Technics SL-2000 TT - How to lube the spindle

brust

New Member
My SL-2000 TT had developed a large once-around speed fluctuation, so I set out to lube the spindle, as it had never been done. I found lots of threads showing how easy it was to lube other Technics models, but mine was different. There was no place to apply a few drops of oil on the top side. I figured out how to do it, so thought I'd post up some instructions for the benefit of the next person. Now it holds speed perfectly!

Here's a shot of the patient with the mat and platter removed. The platter simply lifts off. It might be stuck on the shaft, so if necessary, wiggle it to pop it loose. The brass-looking part around the center shaft rotates along with the shaft. No place to apply lube there! Turns out the motor has to be removed from the bottom side.
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Now we're going to flip it on its back, so lock the tonearm down, remove the 45 RPM adapter, and with the cover on, flip it over. Remove the 16 screws circled in red. The metal plate on the left lifts off as a separate piece. Then lift out the particle board insert to access the motor mounting screws.
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Now you can remove the three screws holding the motor in place. Note there's a ground wire on one of them. Be sure to reattach that on reassembly.
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Lift the motor and flip it over. Be careful not to tug too hard on the wires. Remove the 3 screws holding the plastic cover and lift it off.
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Lift the spindle/rotor assembly out of the plain bearings. Be careful to lift straight upwards. It's held down firmly by the magnetic attraction of the rotor magnet (that thick black ring inside the hub in my hand). I found the oil in mine had degraded into something that felt like beeswax! So I wiped the shaft down with rubbing alcohol, and used a cotton swap w/ alcohol to wipe out the bearing bore. Then apply your lubricant of choice where indicated by the 3 red dots. Don't use too much! Just a light coat is plenty. If it's dripping off the end of the shaft, it's too much.

What to use? There's a special Technics TT spindle oil you can buy; a Google search will turn up dozens of sources. I used a light synthetic grease w/ Teflon called Super Lube.

When reinserting the motor, you may find it doesn't drop all the way down, and rubs on the plastic cover. Push down on the spindle/rotor assembly and rotate it slowly, working it downwards until it fully seats and stays there. Then reassemble in reverse order.
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  • 05-Hub out-lube.jpg
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