Classic Hifi Care

Circa 1959, from the Motorola SK 29 I am currently restoring. The last VM changer I worked on was newer, about 1963, and I remember that I had to free up this roller, but on this one, it refuses to loosen up. Video by Jordan Pier (on a newer version) was very helpful last time: he cleaned it up, and when it was still frozen, grabbed it with some needle nose to get it turning. However, this one is frozen solid after cleaning with IPA. Grabbing with pliers just starts rotating the shaft where it is staked to the gear, which is not good. You can see I've already scarred it up (hopefully can smooth that off later). Are the rollers supposed to turn on this model? Are there two of them (stuck together), or is it just one? Suggestions on how to free up?

I tried a heat gun, to no avail, but I'm worried about getting those plastic parts too hot.

Only the lower part rotates, and yes, it needs to rotate. I use PB Blaster and soak, soak, soak it. When one is really stuck, and this is after a week of PB Blaster soaking, I will take a pair of Vise Grips, clamp them on, and very slowly start rotating back and forth. I have always had success with this method but it does take awhile. You can also apply heat with your soldering gun or iron keeping the heat away from the plastic thingy.

Bill

Thanks, Bill, that's exactly what I needed to know!

"Free All" (on Amazon) beats them all.
I saw it on an antique truck video and tried it...the guy was right.
It works. It works right. It works right now.

D

Never heard of that brand before but I will definitely check it out. Thanks for the tip.

This one:

https://www.amazon.com/Gasoila-Free-Eat ... r=8-3&th=1

Or, this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Free-All-Penetra ... 531&sr=8-5


Bill

Well, I soaked the roller post upside down in a large wire nut filled with WD-40, (the only penetrating oil I have), for about 24 hours, then tapped a box cutter blade between the end pieces to wedge it apart slightly, which loosened it enough to start rotating.

Now doing final adjustments, so far it's working fairly well, but I noticed that when it automatically shuts off, the platter stops turning just before the drive tire is fully retracted. You have to manually turn the platter about a half turn before you feel it free up. Anybody have an idea what to check for that issue?

Did you replace the idler wheel ?

Check the arm that the drive tire sits on, make sure it swings freely. It sometimes takes several attempts to get all of the old oil and grease removed from a VM changer. And, it only takes a little to screw things up.

Bill

No, I did not replace the idler wheel, but it wasn't rock hard, just glazed, so I scuffed it in my drill and cleaned it up. Changer cycles OK, is quiet, and the speed is correct, so I thought that means the idler is working OK. Hate to spend the big bucks to replace it! I did replace the motor mounts, of course.

OK, here's the culprit. Unbeknownst to me, this "detent spring and link assembly" fell off, because after cleaning and reassembly I didn't attach it correctly. That corrected the drive tire retraction issue. Now I'm going to continue back in the SK29 restoration thread, with cartridge installation and some other issues!

Free All. Not the first one.

D