# Episode 175 - Motor Lubrication

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-09-02  
**Duration:** 11m 5s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-175-motor-lubrication

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## Analysis

Nick Baldridge hosts a solo episode of For Amusement Only focused on motor lubrication techniques for EM and bingo pinball machines. He covers three motor types—hybrid motors in Bally bingo machines (requiring 3-in-1 blue-can motor oil), completely sealed motors (which can be re-greased by drilling out rivets), and open frame motors (requiring light application of Mala grease on exposed gears). The episode emphasizes proper lubrication practices to avoid over-saturation and gum-up, and briefly mentions a discovery at a Gottlieb Super Soccer four-player game he plans to research further.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 3-in-1 motor oil from the blue can (not red can household oil) is the correct weight for Bally bingo mixer and control unit motors. — _Nick Baldridge, host, speaking from experience working on Bally bingo machines._
- [HIGH] Excessive motor oil in Bally bingo control and mixer units can turn into cement and gum everything up if not cleaned off. — _Nick Baldridge, based on his experience working on many Bally bingos._
- [HIGH] Sealed motors in EM pinball machines can be rebuilt by PBR (Pinball Repair service). — _Nick Baldridge, matter-of-fact statement about industry standard repair service._
- [MEDIUM] Sealed motors can be re-greased at home by drilling out rivets, scraping old grease, packing with new grease (not too full), and reattaching with machine screw and nut. — _Nick Baldridge providing DIY instructions, noting this requires careful execution._
- [HIGH] Open frame motors in Gottlieb score motors have a wick that absorbs 3-in-1 oil applied in drops. — _Nick Baldridge, describing a specific mechanism in Gottlieb games._
- [HIGH] Sealed motors only need re-greasing once every very many years unless the machine has sat for an extended time. — _Nick Baldridge, general maintenance guidance._
- [MEDIUM] The same 3-in-1 oil from the blue can can be used to lubricate EM jukebox motors. — _Nick Baldridge, extending his pinball knowledge to adjacent market, but notes he lacks extensive jukebox repair experience._
- [HIGH] Nick discovered something in a four-player Gottlieb Super Soccer he had never seen before in a four-player Gottlieb game and plans to research and discuss it in a later episode. — _Nick Baldridge, recounting recent experience at Taylor Reese's house._

### Notable Quotes

> "The oil that you should use that is the correct weight is 3 from the blue can not the red can It not the household oil it the motor oil variant The household oil in the red can, which I use to lube steppers, is not made for high-speed application and will gum up inside of a motor."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~3:00
> _Core technical guidance distinguishing correct lubricant choice for different motor applications._

> "if you go hog wild, guess what? The motor is actually going to shoot oil all over you, all over your game, all over all the different units inside of the game."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~4:30
> _Humorous but serious warning about over-lubrication consequences._

> "if it's not cleaned off, it turns into cement and gums everything up"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~5:00
> _Key warning about the specific damage caused by excessive, uncleaned motor oil in Bally bingo machines._

> "To do this, you have to drill out the rivets and then crack open the motor case. You need to do this very carefully to ensure that the gears inside don't go flying."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~7:00
> _Safety and technique guidance for DIY sealed motor re-greasing._

> "The trick with this grease is to be a little frugal with your application You want it to lubricate but you don want it to over saturate"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~12:30
> _Repeated emphasis on restraint in lubrication application across all motor types._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; experienced EM and bingo pinball machine technician and restorer. |
| Taylor Reese | person | Friend of Nick Baldridge; recently acquired a Gottlieb Super Soccer four-player EM machine; has own podcast called 'This Flippin' Podcast'. |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and bingo pinball podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge; established series with 175+ episodes. |
| This Flippin' Podcast | organization | Podcast hosted by Taylor Reese; covers EM and bingo pinball topics. |
| Gottlieb Super Soccer | game | Four-player EM pinball machine owned by Taylor Reese; recently purchased and played by Nick Baldridge. |
| Bally Bingo | game | Class of bingo machines with hybrid motors featuring mixer and control unit motors with filler tubes; referenced extensively in motor lubrication discussion. |
| Gottlieb | company | Classic pinball manufacturer; examples cited include Super Soccer and machines with score motors. |
| Bally | company | Classic pinball/bingo machine manufacturer; produced bingo machines with specific motor configurations. |
| PBR | organization | Motor repair service provider; offers sealed motor rebuilds and repairs for EM pinball machines. |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Motor lubrication techniques for EM pinball machines, Bally bingo machine maintenance, Sealed motor re-greasing, 3-in-1 oil selection and application, DIY restoration and repair
- **Secondary:** Gottlieb Super Soccer technical discovery, EM jukebox motor lubrication

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0) — Episode is educational and instructional in tone. Nick is enthusiastic about sharing technical knowledge but maintains a matter-of-fact, informative demeanor throughout. No controversial or emotionally charged content. Positive mention of Taylor Reese's podcast and the Gottlieb Super Soccer.

