# Black vent motors discontinued



## ez360

I went to the surplus center site to check up on the specs for the black vent motors and it appears they've been discontinued. Just wanted to let everyone know that i found them on amazon but for about double the price bummer.


----------



## RoxyBlue

I saw that the other day, too. Major bummer They're such a useful piece of equipment for prop builders.

Still findable, but they will cost more.


----------



## Otaku

Bad news. I found them at SciPlus for $7.95, and actually found a guy who's selling them for $25 each . Hopefully these motors won't go away altogether.


----------



## austenandrews

Bummer. Guess I'll have to try some other kinds.


----------



## Terrormaster

Sounds to me like a few places learned of the demand and use and bought out supplies so they can gouge prices around this time of year. 

*takes off tinfoil hat and goes back into the shadows*


----------



## ez360

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. It's a little odd that both electronics goldmine and surplus center discontinued them.


----------



## niblique71

So now we'll be having the $24 prop challenge?? Yea that stinks, and it will make the $20 prop challenge more interesting.


----------



## Spooky1

I hope it's not the manufacturer that has discontinued the motors.


----------



## RoxyBlue

I just sent an email to their tech help asking if they would be restocking the motor. I'll let folks know if I hear anything from them.


----------



## pshort

They wouldn't last long if there are very many people buying 50 or more at a time.


----------



## heresjohnny

These motors have been for sale for at least a couple of years, everyone had plenty of a chance to get some. Had I known they were running out of stock I would have bought a bunch myself. This is not the first cool and enexpensive prop thing on surplus that has run out before everyone could some, and it wont be the last.


----------



## RoxyBlue

I got a reply back from Surplus Center (all caps - I guess he thought I might be deaf):

HELLO,

I NEED THE EXACT ITEM NUMBER TO VERIFY FOR SURE, BUT IF YOU ARE REFERING TO THE PLASTIC GEAR MOTOR, NO IT WAS A SURPLUS ITEM AND IF WE CAN FIND THAT TYPE OF GEAR MOTOR AGAIN, WE WILL MAKE IT AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME.

THANK YOU


So there we go. We can check back now and then to see if they restock, but it does not look promising.


----------



## HomeyDaClown

A worldwide automotive parts dealer has cornered 40,000 of these motors (TRW PP-GF30) and is offering to sell the lot for $180,000....
Now that's a bargain! Only $4.50 per motor!

http://allworldautomotive.com/sitemap/inv/inv7261.html

But really, even at $10 those motors are a bargain if you consider that auto parts stores get around $50 for for a blend door motor like that. Good thing I stocked up last year.


----------



## austenandrews

I wondered if those kind of surplus items might run out eventually.


----------



## Otaku

Homey, you sure they're the same motor? The PP-GF30 refers to the resin used for the motor case (polypropylene, 30% glass-filled). That said, the pic sure looks like it's the one. Maybe these are the clowns that bought out all the surplus houses?


----------



## Spooky1

I wonder if you can get them from a Chrysler service department?


----------



## pshort

Spooky1 said:


> I wonder if you can get them from a Chrysler service department?


Probably, but the problem would be the price.


----------



## pshort

austenandrews said:


> I wondered if those kind of surplus items might run out eventually.


As long as they continue to manufacture those kind of items they will appear on the surplus market. They become surplus when manufacturers make more than they have orders for, or they go out of business.


----------



## austenandrews

pshort said:


> As long as they continue to manufacture those kind of items they will appear on the surplus market. They become surplus when manufacturers make more than they have orders for, or they go out of business.


Right, it's a question of the manufacturer making too many. Presumably that excess would shrink as demand reduced and the manufacturer got a better handle on how many will be required. We can only hope that mass-producing them in discrete lots will always result in enough overage to make it worthwhile to sell the extras instead of junking them.

I'm not sure what the strategy is for buying up every last one of them. Maybe someone's got an angle for using them in their own commercial product and they're snapping up as many as they can while the price is cheap.


----------



## HomeyDaClown

Otaku said:


> Homey, you sure they're the same motor? The PP-GF30 refers to the resin used for the motor case (polypropylene, 30% glass-filled). That said, the pic sure looks like it's the one. Maybe these are the clowns that bought out all the surplus houses?


I know about the poly glass (I worked in a thermo plastics company for years) but it's the number most places go by to identify this motor. I think places like All Electronnics and American Science (Jerryco) bought up the remaining inventory from SurplusCenter and are gouging. These were used in many vehicles both GM and Chrysler for several years. I work with engineers from Delphi Packard Electric and they made the connectors for these motors. The drawings for the motors came from TRW.

The Chinese are still making these and that's most likely where the deal for 40,000 is from.

Update:

Had my buddy take another look at the drawings and he found the number is actually: TRW 58024E.


----------



## ez360

Yeah i found the the FCG's on ebay the item description says their motors run at 4rpm. I wonder what the liability issues are for selling an item with a motor rated for intermittent use. I know these motors have run without problems but I still can't help but imagine the can of worms this person's opening for themselves if something goes wrong with the prop.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment

ok, can someone get me the details on this unit and I'll see if I can get them for everyone.


----------



## jaege

ez360 said:


> Yeah i found the the FCG's on ebay the item description says their motors run at 4rpm. I wonder what the liability issues are for selling an item with a motor rated for intermittent use. I know these motors have run without problems but I still can't help but imagine the can of worms this person's opening for themselves if something goes wrong with the prop.


I use this exact motor on my FCG and it has run just fine for three years now, so I cannot see anyone having a problem if they were to buy a prop with one. I guess I am one of the lucky few as I bought a dozen when I first found them, and still have 6 or so left. I cannot imagine buying 50 or more. I guess the guy is planning on making a lot of FCGs. Its a shame, since this motor is so useful and was so cheap. Although now I have graduated to the deer motors for many props. They are not too badly priced.


