I used the same procedure again to remove, clean, and re-grease the Right Ascension worm block. Some photos:
- The RA worm block cover, remove 4 corner screws to remove.
- RA worm block cover coming off
- RA worm block. Cover the cable hole with tape or paper to avoid losing screws in the mount housing.
- Removing the RA worm block
- RA main drive gear, with old grease
- RA main drive gear, grease cleaned out with toothbrush and cloth
- RA worm gear, grease cleaned out with toothbrush and cloth
- Molykote 33 grease, rated for very low temperaturs.
- Grease evenly applied to main drive gear, filling teeth
- With worm block reinstalled, remove rubber cap and adjust cam stop and spring plungers
I then ran the mount through several iterations of exercise, and all seems well. Even motion, no stalls, no weird noises.
Finally I did the manual mechanical check for hysteresis on both worm blocks, and no motion detected in either case. I think I’m ready to start polar alignment – just need the couple of days of forecast thunderstorms to pass.