### Signals

- **[restoration_signal]** Detailed guidance on lubrication procedures for three types of EM pinball motors: hybrid Bally bingo motors (oil via filler tubes), sealed motors (re-greasing via rivet drilling), and open frame motors (direct grease application). (confidence: high) — Entire episode content covering specific procedures, tool requirements, and best practices for each motor type.
- **[restoration_signal]** Reference to PBR as a sealed motor rebuild service provider; mention of replacement parts availability for worn gears. (confidence: high) — Nick mentions 'These can be rebuilt by PBR' and advises contacting PBR for replacement motors if gears are worn.
- **[restoration_signal]** Emphasis on proper lubrication quantities and application methods to avoid over-saturation, gum-up, and mechanical damage. (confidence: high) — Repeated warnings about excessive oil causing cement-like buildup and excessive grease preventing gear rotation.
- **[product_concern]** Excessive motor oil in Bally bingo machines can turn into cement and gum up internal components if not cleaned; over-saturation of grease in open motors can prevent gear rotation. (confidence: high) — Nick states: 'if it's not cleaned off, it turns into cement and gums everything up' and warns against too much grease in open motors.
- **[community_signal]** Mention of Taylor Reese's This Flippin' Podcast and cross-promotion; Nick encouraging listeners to check out another EM/bingo podcast. (confidence: high) — Nick mentions Taylor Reese's podcast by name and explicitly recommends listeners check it out.
- **[historical_signal]** Discussion of motor design variations across manufacturers (Bally hybrid, Gottlieb open frame with wick, sealed motors) reflecting different engineering approaches to lubrication. (confidence: high) — Detailed breakdown of motor types across Bally, Gottlieb, and general EM machines.
- **[machine_intel]** Nick observed an undocumented or unusual feature in a four-player Gottlieb Super Soccer that he plans to research and discuss in a future episode. (confidence: medium) — Nick states: 'I saw something which I had never seen before in a four-player Gottlieb game, so I'm going to be doing a little more research on that.'

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## Transcript

 what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge i didn't record any episodes in advance this week so uh you get late night baldridge tonight I went over to my friend Taylor James Rees's house and broke in his new Gottlieb Super Soccer which is a four player EM very fun game and he and I had several rousing matches there gonna have to have him on the show to talk more about it he's been talking about it a little bit already on his own show which is this flippin' podcast. You should check that out if you have not already. So, tonight I saw something which I had never seen before in a four-player Gottlieb game, so I'm going to be doing a little more research on that and then talking about that in a later episode after I confirmed that it was, in fact, the way it was supposed to be. But it looks like it was. Anyway, I'll get into that later once I make sure. But tonight's topic is motor lubrication. So there are different types of motors in pinball machines. There's the closed gearbox and the open. Now the Ballybingos have kind of a hybrid motor in the control unit and mixer motors, which are found in most of the Ballybingos. These motors have filler tubes made of brass which extend from the motor, the top for the control unit and the bottom for the mixer. These filler tubes are made in such a way that you can stick in a bottle of oil and then squeeze and put in some oil. The oil that you should use that is the correct weight is 3 from the blue can not the red can It not the household oil it the motor oil variant The household oil in the red can, which I use to lube steppers, is not made for high-speed application and will gum up. inside of a motor. So you want to use the 3-in-1 motor oil, which comes in the blue can. Now you put in a few drops into each tube, and I do this while the motor is running. and then you can fold a paper towel underneath and if any drips out it'll catch it. Now if you go hog wild, guess what? The motor is actually going to shoot oil all over you, all over your game, all over all the different units inside of the game. So you want to go kind of slowly with your oiling. Now, I've worked on many a Ballybingo that had motor oil excessively put into the control unit and the mixer, which does get everywhere, yes, but worse than that if it's not cleaned off, it turns into cement and gums everything up so it's a good idea to observe the motors turning and ensure that they're being lubricated properly. Now let's talk about the completely sealed motors and what to do with those. These motors are typically riveted closed and you can find an example in the ball lifter motor or in the trip bank reset motor again in a Bally Bingo. Many of the motors that you find inside a typical flipper EM or the sealed type as well Now these can be rebuilt by PBR You just let them know what you need fixed and then they will confirm that it okay to send the motor and away it goes to get it repaired Now, one thing you can do yourself, if you feel up to the task, is to re-grease the motor. To do this, you have to drill out the rivets and then crack open the motor case. You need to do this very carefully to ensure that the gears inside don't go flying. From this point you want to scrape out the old grease, pack it with new grease, not too full. You want it to lubricate the gears as they turn, but you don't want to have so much in there that the gears cannot turn, or worse, that it squeezes the grease out. From here you just reattach with a machine screw and a nut, backing it on the opposite side and you should be good to go. Now if your teeth are actually worn on the gears, which will happen if they are not properly lubricated, then you need to see if you can find a replacement or contact BBR. So if you have an open frame motor, however, those don't have a filler tube. They also don't have a wick like in a Gottlieb score motor right in the center. Again you take the three-in-one motor oil and put that in there a few drops and the wick will absorb it and then take it where it needs to go. But an open motor you can observe directly and these require a bit of grease on the exposed gears. For this I will use a Mala hopefully that's the correct pronunciation, grease. It's usually either gray or white. It comes in a tube. It's very, very slick. The trick with this grease is to be a little frugal with your application You want it to lubricate but you don want it to over saturate You can turn the motor by hand to allow the gear faces to meet and spread the grease. from there, you should be good. Now, it's worth noting, for you folks that are working on EM jukeboxes, that the same 3-in-1 oil from the blue can can be used to lubricate those motors. Now, for long-time listeners, you may be wondering why I haven't talked very much about jukeboxes, or at all. That's simply because I just don't have the experience in repairing them that I do in the EM and Bingo games, so I just don't feel confident discussing them very much. I have had my head in a few of them but I haven't done anything really substantial just fixed a couple really super minor problems so with this new found knowledge you should be able to lubricate really almost any motor in your game and make it work like new. It's worth mentioning that a sealed motor only needs to be re-greased once every very, very many years unless the machine has sat for a very, very, very long time. So, that's all for tonight. Thank you very much for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com, or you can call me on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS1. 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Cast, VRSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at bingopodcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge, or you can listen to us on our website, which is 4amusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c39d4182-4cbd-4681-8016-8678c4d20dfe*