Folks - Help me please… I have a 5Pro 4x4 with 60mm spindle. Works like a charm. Challenge is getting to the lower ports on the Z. The two on top and the two on each side are no issue. But how do I get to the bottom ports without removing theHDZ and turning upside down. The videos provided said ‘you can do this without disassembly’.
Any videos or images out there?
Although not supported this is what I do.
I have an SO3 with an HDZ. On the SO3 it is easy to get the HDZ off by just removing the bottom two eccentrics. I do remove mine periodically but I wipe down the rails and oil the top bearings on two consecutive days. The oil drips down and lubricates the bottom ones. I do remove it about every other maintenance but if you keep the top lubricated the bottom ones get lubed by the dripping oil.
If you do oil your bearings be sure to put a paper towel under the parked Z for a few days because oil drips down and will get on your spoilboard and possibly your projects. After maintenance I wipe the bottom of the rails before starting a project to keep oil from dripping on my project. In between maintenance I will wipe the oil (Mobil Vactra #2) on a paper towel and wipe down the rails. I jog the Z all the way up and wipe down the lower part and jog the Z down and wipe down the top part. Seems to work well.
Ed.E Thanks for the prompt reply. Looks spot on on what I need to do. Seems like a good, repeatable way. Thanks again.
gdon_2003.
Thanks. I like the ideas of papers towels keeping an issue form occuring.
Hey gdon send me some of that oil… lol… I can’t get it in small quanties here in Canada 
Then again I’ll be travelling through the northern states later this summer on my way to western Canada…maybe I can find some along the way
I’m just north of Seattle with a whole pint that I will never make it through no matter how hard I run my Shapeoko.
C3D sells the oil (Mobil Vactra #2).
The Mobil Vactra #2 is called way oil. Check for any machinery dealers to see if they offer way oil.
I bought mine on ebay. It was a quart an likely a lifetime supply.
Since you in Canada (I love Canada and Canadians) not sure about the current tarrif situation if you order from the US. It might cost a little more but you need it to maintain HDZ’s.
I looked into ordering from C3D but its brutally expensive for shipping
Vactra #2 is fairly thick. So I use a plastic syringe I got in a pack off of Amazon and just inject it up into the bottom ports. Then quickly put the screw back in. I have a plastic tray under the Z to catch dribbles. Works great.
I agree it needs to be easier, but adding anything that sticks will hit the side gantry uprights. Does that port get removed after lubrication?
These fittings only stick out about .2". With my z axis/spindle as low as possible the fittings go over top of drag chain. No chance of hitting anything.
Hey all, both oil ports lead to the same reservoir, so the side that is accessible to you (top side of the bearings for the upper HG15s, underneath the carriage for the bottom HG15s) should be enough to thoroughly oil the entirety of the block.
I do the same as @SLCJedi and keep an old rag under my HDZ whenever doing a bit of maintenance to the lower bearings.
The real risk of disassembly comes from gravity - if you don’t remove the HDZ from the carrier plate and lay it flat on it’s back, it’s possible for those bearing blocks to slip off the rails, you then run the risk of losing individual balls from the blocks themselves, rendering them pretty useless. (You could try to put them back in by hand, but good luck buddy).
Yep, same here, eBay syringe and squirt the Vactra 2 into the top ports on the top blocks and bottom ports on the bottom. As you say, the block end reservoirs both feed the same ball bearing circulating paths anyway, once there is fresh oil being deposited on the rails, the blocks are oiled enough.
Using side lubrication connectors requires no disassemble. Tap hole with m4 bottom tap open passage with pin punch. (You could try fighting gravity, forcing oil up into the block, but good luck with that mess buddy).
