Fasterdamnit
Super Member
These decks use a plastic cam that surrounds a brass bushing. As the plastic ages, it becomes brittle and shrinks a bit- it splits at the bushing rendering the cue lift inoperable. You cannot squeeze the cam shut around the bushing, there is a permanent gap. I downloaded the service manual from Vinylengine and pulled her apart.
The fix? Increase the inner diameter of the plastic cam using a Dremel and a grinding stone on low speed. If you go fast the plastic melts instead of being abraded. Go slow and sneak up on the new size. You want to be able to put the brass inside and close the circle of plastic so there is no longer a gap. Have the brass bushing fit a little loose with the plastic closed. I also made two little dimples in the plastic on either side of the break so the the epoxy has a mechanical connection, not just adhesive. Now grab your JB Weld (I used original, wish I had JB Weld Kwik.) I used a tie-wrap to clamp the piece after applying the epoxy. I used it in between the brass and plastic and to bridge the break. The tie wrap holds the break closed. Once the epoxy starts to set, you can gently shave off excess using an X-acto knife. Clean the top and bottom edges of the bras bushing. Once fully cured, test for fit and use a small metal file if needed to dress any areas causing clearance problems.
Once back together, the automatic arm lift and home function will work again as well as basic lift.
The fix? Increase the inner diameter of the plastic cam using a Dremel and a grinding stone on low speed. If you go fast the plastic melts instead of being abraded. Go slow and sneak up on the new size. You want to be able to put the brass inside and close the circle of plastic so there is no longer a gap. Have the brass bushing fit a little loose with the plastic closed. I also made two little dimples in the plastic on either side of the break so the the epoxy has a mechanical connection, not just adhesive. Now grab your JB Weld (I used original, wish I had JB Weld Kwik.) I used a tie-wrap to clamp the piece after applying the epoxy. I used it in between the brass and plastic and to bridge the break. The tie wrap holds the break closed. Once the epoxy starts to set, you can gently shave off excess using an X-acto knife. Clean the top and bottom edges of the bras bushing. Once fully cured, test for fit and use a small metal file if needed to dress any areas causing clearance problems.
Once back together, the automatic arm lift and home function will work again as well as basic lift.