One or both springs?

[gramophone-georg]

Those Vic 3 motors are no picnic to work on so you'll be doing well to swap them both.

As for grease, I like red grease and a shot of motor oil (whatever I happen to have around) or--better yet--a bit of STP engine oil additive. Mixing up a bit of red axle grease and STP makes a nice grease for spring coils as it stays slick. STP and Lubriplate would be awesome together.

Agree. After many years of experimentation I have settled on something similar- red Sta- Lube "Staplex" grease in the cardboard tube mixed with Hy-Per-Lube or Lucas oil additive. Add a bit of grease to the oil to thicken it up so it is like a thick but flow- able molasses, then fill your barrels about ⅓ to halfway with your springs installed. Once the barrels are closed up and installed the grease is just too thick to leak out around things, yet liquid enough to squish throughout the barrel and coat every surface- almost like an "oil bath" type system.

I am also a fan of replacing governor springs on a machine before returning it to service. The thing is- even if you DON'T want to replace the springs and replace the gov. springs right now, if the parts are available you should buy them to have. The same thing goes for any other wear items like fiber gears. The time to buy specialty or rare parts is when they are available rather than when you need them, because when you need them they may NOT be available.

[Canuk Phonographs]

I use a low temperature low viscosity grease and although a lot more work, I brush grease on the spring with every single revolution when re installing the spring in the barrel.
I don’t depend on the grease migrating throughout the spring barrel. I never knew if I used too little or too much grease. Therefore I do it the hard way but it sure runs nice when finished.
Blain

[JerryVan]

I use a low temperature low viscosity grease and although a lot more work, I brush grease on the spring with every single revolution when re installing the spring in the barrel.
I don’t depend on the grease migrating throughout the spring barrel. I never knew if I used too little or too much grease. Therefore I do it the hard way but it sure runs nice when finished.
Blain

That's how I lube them too. I wind in a turn or two of the spring, then with a small putty knife, I add a scoop of grease, then wind in another turn, etc.... When the spring is completely installed, I fill the center area.

To answer the original question, if you're going to use new springs, then definitely replace them all. I have at times, used good, original/old springs as replacements. In that case, I only replace the one/bad spring.

[Herderz]

As far as spring replacement I think that has been covered with many opinions. I was just wanting to add how I grease a spring as I load it into the drum. I use a new pair of jersey gloves when reloading. I grease the bottom and sides of the drum and then put a large ball of grease in the center of the drum. As I start winding the spring into the drum I use my left hand to hold the spring in the drum and my right hand to wind the next coil in. When I wind the next coil in I hold the spring and the drum and straighten my fingers tips and scup some of the grease from the center of the drum then let my finger tips ride on the inside of the coil greasing as I go. After a couple turns I scup up some more grease and repeat this until the spring is fully loaded. This technic allows me to load the spring without ever stopping and grease the entire spring surface. Then I just throw the gloves away.

[Inigo]

Sometimes I've grease the spring with my fingers before winding it into the barrel, but it is a mess!