First of all I removed the turntable by removing the small ‘C’ clip then sliding it off the spindle. Underneath it, the main features are the brake at the bottom left, the speed adjuster at the bottom right, the spindle in the centre and three big screws that hold the motor to the motor board. Around the edge are 6 screws that fix the motor board in place.
Unscrewing these 6 allows the removal of the motor board and a look inside where I could see the horn snaking around the case. It has also been stamped with the assembly details and was apparently assembled on 17th may 1939.
The following pictures show that the motor is a Garrard no.30 and there is also a luggage tag attached showing the motor specifications.
Garrard are well known for making the high quality turntables throughout the 20th century. Here is a short history of Garrard for anyone that is interested.
Garrard are well known for making the high quality turntables throughout the 20th century. Here is a short history of Garrard for anyone that is interested.
After unfixing the motor three rubber grommets or thick washers can be seen attached to it. They are there to reduce vibrations being transferred to the motor board. Two of these have hardened and the third where the luggage label was fixed has become soft and squishy, not unlike a Pontefract Cake. All three will have to be replaced.
The motor is covered in old grease and oil that looks like treacle. Much of this has hardened and become sticky.
The motor is covered in old grease and oil that looks like treacle. Much of this has hardened and become sticky.
With the motor removed I wound it up to observe how the motor works. I could see that the governor moves freely and there was no corrosion to any of the moving parts.
I could see there was a thick sticky deposit of grease that had oozed out of the two spring drums on the base plate. This thick solidified deposit rubbing against the spring drum as it rotates is probably what was causing it to slow down and speed up when I tested a record on it.
By removing the base plate the interior of the motor can be more easily seen. This holds most of the moving parts in place. It appears relatively simple. There are two spring drums each with a different set of teeth and two pins with gears; one of these is the spindle that the turn table attaches to. The governor is fixed separately to the chassis. I didn't remove this as it seemed to work perfectly well already.
By removing the base plate the interior of the motor can be more easily seen. This holds most of the moving parts in place. It appears relatively simple. There are two spring drums each with a different set of teeth and two pins with gears; one of these is the spindle that the turn table attaches to. The governor is fixed separately to the chassis. I didn't remove this as it seemed to work perfectly well already.
It is important to remember that the springs are dangerous and if they escape their drums will uncoil and fly around the room. People have been seriously injured removing springs. So to be on the safe side, for example if I dropped one and it come apart, I taped the spring drums up until I come to clean the exterior of the drums. However I’m not planning to remove the springs and clean the insides as I think they are probably ok.
After giving everything a good clean, using a toothbrush and lighter fluid to dissolve any hardened grease, I lubricated all the movable parts and screwed the base plate back down. I now have a lovely clean and shiny motor.
