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Garrard 301…how much oil?

dsd-7

dsd-7

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I have a very nice one owner Garrard 301 oil bearing motor, set up in the original spring plinth with Shure M232 tonearm/M7D cartridge. I am in the process of putting the 301 in a slate plinth with either a Thomas Schick or SME M2-12R tonearm. Still haven't completely decided on tonearms, so any advice is certainly welcome.

My question is in regards to the main spindle oil bearing. What do you guys recommend for cleansing the bearing?…maybe mineral spirits? Afterwards, I was planning to use sewing machine oil or possibly Remington gun oil, as I have the latter here in the house already. Does this sound like the best oil to use?…and how much oil is required in these bearing wells?

Thanks in advance everyone. Looking forward to my Garrard 301 possibly replacing my VPI Classic.
 
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Congrats on a great table, I love mine in a slate plinth!

I used small engine oil to lube the motor and 3in1 oil for the main bearing and haven't had any troubles.

I went with an Audiocraft AC-3000 on mine. Not a typical choice, but these are very nice arms with near infinite adjustability (arm wand mass, damping, VTA) and come in well below the more famous options. If you want a 12'' arm then the 3000 becomes a 4000 by simply buying a longer wand.
 
3 in 1 tends to gum up over time. I would go with the sewing machine oil if the 301 manual doesn't specify something else. I would expect that the manual should tell you how much of what needs to be put in there.

mineral spirits should do fine to clean out the well, or rubbing alcohol would also do it.

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/301.shtml
 
Fill the bearing to the top with oil. The top bushing needs to be lubricated and if you don't fill it, the oil will run down out of it and it will be dry. The oil bearing Garrard 301 and the Garrard 401 have an oiling port on top, for exactly this purpose.

This is why conversions of grease bearing 301s to oil bearing often don't work. There isn't an easy way to fill the bearing completely with oil with no air bells, and the top bushing then runs dry. In fact the instructions issued by Plessey (who had bought Garrard) don't address this problem. It is possible to solve it but it's tricky and rather involved.
 
Thanks so much for the info so far guys. This has been very helpful. I can't "put my finger on it", but there is just something about the old Garrard 301 that sounds so good. Even in the stock plinth with the original Shure M232 arm/M7D cartridge, it has given me a taste of what it can do.
 
jeremyjustic said:
oh man the Garrard idler turntables are AMAZING! there is a real good reason why 50 some years later they are still coveted. I wouldnt part with my 401 for anything in the world....except maybe a 301! hahahah nice score man, also please check out our 301/401 owners club thread.

here is the link

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=407251&highlight=garrard+301/401+owners+club
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Thanks for the link Jeremy. I will have to head on over to the owners thread, introduce myself, and add some pics. :thmbsp:
 
Successfully cleaned and oiled the main spindle bearing in my Garrard 301 schedule 2 (oil bearing) this weekend. The table was very rarely used during its one-owner lifetime, and the bearing's condition was perfect. Showed no wear at all and still had some lubrication working in its favor. After soaking all the parts in mineral spirits and cleaning/drying thoroughly, I ended up using turbine oil (approx 10W) to fill the bearing well. I bought it from Ace Hardware; it is made by a company called "Zoom Spout".

How about oiling the idler-wheel bearing and also the motor? Does anyone have any tips/advice? I have searched youtube and other sources, and it seems info on lubing the Garrard 301 is scarce for some reason.
 
I took the bottom of of my motor to add some oil, the top part is accessible without removing anything. It was a royal pain and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are getting lots of vibration or noise.
 
andyecon said:
I took the bottom of of my motor to add some oil, the top part is accessible without removing anything. It was a royal pain and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are getting lots of vibration or noise.
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Not getting much noise or vibration from the motor or idler wheel, but just want to do preventative maintenance. My particular Garrard 301 was made in 1960. Even though it is a one owner table, I suspect the motor and idler wheel assembly could use some lubrication due to its age. Do you other Garrard owners out there agree?…or should I just leave the motor and idler wheel bearings alone since they are not making any noise?
 
dsd-7 said:
Not getting much noise or vibration from the motor or idler wheel, but just want to do preventative maintenance. My particular Garrard 301 was made in 1960. Even though it is a one owner table, I suspect the motor and idler wheel assembly could use some lubrication due to its age. Do you other Garrard owners out there agree?…or should I just leave the motor and idler wheel bearings alone since they are not making any noise?
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I top up the spindle bearing with oil and drop a little here and there on moving parts and rock out. This thread is making me wonder if I should do a little maintenance.:scratch2:
 
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