Old Symphonic Record Player

[spartadrive_in]

Ok I checked all those things and the table moves freely and things are lubed. It appears to be that the 33 and 16 speed aren't touching the idler wheel. The 45 speed does but not very strongly once the platter is placed.
See pic, it is in the 33 position.

Settings are: 16-N-33-45-78

Here is a video of the whole thing in motion being selected starting from 78 going downwards. You can see that on speeds 33 and 16 I have to slightly push it froward with my finger to touch the secondary "cone".

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uj4UgvukmIA

Thanks again guys.

[Enzo]

Doesn't that spring underneath look like it should pull the wheel into the capstan? Assuming the wheel itself spins freely, is that whole linkage free to pivot? SOme are looser than others, and they rely on the platter to pinch the roller between the platter and capstan. So is the spring action free to do its job?

[Mars Amp Repair]

hey,
Looks to me like your biggest problem is the rubber is dried out. those little belts between the idlers went bad 30yrs ago...You really need to replace all the rubber. you can try to use rubber rejuvenator (or mineral spirits as someone suggested) but on rubber that old, it ususally doesn't last.
I am working on an old late 50's Philco VM turntable for a guy & found this site for VM rubber parts.

http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/index.htm

those turret idlers are about $10 ea...my model doesn't use the belt, so I didn't look for that one.

I also have a table top Zenith HI Fi from about 1943 that I'm working on, too. There's surprizingly quite a bit of parts & info still available out there on the web.

I as Enzo am very familiar with the mechanisms & operation of the old VM changers. I love the mechanics. The coolest automatic TT's they ever made were the old Petnum Ebner's...I had a 42 Garrard 78 only changer that was a phenominal mastery of mechanical wizardry. But I digress..g

[Mars Amp Repair]

Also,
the rack the idlers are mounted on should 'float' freely & be spring tensioned to push on the motor shaft....glen

[spartadrive_in]

The idler wheel does float on spring tension.
The section does pivot to move the wheel forward.
The second shaft does spin and the rubber belt is still strong and seems to do its job.
The problem I see (see video) is that the idler wheel does not push in enough to make contact with the second spinning shaft.

[Mars Amp Repair]

OK,
I watched the video...with the turntable in place, the idler will be pushed inward & will/does contact the idler wheels. the problem is that the rubber of the idler wheel is dried out & cannot get 'pinched' (as Enzo put it) between the inner surface of the turntable & the idler turrets.
IOW, the idler IS touching both surfaces with the tt in place, but cannot grip as the rubber is too dry. I;ve worked on thousands of these older turntables (when they were not so old!) & that is definitively your problem. I don't beleive retensioning the spring will help you here...it'll just deform the spring & have too high tension when you buy the new idler ;- ]
You'll either have to get some rubber rejuvinator & hope it brings it back to life, or order the correct idler from the supplier I mentioned in my previous mail. glen