----------



## RoxyBlue

Frighteners Entertainment said:


> ok, can someone get me the details on this unit and I'll see if I can get them for everyone.


Don't know if this will give you enough information to find it elsewhere, but here it is on Amazon.com:

Amazon.com: 12VDC 4RPM gear motor designed to operate a vent in a Chrysler product.: Everything [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@31fTyDPiWKL


----------



## ez360

I know these motors run great but, from a legal stand point you can't justify a failure in a product your selling if you knowingly use a component not rated for that type of use by the manufacturer. I'm lucky i got a couple at the surplus center price. I'll let everyone know if i find them elsewhere at a a decent price.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment

that's a start, let me see what I can find on my end.


Thanks Dear!


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment

but these are in stock and at *$7.95....?*


----------



## RoxyBlue

^Correct. They're being sold through Amazon.com by another surplus company.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment

that's a great price, so I don't need to look.


----------



## pshort

RoxyBlue said:


> ^Correct. They're being sold through Amazon.com by another surplus company.


Presumably that's another company. But you never know, it might be just another front for the same company, or a related company. In any case, note the S&H that they're adding on.

Sorry, just being cynical today.


----------



## coolbotz

*This is the vent motor I use.*

I use this vent motor. It has a control line for forward/reverse/stop. It also has analog feedback on 130 degrees of rotation (ala servo). I modify them for continuous rotation. Cost like $5 apiece. part # 16163982. These actuators need +12v, +5v, ground, and control signal is 5v(CW) or 0v(CCW) with 2.5v stopping unit. Feedback is 0 to 5v from wiper on potentiometer. I can't find mating connector though.


----------



## DarkLore

Frighteners Entertainment said:


> that's a great price, so I don't need to look.


That Amazon price isn't a good price at all. We used to get these for less than $4 each.


----------



## Death Wraith

Coolbotz: can you hook us up with a link or maybe a how-to on using that motor? Looks promising.


----------



## mroct31

pshort said:


> Presumably that's another company. But you never know, it might be just another front for the same company, or a related company. In any case, note the S&H that they're adding on.
> 
> Sorry, just being cynical today.


Don't kid yourself Burden Sales had just about the same shipping if my memory serves so yeah the motor itself is a few more dollars but shipping didn't change much.

Don't know about the Amazon ones but the ones at Sciplus, the key is to buy more as the shipping tops out at I think $15.95 once you hit a particular dollar amount in sales just like it did with surplus center. The more you buy the less the overall price per unit will be. These are ripe for a group buy!


----------



## HomeyDaClown

That looks like an *AC Delco 15-73620* *Mode Control Cam Actuator*.

For $5.00? Where at?

Any hookup data for the control line?



coolbotz said:


> I use this vent motor. It has a control line for forward/reverse/stop. It also has analog feedback on 130 degrees of rotation (ala servo). I modify them for continuous rotation. Cost like 5$ apiece.


----------



## mroct31

Was just looking these up today and don't see them anywhere at the moment. Wonder if they're gone for good now?


----------



## RoxyBlue

Psyko found this source - says 5RPM but it looks exactly like the 4RPM motors:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/DCM-276/5-RPM-GEAR-MOTOR-12VDC/1.html


----------



## RoxyBlue

I've checked eBay and they are being sold as black vent motors or flying crank ghost motors with a Buy It Now price of either $15 (or starting bid of $13.50) or $50 (starting bid of $45) by the same individual.


----------



## coolbotz

$15 for 3 or $50 for 10. + shipping looks like


----------



## Spooky1

Found another site that has them at $12 each.

http://www.3rivers.net/~cmac/cmac17.htm


----------



## Jacksonville Haunter

*12vdc 4rpm Motor*

*This is regarding the 12vdc 4rpm prop motor that just got hard to find. I had taken one of the popular prop motor too 3 local auto parts stores looking for a local source with no luck. All I knew about the part was that it was from some car, the people at the store tried to find it based on code numbers on the sides of the motor but no luck there. If we knew function of the motor and the make model and year of the car or truck the motor is used in we might be able to buy these at any local parts store in the USA. If only I knew a few thousand haunters to run this by.*
*I'll start, I have read people call it a vent motor.*


----------



## hedg12

They were originally used as an air conditioner vent actuator in some Chrysler and GM models from the mid 80's to the mid 90's. From what I've seen, the price from dealer parts departments and auto parts houses is prohibitive - $25 to $35 range.


----------



## HomeyDaClown

At this point it would be hard to find one at a reasonable price unless you want to buy many cases of 54 each. It might be better to switch to another type at this point. Auto parts suppliers want big dollars for OEM vent motors in general.


----------



## GRP

I have 3 of these motor. What I don't have is the cable to to run them. Does anyone know where I might get the cables to hook to the motor to run them?


----------



## fritz42_male

I've got a pack of 3 possible alternatives on order from Coolbotz - I'll report back when I get them.


----------



## hedg12

I use these connectors from Parts Express. I wrap them with electrical tape to make sure they don't short against each other.

Somewhere on here there's a post about someone (Jaybo?) cutting the end off an ATX motherboard connector & grinding it down to fit.

Edit: It was Daveinthegrave that came up with the mobo connector hack - but Jaybo posted it here.


----------



## RoxyBlue

GRP said:


> I have 3 of these motor. What I don't have is the cable to to run them. Does anyone know where I might get the cables to hook to the motor to run them?


This might help you if you have a spare computer power supply handy:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=23705


----------

