The driven (large plastic) gear at bottom of the trash compactor is broken, and I’ve ordered a new set of parts that includes it. It looks straightforward to replace it, but I have two important questions:
(1) When I replace the driven gear, what position should the ram be in? All the way up? All the way down? Somewhere in between? Or does it even matter? If the ram has to be in a certain position, please give me some sort of a reference I can use to position it correctly.
(2) What sort of grease can I use for the new driven gear? I’ve got some automotive bearing grease that looks pretty equivalent – since I did not think to order the grease, what ordinarily available stuff can I use?
In addition, should I use this opportunity when the thing is apart to lubricate the ram or its guides in any way? And if so, is there any ordinarily available slime that will do the trick?
Thanks so much.