Greasing up the Warthog

[Sarge55]

I use Tamiya ceramic grease. Found it at a hobby store that supports RC aircraft. They sell it in a small tube that the RC guys use to grease the plastic gears etc...

 

One of the other guys in this thread uses it as well, that's where I heard about it.

[tommytank]

Dismantling Warthog Joystick base

 

Is there a step by step guide to dismantling the warthog? Lots of photo's in this thread, but nothing seems to describe the sequence.

[TwilightZone]

here........

ThrustMaster HOTAS Warthog, Complete Disassembly,…:

Edited November 8, 2014 by TwilightZone

[tjhowse]

Is there a step by step guide to dismantling the warthog? Lots of photo's in this thread, but nothing seems to describe the sequence.

 

This very thread:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1699631#post1699631

Edited November 8, 2014 by tjhowse

[TwilightZone]

This very thread:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1699631#post1699631

 

......great step by step list:thumbup:....i will you use this myself in the future....nice to be able to check off each step as you go.....:-)

[Crescendo]

......great step by step list:thumbup:....i will you use this myself in the future....nice to be able to check off each step as you go.....:-)

 

+1

 

Great guide, tjhowse. Rep inbound!

 

I used to be like this :joystick: , but now I'm like this :thumbup:

[Viersbovsky]

So, since today I am the proud owner of an almost new second hand HOTAS Warthog and well, there is already the stiction problem...

 

I like to take things apart and put them back together, so doing this should be a piece of cake for me. Hell, I even had to take my pristine PS4 controller apart and grease all the axis, it seems nothing works just out of the box anymore.

 

The question is what grease to use for the HOTAS. Reading around various forums there are pretty different opinions on what grease to use. Some recommend Molykote, others dryfluid. For you guys who did an "oil change" on your HOTAS Warthogs already, what is your experience? And furthermore, can someone recommend a grease for me that is readlily available in Europe (available at conrad would be nice)?

[Combat Wombat]

I would remove any moulding defects ie,raised surfaces like in one of the screenshots of the two ball sections together (the raised line) but use a very fine wet & dry sandpaper for the job after removing ridges with scalpel ,there is a post somewhere about this i'm trying to find it and will submit .found it )

.http://youtu.be/w6LX4GMJIj4

Edited November 20, 2014 by Combat Wombat

[Sarge55]

I use the Tamiya Ceramic Grease. I found it in a hobby store that caters to the RC crowd. They use it on there gears (plastic and metal). Greased mine about a year ago and it's still smooth.

[Viersbovsky]

I would remove any moulding defects ie,raised surfaces like in one of the screenshots of the two ball sections together (the raised line) but use a very fine wet & dry sandpaper for the job after removing ridges with scalpel ,there is a post somewhere about this i'm trying to find it and will submit .found it )

.http://youtu.be/w6LX4GMJIj4

 

Yeah, I have already seen the video, but thanks anyway, it is a very handy resource for every Warthog owner. Mine seems pretty bad, I guess there are some very bad ridges in there because it really hates moving now... I don´t think anything is broken, though.

 

I use the Tamiya Ceramic Grease. I found it in a hobby store that caters to the RC crowd. They use it on there gears (plastic and metal). Greased mine about a year ago and it's still smooth.

 

Gotcha, I hope I can find this stuff anywhere. Should be readily available but unfortunaltely it does not seem to be in stock in any hobby store in my vicinity.

 

On the other hand, I just found a huge tube of "universal grease" buried in my tool cupboard. It is lithium soap based and is spiked with graphite, NLGI class 2. Does this stuff corrode plastics? Wikipedia says it is non-corrosive but I just want to make sure. The tube is also ancient, at least 15 years old, but I guess this stuff does not go bad quickly?

 

edit: That universal grease I have might be a bad idea, since graphite is a pretty good conductor. May cause some short circuits if it touches PCBs.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Viersbovsky

[Sarge55]

I wouldn't use a "Universal" product. Find a grease that you know will be OK. Try Amazon or EBay. There was also another product recommended earlier in the thread which you maybe able to find locally.

[Viersbovsky]

I wouldn't use a "Universal" product. Find a grease that you know will be OK. Try Amazon or EBay. There was also another product recommended earlier in the thread which you maybe able to find locally.

 

Yeah, I bought some knock-off ceramic Tamiya grease and some highest quality silicone grease on my way home. I have asked my father, an engineer with way more experience than me and he recommended the silicone based grease. The universal lithium grease is actually also pretty good for this application, it just makes a huge mess and will be hard to clean because of the graphite spiking -so I will go with the silicone grease.

 

I am currently trying to pop out those pins out of the ball joint, pretty finicky to do.

[Tedi]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all the help on the greasing, I did it this afternoon since I had a sticky stick. It now moves smoothly but I have a much more crucial issue now!

