There is no single 'does everything' lubricant - or at least not one that does a decent job...
WD-40 does a poor job on almost everything, and basically got it's reputation out of WWII.... It was invented as a short term coating intended to protect against moisture (WD stands for 'Water Displacing') and sent to combat zones to protect military hardware against rust.... Typically in combat zones, you don't have good access to hardware stores so you try whatever is handy that MIGHT do what you are trying to do - turns out that if applied frequently, WD-40 is a sort of OK lubricant, sort of does a reasonable job as a solvent for cleaning guns, etc... Since smart soldiers (the sort that survive to come home) clean their weapons at least daily, they didn't experience the way WD-40 (by DESIGN) turns into sticky goo after a few days when the carrier solvent evaporates, as they were always flushing it out with new... So they came home and raved about this 'wonderful lubricant' that did such a great job (or at least better than any other choices) at keeping their weapons running.... The rest is marketing...
However the end result is that if WD-40 ever gets used on something where it can't be thoroughly scrubbed off, over time it will turn into a sticky sludge as it attracts dirt and dust... This sludge will gum stuff up, and even cause added problems as the dirt starts acting like an abrasive paste.... Only cure is to keep lubricating to replace those carrier oils....
However if you want to do things RIGHT you will end up with a large collection of different lubes and greases for use on different things.... Since we don't know what was making your noise, we can't really say exactly what to lube it with to fix the problem....
For places where a light oil is appropriate, I like Tri-Flon or other Teflon carrying equivalents. Silicone sprays can also be useful. Look for "Dry" lubricants that aren't sticky after they have dried. Greases are somewhat dependent on what you are doing with them. In particular be careful to make sure they are compatible with whatever materials you are using them on.
If I was making bets, my big suspects for the cause of your noise would be either a bad caster bearing (and lubrication will only help a sketchy bearing for a short time, really they should be replaced with new rubber sealed bearings, preferably stainless steel) OR a wheel hub that has a little tiny bit of slop on it's motor axle....
ex-Gooserider
Fedor wrote:Recently a strange "knocking" sound appeared in my powerchair, somewhere near the motor. It was a rhythmic knocking, which sometimes disappeared. The sound was at any speed, even the smallest. At the same time, it was impossible to determine the source of the sound. I really tried! Maybe a motor, a wheel, a bearing, an axle, I even thought about suppression. After the research, I decided that most likely the sound emits a motor or gearbox. I started thinking about replacing the motor. As a last hope, I took the WD40 and applied it wherever I could (mostly I was concerned about the axles of the wheels). A few minutes later the knock was gone and after 2-3 long trips did not appear. This surprised me very much, because the knocking sounded really like a breakdown. Later, the dealer confirmed that the sound is more like a front wheel bearing, not a motor.
Why did I create this subject? First, in such a situation, try to do the same! Secondly, as far as I know, WD40 perfectly cleans the surface, but is not the best as a lubricant. So I would like to know which lubricant is better to carry out periodic maintenance of the powerchair? After this incident, I think many parts and places really need it.