Flex question

P

plplayer

New member
I received my 3401 today, and after reading all the posts about backing plate issues I've become a bit paranoid. I know people have mentioned that their polisher has arrived with the backing plate bolt being slightly loose. I've so far lubed the felt ring and tightened down the bolt. I guess the question is I still have a slight play in the bp. It's more of a left to right rotational play. Is this normal?
 
plplayer said:
I received my 3401 today, and after reading all the posts about backing plate issues I've become a bit paranoid. I know people have mentioned that their polisher has arrived with the backing plate bolt being slightly loose. I've so far lubed the felt ring and tightened down the bolt. I guess the question is I still have a slight play in the bp. It's more of a left to right rotational play. Is this normal?
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Hmmm well I never heard or read anything about lubing the felt, ring, however I have had mine for over a year now and I have not done any research since purchasing, I am curious about more info on this.



However on your other question; I do recall tightening the BP, or atleast checking to make sure it was tight, because I know the front bail was a bit loose, so I tightened that as well. Can you be more descriptive on the l/r rotational play? It sounds as though you are just engaging the "free-play" or if you want to get technical the "back-lashing" of the gears. This would be the free play (aka back-lash) of the gears which is totally normal and there is a certain amount allotted for proper operation.
 
With the spindle lock engaged, if I grab it kinda like a steering wheel I'm able to slightly wiggle it rotationally. Almost like there is slight play between the teeth on the backing plate and the teeth on gear ring.
 
Not sure how the link above applies to my situation. I have yet to use the Flex and followed the advice contained in the AG post.
 
Some people had trouble with the BP starting to smoke or meltdown. I have used mine plenty and I keep the BP tight and have had zero problems. The felt ring is what people are oiling, dont know if the problem has been corrected with the newer models, but if I have no problems with mine not being oiled then you shouldnt. The throw is much larger than a PC that may be what you are talking about. Also dont be alarmed if the front metal section gets hot that is normal.
 
This is my first polisher, so I'm definitely not well versed in how they perform. The thing that worries me is the backing plate has some play in it while it's tightened to the spindle. I have yet to use it, it just arrived today. I lubed the felt ring as per others instructions as well as installed a lock washer on the bp bolt. The plate feels securely attached to the spindle, the issue that concerns me is the slight play between the teeth on the bp and ring gear. The play seems to occur before the teeth engage. Like I said, I'm very new to all of this and maybe I'm concerned about something that is normal.
 
plplayer said:
Not sure how the link above applies to my situation. I have yet to use the Flex and followed the advice contained in the AG post.
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i think your Flex is fine, use it and see how it performs. the link i provided is just some pre-cautionary steps to take to make sure there isn't any issues with the backing plate...
 
jking said:
dont know if the problem has been corrected with the newer models
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when there was issues with the backing plate (small percentage i'm sure as they've sold thousands) i think Flex started to lube them for you. to be on the safe side, it's always a good idea to check it and do it anyways. better safe than sorry is what i say...
 
plplayer said:
With the spindle lock engaged, if I grab it kinda like a steering wheel I'm able to slightly wiggle it rotationally. Almost like there is slight play between the teeth on the backing plate and the teeth on gear ring.
Click to expand...





That is the just free play in the gearing, totally normal. This is the same with all quick-lock tools.
 
When we received our first Flex, I called the importer. They told me that they had problems with the first few shipments. He did advise me, however, to remove the plate and lube the felt ring with a small bit of pneumatic tool oil. No problems thus far!!
 
You are fine. All you have to do is tighten the backing plate when you first get it. I did not and after maybe 3 cars It started to smoke on me and small pieces if plastic began to fly off. I tightened the BP and have had no further problems. I now have 2 spare BP's thinking I was going to have to change the orig one out but nope! I did not oil anything or mess with the felt at all and it works like a champ.
 
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