 

When I move the stick the input on the screen is wild and erratic and flicks all over the place. The computer doesn't ever know where the stick is. The roll and pitch just flick everywhere on the scale all the time. I thought I might have grease on the sensor so I took it apart and cleaned it again but it still does it. I re-calibrated the stick but that didn't help. Argh now this thing seems totally mad and I cant use it.

 

Has anyone had this problem where the movement of the stick causes the input to the computer to go all over the place?

 

Thanks in advance,

[snafup]

Finally got around to doing this.

Had a few issues that i would like to share with everyone, hoping it will help someone else.

 

Be VERY careful with the wiring going from the base through the balls. They are extremely delicate.Just taking it apart and putting it back together can cut them like butter.

The issue is the area where the wires exit out the side of the magnet from the top and enters the swivelling ball in the center.If you dont have them positioned just right you will cut them.Both as you reseat the joystick and if not centered in the slot,then when you start rotating the joystick.You wont know its done untill you get start getting problems with your stick.

This happened to me.:cry:

 

This happened to me because i thought i was being smart and didn't use the correct grease, and used white litium instead.

 

This brings me to the next issue. Use the right type of grease the first time.

The white lithium grease people say can be used is totally useless in this setting. It is just too thin.The spring movements become binded and movement becomes worse than with sticktion alone. This leads you to having to take it apart and use something correct. I'm now using a thick dielectric grease that is as smooth as silk when i move the stick.It may seem counterintuitive when you use it especially if you have never used thick greases before. it will feel sticky when you put it on but thats the point. It will stay where you put it and not run.

 

The second time taking apart the stick lead me to discover the cut wires. I was wondering why trim wasn't working on my joystick for the huey.I thought it was lack of knowledge with the game.

 

I was going to try and solder it as is, but decided on another route.

 

I had already had an extra ps2 cable that i had picked up as i'm going to do an extension. It is 10 feet long and cost me a dollar at a surplus store.

It cut about a foot off of it in the middle. I stripped the casing off of it, and got rid of the extra wire i didn't need.

I marked the top where the ps2 is connected and unscrewed it from the ball top.

I pulled the wiring out from the top,along with the ground wire which i clipped off from the base wire. I put it to one side to deal with later.

 

I recleaned to the joystick with isopropal alcohol and diid a little of the sanding and deburring shown in another post. I regreased the stick.

 

With the wireing OUT i put the pieces back together, with each part facing the correct way. Once the ball pieces were together i ran the new wiring back UP through the stick totally avoiding having it crimp off and making sure it was in the middle slot. The extra length made sure i had enough to play without me pulling it out one end or the other.

Once I knew it fit, i put the wires in a small diameter heat shrink to keep the together and avoid a stray wire moving when using the stick.

 

I desoldered the old wires on the ps2 one at a time and resoldered the new wires one at a time, keeping track of where each color was going.

 

Once that was done i reattached the ps2 to the ball again.

 

I then tackled the lower part . I cut and stripped each wire on the lower harness at different lenths to avoid a short and soldered it to the new wire one by one, after cutting the new wires to length. I covered them with heat shrink. The last wire reattached was the ground and it was done the same way with heat shrink tubing.

 

I put it all back together making sure the wires were in a good position in the base.

 

The joystick is really smooth and i'm not wondering if the wires are going to get pinched anymore.The beauty is i have a lot more ps2 wire if i need to repair the stick again.

 

This of course only works if you are comfortable with soldering and aren't afraid to really get into the wireing of the stick.

 

It helps to have a small tip on you soldering gun as the connections are small on the ps2 and you have to be careful not to over solder and join 2 connections with solder.

 

Once i decided on a plan it actually went pretty smooth.

 

Sorry for the lack of pics but i was concentrating on getting it back up and running again after being a bonehead and trying to do it easier not smarter.

Edited March 7, 2015 by snafup
text

[Ohgr]

Has anyone tried liquid wrench GR015 Marine grease with this? And any issues? Seems to be the only thing close to me. It seems like the same stuff he said in the video "Calcium Sulfonate"

 

http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Wrench-GR015-Marine-Grease/dp/B00545XJHC

oR

Mag1 Marine grease?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0601VN8931&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Grease+%26+Lubricants-_-9SIA0601VN8931&gclid=CjwKEAjwkcWrBRDg5u6SuPS11C0SJAChLLAHaLTzbxjFePXEur9S0y3I8SaCih5efRfEG1suzeGmBBoCyaDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Edited June 5, 2015 by Ohgr

[vulture07]

Hi,

 

just wanted to say, that i finished regreasing the warthog. Thanks to the OP, it wasn't too difficult. Got it done in less than an hour, without any fear of breaking the device. Onlis the last to nuts (that release the inner ball) required some force. Regreasing and a joystick extension did help with the stiction, though ist still not absolutely perfect.

