Stripped gear on Bally Sea Island

So it's a lazy Saturday morning.

...Have a coffee, putter around the basement...

I get the urge to play a few games on Sea Island.

For those unfamiliar with this Sea Island. It's the OG Chasing Bugs... Sea Island... we have a history.

Sea Island and Key West

I drop a dime. The magic screen starts rolling back to home position and unexpectedly stops midway... Poo :-(

I knew then what just happened. The gearbox for the magic screen motor stripped a gear.

My lazy Saturday morning had just turned into a repair project.

Why did this happen?
It comes down to maintenance...
There was a stiff / dry spot on the magic screen unit bottom track.
The oil used for the magic screen clutch unit leather clutch washers congealed, seizing the clutch unit.

Magic Screen mechanism. Clutch unit in place

A small nylon gear absorbed the shock instead of the clutch unit. With catastrophic results. The G-4114 gear to be precise (it's also used in the ball lift gear motor)

Diagram taken from the Sea Island manual

Fortunately I had a spare gearmotor assembly pilfered from another Sea Island. I was hoping to bring this second Sea Island back to life one day if I ever found a decent backglass for it, but it's missing more and more parts as the years go by.

Sea Island sans Magic Screen Gearmotor

I swapped out the whole gearmotor. I also took the time to disassemble the clutch. Degrease the parts, and re oil the leather washers.

Leather clutch washer

Clutch unit taken apart

In the end... I got Sea Island up and working again and I'm down a G-4114  Molon gear. I only have myself to blame.

Happy times

Sea Island with Beer
Sea Island at Pincon 2017