Have you tried cleaning the drive?

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-24, 09:16:

Have you tried cleaning the drive?

Yes, I cleaned it with alcohol, also the reading head.

Is there any specific way to do it?

Clean both rails and apply lithium grease.

For heads cleaning on 3.5 and 5/4 drives, i always use two products, one contact cleaner like this on photo, never use WD-40, only
contact cleaner used in electronics and finally, i use alcohol 96% or better.

I discovered that some dirt doesn't come off with just alcohol.

I tried some alcohol but it is not strong enough and it didn't fix the issue. So you clean the head with contact cleaner and then alcohol?

boby wrote on 2023-10-25, 09:23:

I tried some alcohol but it is not strong enough and it didn't fix the issue. So you clean the head with contact cleaner and then alcohol?

Just use alcohol for the heads.

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-25, 10:06:

boby wrote on 2023-10-25, 09:23:

I tried some alcohol but it is not strong enough and it didn't fix the issue. So you clean the head with contact cleaner and then alcohol?

Just use alcohol for the heads.

IPA 99% should be good?

boby wrote on 2023-10-25, 09:23:

I tried some alcohol but it is not strong enough and it didn't fix the issue. So you clean the head with contact cleaner and then alcohol?

Yes, i clean with contact cleaner and then alcohol.
Sometimes there is some dirt that I can't remove with alcohol, this is why i use the contact cleaner before alcohol.

But don't worry because this doesn't always happen, you can use only alcohol ...

You can visually check the heads and see if they are clean.

And yes, IPA 99% is good...

Ok, will try that

IPA didn't help ☹️
Looks like I need to replace my drive.
Strange thing is that it works ok up to some point. For example, creating system diskette, goes ok till 60% and then strange noice starts and error appear. Full format works ok. But also can't boot from the diskette.

Different drive all good. 🤔

boby wrote on 2023-10-25, 22:00:

IPA didn't help ☹️ Looks like I need to replace my drive. Strange thing is that it works ok up to some point. For example, creat […]
Show full quote

IPA didn't help ☹️
Looks like I need to replace my drive.
Strange thing is that it works ok up to some point. For example, creating system diskette, goes ok till 60% and then strange noice starts and error appear. Full format works ok. But also can't boot from the diskette.

Different drive all good. 🤔

Did you apply lithium grease on the rails?

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 11:38:

boby wrote on 2023-10-25, 22:00:

IPA didn't help ☹️ Looks like I need to replace my drive. Strange thing is that it works ok up to some point. For example, creat […]
Show full quote

IPA didn't help ☹️
Looks like I need to replace my drive.
Strange thing is that it works ok up to some point. For example, creating system diskette, goes ok till 60% and then strange noice starts and error appear. Full format works ok. But also can't boot from the diskette.

Different drive all good. 🤔

Did you apply lithium grease on the rails?

No, but I clean them and watched opened drive, the head moves nicely and no noice at all. If it was the rails the drive wouldn't work ok up to some point, right? I guess grease should not affect it that much

It is not a matter of minimizing friction but restraining the head assembly to the rail.

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 14:40:

It is not a matter of minimizing friction but restraining the head assembly to the rail.

But I don't have any lithium grease with me atm

boby wrote on 2023-10-26, 16:14:

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 14:40:

It is not a matter of minimizing friction but restraining the head assembly to the rail.

But I don't have any lithium grease with me atm

Clean both rails with alcohol and add a little bit of lubrication at the end of the rail connected to the motor.

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 17:01:

boby wrote on 2023-10-26, 16:14:

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 14:40:

It is not a matter of minimizing friction but restraining the head assembly to the rail.

But I don't have any lithium grease with me atm

Clean both rails with alcohol and add a little bit of lubrication at the end of the rail connected to the motor.

What can I use instead of lithium grease? I have WD-40 and cooking oil/grease only 😀

boby wrote on 2023-10-26, 18:19:

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 17:01:

boby wrote on 2023-10-26, 16:14:

But I don't have any lithium grease with me atm

Clean both rails with alcohol and add a little bit of lubrication at the end of the rail connected to the motor.

What can I use instead of lithium grease? I have WD-40 and cooking oil/grease only 😀

Add a little bit of cooking oil to the end of the rail connected to the motor.

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 18:43:

boby wrote on 2023-10-26, 18:19:

dominusprog wrote on 2023-10-26, 17:01:

Clean both rails with alcohol and add a little bit of lubrication at the end of the rail connected to the motor.

What can I use instead of lithium grease? I have WD-40 and cooking oil/grease only 😀

Add a little bit of cooking oil to the end of the rail connected to the motor.

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I have cleaned old grease from the rails, put some pig grease on the rails and cleaned the heads again with IPA. It formats the diskette now without problemsas, as well as, creates a system diskette and boot from it. The only thing that fails is to copy from the diskette (command.com file) but that can be something else.

I would say this is solved. Thank you all!

Cooking oil and pig grease.

Start looking for a replacement drive, this one will fail sometime next year and this time will require disassembly to get it clean and working again.