 

I must say I was shocked, when I saw the bad build quality of the inner plastic parts. I actually removed some edges(!) on the ball with a small rasp.

 

 

Anyway, thanks to the guys, who did this before, and posted pics and vids to help us ....

[shakamaca]

Hello all and thanks for a nice thread!

 

I want to try this tonight. Since I couldn't find the greases anyone of you are talking about in my part of the world I instead got some "CRC Super LT Grease + MoS2". Now I worry that it will cause the sticking to get worse or that it will eat at the plastic since I can't find any information about if it eats at plastic and it worries me that no one has used it before.

 

Anyone feeling up for taking a look at the datasheet at

[ame]http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/63568.pdf[/ame]

and let me know if it seems safe to use (I am not very good at various chemicals) ? :)

 

1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Black EP-lithium grease with molybdenum disulphide (MoS2 ).

CRC Super Longterm Grease + MoS2 is an EP (extreme pressure)-lithium soap-based

grease containing molybdenum disulphide for rolling-element and sliding-contact bearings

subject to extreme mechanical loads, e.g. low sliding speed under high bearing pressure or

high impact loads.The solid lubricant MoS2 coats the surface, so preventing scuffing even in

applications characterised by mixed friction.

 

 

The good thing if this seems like a valid product is that it exists pretty much everywhere. I bought mine at the local gas station.

 

Regards!

[Sporg]

Hello all and thanks for a nice thread!

 

I want to try this tonight. Since I couldn't find the greases anyone of you are talking about in my part of the world I instead got some "CRC Super LT Grease + MoS2". Now I worry that it will cause the sticking to get worse or that it will eat at the plastic since I can't find any information about if it eats at plastic and it worries me that no one has used it before.

 

Anyone feeling up for taking a look at the datasheet at

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/63568.pdf

and let me know if it seems safe to use (I am not very good at various chemicals) ? :)

 

1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Black EP-lithium grease with molybdenum disulphide (MoS2 ).

CRC Super Longterm Grease + MoS2 is an EP (extreme pressure)-lithium soap-based

grease containing molybdenum disulphide for rolling-element and sliding-contact bearings

subject to extreme mechanical loads, e.g. low sliding speed under high bearing pressure or

high impact loads.The solid lubricant MoS2 coats the surface, so preventing scuffing even in

applications characterised by mixed friction.

The good thing if this seems like a valid product is that it exists pretty much everywhere. I bought mine at the local gas station.

 

Regards!

Do not use it!

It contains mineral oil which will eat the plastic of the gimbal:

Base oil : mineral

You need to make sure to find a grease that is safe for use on plastic.

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

Do not use it!

It contains mineral oil which will eat the plastic of the gimbal:

You need to make sure to find a grease that is safe for use on plastic.

 

I agree. The grease you mentioned seems to be for metalic machine parts. Not plastic stuff that dissolves in mineral oils.

 

Use a PTFE or Teflon based grease that is safe for plastic. (also no silicone grease, altough opinions vary on this matter)

[marluk]

Hello all and thanks for a nice thread!

 

I want to try this tonight. Since I couldn't find the greases anyone of you are talking about in my part of the world I instead got some "CRC Super LT Grease + MoS2". Now I worry that it will cause the sticking to get worse or that it will eat at the plastic since I can't find any information about if it eats at plastic and it worries me that no one has used it before.

...

Regards!

 

Well, when you see Mineral, and Lithium, it is probably good only for metal joints.

 

I've lubed my stick with Molykote 44M grease

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280573844554...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

(I ordered exactly this item)

 

and it works good for over two years for now. I think now is the time to clean it and grease it again, but I thing two years is pretty good score.

 

I'm also using 10cm extension. Those two things (grease and extension) solved my problems with sticking and precision permanently.

Edited July 8, 2016 by marluk

[shakamaca]

Well, crap.

I greased it up that same night with the one I posted about.

 

It still is better than the original grease but I guess I'll look into opening up the stick again and clean it out and re-grease with other product.

I will try to order from EBAY some of that Molykote 44M but the link that marluk posted is gone now :)

 

Anyone have any idea of how long time I have until it eats up my gimbals ? :D

Trying to decide what kind of plastic it is made from and check this table:

http://www.plasticsintl.com/plastics_chemical_resistence_chart.html

 

The stick was unusable due to really bad stickiness before I greased with this mineral stuff tho. Great product TM ;-(

[shakamaca]

Trying to decide what kind of plastic it is made from and check this table:

http://www.plasticsintl.com/plastics_chemical_resistence_chart.html

 

Actually it seems from this that the only plastics to be attacked by mineral oil is.

* Polycarbonate ©

* Polypropylene ©

* HDPE (B)

 

I think the TM Warthog gimbal is not made from one of those (those are used for example in food boxes and in my opinion are a softer type of plastic than the gimbal).

