grinder, this seal may need to be replaced.
Customer Questions & Answers - Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › ask › questions Why did my grinder have a black oil like substance leaking from behind the auger ... about our STX International Megaforce 3000 Series Electric Meat Grinder.
Mine is the 3/4 HP and I've had it now since 2013 or 2014. I've put around 20 animals through it and mine is going strong with no issues.
Thanks Paul....this one doesn't leak out the front, it's underneath and the oil is clear.
I would call the service dept for recommendation.
That is what I was going to do. I was wondering if someone here has seen that before and what their fix was. I'm guessing something is oil filled and there is a oring or seal leak. LEM doesn't show that for this model (Model 535).
It's likely that there is a gearbox that is filled with food grade grease. That grease breaks down over time and will begin to leak oil when in use. I had a similar issue with my wife's Kitchen-Aid Mixer.
Mine is leaking also. I emailed them twice with no reply.
I was going to call them this week. I'll post up if anything positive happens.
I have it flipped upside down showing the bottom.
I have it flipped upside down showing the bottom.
Oil leaking down the side
Oil leaking down the side
A follow up.....
I took it apart to troubleshoot the leak. It is coming from a cork gasket that goes between the face plate and the front of the motor. The "oil" is the grease starting to breakdown. The LEM tech rep in the Parts Dept said the grease starts to breakdown at the 10-12 yr mark and will leak. In this case...the cork gasket leaked. The repair kit costs $21 including shipping. It includes a new cork gasket, new grease and a new oring that goes around the driveshaft. The tech rep said the outside possibility is the big capacitor split and was leaking. That has vegetable oil inside. Mine was still good. Here's a couple of pics. I have a pointer pointing at that cork gasket behind the face plate.
JL Thanks for the info, I'll be tearing mine apart as well.
Burly....it's easy. Just watch your knuckles near the stainless steel edges. They'll open ya up in a heartbeat. Use to get bit working on CG helo engines in my youth. Their number is 877-336-5895, option #5.
A follow up. Just finished changing out the grease, gasket and oring. Very easy to do. Here's a few pics of it after I took the cover plate off. You can see the little oring on the drive shaft. You can also see the liquid grease that broke down. I cleaned all of that out, cleaned the mating surfaces, wiped with alcohol, laid down a thin coat of Permatex #2, on both mating surfaces, put on the new cork gasket and put it back together....works as advertised.
Mine was layed on its side an now leaking a thick fluid
Good job JL. My wife has a bakery and I've done likewise on some grinders and mixers, from small kitchen aid mixers to bigger hobarts and such. If they start dripping usually all that's needed is to clean out the old grease and repack with new food grade grease. Only had to replace gears once.
