I need help rewiring a pre-1950s Mimms lowboy fan. Any advice on rating the cap (3speed coil) and 4-pos 3-way rotary switch

Question

The cord was brittle and crumbled, so I cut it off. Internal wiring is cloth covered solid copper. 3-speed coil/cap. The 4-pos/3-speed switch rotates freely/well, but not sure if it or the coil is safe to use. Thus, I want to rewire it and use the antique fan. Great conversation piece. Motor = F.A. Smith (Pilot), 115V, 60cycle, 1.52amp (? 0.52amp? hard to read on plate)

1. What type coil or cap can I use or need? #on coil is ~ "192201 31". No brand name or ID on it. 3 wires labeled Lo, Med, Hi. All 3 wires lead to switch terminals.
2. Any suggestion on mfd /uf ratings I should look for on new coil or cap.
3. Can I replace old coil with new style capacitor or must I use an old style coil? This looks to have "leaked" small drops of oil or tar? from between some of the plates in coil on 3 or 4 sides. Safe to still use??
4. Old coil only had 3 wires (L,M,H) that fed to switch. What type cap do I get and how to connect to switch? 3-wire cap? What size mfd ratings?
5. Source for 4-pos/3-way switch?? Would something like HQRP 3sp1t switch work? I want to retain the old switch face and knob of original rotary switch.
6. How to wire new cord? 1 wire to motor and other to Load on new switch. But which wire from outlet is load or neutral? Original plug / wire was not polarized or grounded. Does it matter if new wire from outlet is polarized or not, in this case? I don't want to short it out. Which wire (of the 2) goes to motor and to switch or does it matter if reversed?
7. How do I tell if motor is still good before I start rewire process? It has an oiling port too.

Lots of questions! Maybe too many at 1 time? I don't want to end up with a meltdown of this beautiful-to-me old fan. :-)

Thanks for any guidance! Kind regards and thanks in advance.

Answer 1

That looks like a tapped inductor, presumably in series with the motor. There is probably nothing wrong with it. Just replace the insulation on the leads.

A substitute might be possibly made from two separate inductors but it is highly unlikely that a similar replacement exists.

If the wiring is too degraded you could carefully take it apart, while counting the turns and rewind on the same core. Make sure you remember how the laminations were assembled. Inductors and transformers are arranged differently.

What you say is leaking is probably just the shellac that was used to insulate it when manufactured. Most inductors and transformers of this type are submersed in an insulating compound, similar to shellac, and then baked to cure the shellac, ensure all water is removed, and prevent buzzing or vibration. It is common for such transformers and inductors to last a hundred years or more.

Answer 2

This is a Shaded pole motor, and I cannot see any cap here in image, that is a inductor that is controlling the speed. You will spend too much trying to get the right part, and by the looks of this setup, it will probably fail not to long after. Find somebody in the maintenance field to take this motor with inductor to Johnstone's Supply, Grainger, United Refrigeration (Any HVAC/R supplier) to get prices, replacements are not too pricy and a lot safer than your setup.

Answer 3

All you need to do is to solder the new power cord.

Here's the schematic showing the autotransformer, the tap selector switch and the motor.