 

I also check this page:

http://machinedesign.com/mechanical-drives/engineering-essentials-lubrication-tips-plastic-gears-and-more-part-2

 

And I quote:

Recommendations. Mineral-oil-based lubricants don’t attack most plastic materials and offer excellent performance for the dollar in general plastics applications.

 

However, with the trend to higher operating speeds, higher temperatures, and longer operation, companies are turning to synthetic lubricants, such as hydrocarbon (PAO) types, for plastic bearings and gears. PAO’s offer high aging resistance, compatibility with most plastics, and long-term lubrication within a temperature range of -60 to 320 F.

 

I consider to calm down a let the stick remain with this grease and hope for the best. So help me calm down by having a guess at what the plastic type in the gimbal really is ? :-)

[Sporg]

Well, crap.

I greased it up that same night with the one I posted about.

 

It still is better than the original grease but I guess I'll look into opening up the stick again and clean it out and re-grease with other product.

I will try to order from EBAY some of that Molykote 44M but the link that marluk posted is gone now :)

 

Anyone have any idea of how long time I have until it eats up my gimbals ? :D

Trying to decide what kind of plastic it is made from and check this table:

http://www.plasticsintl.com/plastics_chemical_resistence_chart.html

 

The stick was unusable due to really bad stickiness before I greased with this mineral stuff tho. Great product TM ;-(

 

Trying to decide what kind of plastic it is made from and check this table:

http://www.plasticsintl.com/plastics_chemical_resistence_chart.html

 

 

Actually it seems from this that the only plastics to be attacked by mineral oil is.

* Polycarbonate ©

* Polypropylene ©

* HDPE (B)

 

I think the TM Warthog gimbal is not made from one of those (those are used for example in food boxes and in my opinion are a softer type of plastic than the gimbal).

 

I also check this page:

http://machinedesign.com/mechanical-drives/engineering-essentials-lubrication-tips-plastic-gears-and-more-part-2

 

And I quote:

Recommendations. Mineral-oil-based lubricants don’t attack most plastic materials and offer excellent performance for the dollar in general plastics applications.

 

However, with the trend to higher operating speeds, higher temperatures, and longer operation, companies are turning to synthetic lubricants, such as hydrocarbon (PAO) types, for plastic bearings and gears. PAO’s offer high aging resistance, compatibility with most plastics, and long-term lubrication within a temperature range of -60 to 320 F.

I consider to calm down a let the stick remain with this grease and hope for the best. So help me calm down by having a guess at what the plastic type in the gimbal really is ? :-)

Well, if you want to gamble with an asset of that price, go ahead.

But I would not want to use mineral oil on it.

 

I do not know exactly what type plastic it is, but to me it seems similar to other types of plastic that I encountered, that were susceptible to mineral oil.

 

Additionally you can see a qoute of TM's official stance on grease here:

The official TM response to replacement grease:

"We cannot provide you with the name of a specific brand of grease for your unit but as long as the product you intend to is either mineral based (for metal parts) or silicone based (for plastic parts), then everything is fine. We recommend a silicone based oil/ lubricant/ grease as being the most suitable."

As you can see, no mineral oil based grease on plastic.

 

If I were you, I would wipe the grease off ASAP and clean the gimbal of all remnants. Even if that's annoying to have to do.

And then find the right kind of grease to lubricate it with.

[shakamaca]

Well, if you want to gamble with an asset of that price, go ahead.

But I would not want to use mineral oil on it.

 

I do not know exactly what type plastic it is, but to me it seems similar to other types of plastic that I encountered, that were susceptible to mineral oil.

 

Additionally you can see a qoute of TM's official stance on grease here:

 

As you can see, no mineral oil based grease on plastic.

 

If I were you, I would wipe the grease off ASAP and clean the gimbal of all remnants. Even if that's annoying to have to do.

And then find the right kind of grease to lubricate it with.

 

Well I guess I'll bite it and go on EBAY then. I will have the new grease in like 2-3 weeks.

I'm looking at this one now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DOW-MOLYKOTE-EM-30L-Synthetic-Grease-Electronics-Audio-/280646126932?hash=item4157d00d54:m:mEHeWbNs5tapaGXLadPr-uw

 

I guess I'll go for that one, just.. I managed to lock myself out from paypal at checkout and now I need to wait for an unknown time before I can try again :-)

 

 

Any opinions between this EM30L and the 44M ?

[cichlidfan]

Spend the extra 10 and buy the 44.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DOW-CORNING-MOLYKOTE-44-M-MEDIUM-High-Temp-Silicone-Grease-Lubricant-5-3-oz-Tube/280990996287?_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160323102634%26meid%3D09dfa898d37a4cc78e13165b30948484%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D280646126932