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Finally found a trick for those sticky copeland governor switches
I was on a call last week in an old Otis in a building downtown. The car was running fine but every few stops it would just drop about 4 inches then re-level. Drove me nuts for 2 hours. Checked brake drag, checked door locks, even cleaned the selector tape. Finally out of frustration I took the governor switch cover off and sprayed a tiny bit of silicone lube on the hinge pin where it pivots. Fixed it instantly. Has anyone else had luck with that or is there a better way?
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fiona_lewis374mo ago
I spent about 45 minutes on the 22nd floor of a hotel last month with the exact same drop issue on a 1980s Otis. I must have checked every wire in the controller twice before I ended up just grabbing the governor switch and wiggling it. Now I feel like a total idiot for not trying the silicone trick first, but hey, at least I got my steps in for the day running back and forth to the machine room. Your fix is way smarter than my usual approach of just staring at the prints till something clicks. I'll be keeping a tiny can of that lube in my bag from now on.
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betty_fisher54mo ago
Oh, I used to be the same way. I always figured those little silicone tricks were just old timers being superstitious or something. But after a similar headache on a 1980s Otis about six months ago, I finally caved and tried it. The governor switch was sticking just like you described, and a tiny spray of silicone fixed it in about ten seconds. That was the moment I threw my old way of thinking out the window. Now I keep a can in the truck and grab it first when I see a drop issue, it saves so much frustration.
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