A friend of mine is having trouble with his Victrola vv-ixa. In that the platter spins fine until any needle pressure is applied. Then it slows down to a stop. I said I would investigate for him, knowing I may be able to get some direction from the experts here.

This will be my first time looking inside one of these machines. So what to look at first?
Thanks
Richard

Could be one of several issues.

Make sure to use a new needle for every play. If you reuse needles, after 3 or 4 plays they can get so sharp they will dig into the record and cause it to grind to a stop.

Not sure about this model, but many of the nicer phonographs have multiple springs. If one is broken, the machine will still crank up, but perhaps not have the torque to function when the tone arm is down.

Could also be a simple lubrication/friction issue. If it has not been cleaned and lubricated recently it might have this exact symptom. Also, if the speed regulator on the works has been adjusted up against the drive gear too tightly, there will be too much friction, and the same symptom will occur.

Also check each gear to make sure it has not worn real bad . Many of these had adjustable and removable gear end bushings that could have slipped or someone pushed one in to tight slightly binding .

Also, the reproducer should be locked into its correct position to play.
The needle should be aimed slightly forward if the reproducer attached correctly. In one of your photos, the
reproducer in placed back in it's rest position against the tonearm. It looks like the needle is pointing straight
UP. That means when the reproducer is turned down in play position, the needle will be point straight down into
the record groove at a 90 degree angle and drag (and damage the groove).

Looking at the reproducer in play position (front, needle bar side) the needle should be pointing at
7 O'clock - not straight down at 6 O'clock.

Pull the turntable off, unscrew and remove the crank, remove the two screws at the front, and the motor board will pivot up for servicing. You should find a sticker under there with lubrication instructions.

Ken D.

This model Victrola had the two spring motor. Of course, lubrication of the motor is the first thing to do, and it may make a big improvement in operation.

If there is a broken spring, it won't be possible to wind the motor fully, to where it's wound tight.

My vote here is that the grease in the spring barrel, which holds the two springs, has become glue, and the spring turns can no longer come apart as the spring tries to unwind. This would show in the motor's inabil;ity to cranked from full run down to complete re-wind. Normally, that takes quite a bit of cranking.

The springs need to be removed from the motor, soaked in kerosene (or a convenient solvent), then re-installed with new grease

. CAUTION! have this done only by an experienced person. If you haven't done it successfully yourself, don't try it. Those springs can do a lot of harm.

Thanks for the great advice. I'l get started and report back on what I find out. I will stay clear of the springs until I feel a bit more educated on them.

Regards,
Richard

Thanks to the good instructions I opened up the cover and flipped it up to look at the motor housing. I did a little clean up of what was easy to get to and did a little lubrication. I did not attempt to remove the springs "yet".

Now I found a large round clip? inside laying on the floor. See down in the bottom left hand side.


It is shown here when I took it out. Any idea what this is and where it belongs?



I fixed the needle so it is basically at 7 O'clock position when on the record, but the platter still comes to a halt after a few seconds.

How much cranking/turns are needed to bring the motor up to full capacity? I don't want to over wind it.

Based upon how messy things looked inside I think that the next job is to clean the motor springs. Perhaps I'll wait for my dear old Dad to do that when he comes to visit in a few months. He always like fixing clocks, this is just up his alley. Is there a tutorial online somewhere or do we have to wing it?

That clip holds the top onto the spring canister. You should be able to see the clip in position on the other
spring barrel. The loose top might be allowing the spring to bind as it unwinds.

If your dad has worked on clocks he probably has repaired or replaced springs as large as those on a
Victrola. I've cleaned springs many times. First, note the direction of the spring as it sits in the canister.
Probably best to snap a few digital photos as you go. To remove the spring from the canister I use
a pair of needle nose pliers, a garden glove, large cardboard box and safety glasses are always recommended.
Once the spring is loose from the center shaft, grip the spring with the pliers in the gloved hand and snap the
spring (and canister) into the box. The spring should unravel quickly as you might expect but the box should
keep it contained. It may still be connected to the inside of the canister or you might find that the spring
is broken at the "keyhole" where it connects to the canister. Only one spring is usually broken while the
other is good (or only one of three in a three spring setup).

Clean everything up with a commercial cleaner (Purple Power or similar) and re-lubricate. There's lots of
ideas about what to lubricate with. The original lubricant was graphite and grease but that's very messy
and cakes over time. I usually use a heavy grade motor oil. Soak the spring well and wipe up any drips.

If the spring keyhole is broken, you'll have to do a repair or have a metal shop do it for you.
The newly cleaned and lubricated spring can then be "walked" back into the canister - be sure to use heavy
garden gloves. The spring can cut and will snap back into the canister at the end of the walking process.
Check Youtube or the web. There may be videos of this process.

Whaddya know...there are quite a few Youtube videos on Victrola spring repair.
Here's one for a Victor two spring motor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R9i7zp- ... el&list=UL

It's in 6 or so parts so be sure to click on the poster's other videos.