Can you lubricate a wind instrument sender?

[Forest Girl]

My old Autohelm wind instrument (alongside another showing 60 degrees each side in close up) is playing up. It often reads oddly and bears no relation to actual wind direction. I notice that in very light winds the anemometer wont spin whereas others alongside in the marina are happily spinning. In stronger breezes the instrument works better but can still misread direction and be different to the other instrument showing the close hauled readings.
Could lubricating the anemometer with teflon or something suitable make a difference? How do I calibrate the instrument and make it in sync with the close hauled instrument?
I know us sailors shouldn't need an instrument to tell us what the wind is doing but my wife likes to see whats happening! Actually so do I and I can't afford new.

 

[greenalien]

Spraying it with teflon dry lubricant won't hurt, but see other recent threads on here re: replacing the bearings and the quadrature sensor.

 

[Norman_E]

Try and find the installation and operating instructions. Some senders can be lubricated, but others must not, because the lubricant can attract dust, which results in the thing seizing up. For what its worth my VDO Siemens instrument has stainless ball bearings, and the instructions say do not lubricate. When the anemometer became stuck I took it down and washed the bearings out with warm water and a drop of washing up liquid, finished off by rinsing it with plain water and letting it dry in the sun. It has been OK since.

 

[marko99]

I took it down and washed the bearings out with warm water and a drop of washing up liquid, finished off by rinsing it with plain water and letting it dry in the sun.

"the sun" ?? What's that ?

 

[bigwow]

"the sun" ?? What's that ?

A down market newspaper I believe.

 

[Norman_E]

"the sun" ?? What's that ?

My boat is in Turkey, the only problem with the sun there is that sometimes its too hot!

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

If clean and still not working well, perhaps a rub with a soft pencil lead on the bearing surfaces?