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Garrard Zero 100 Issues With Automatic Functions

tiga said:
Great videos thank you! These seem to both moving freely now. It sort of seems like the rod isn't being moved far enough to push the lever whole way over - stopping at the 10" mark. I wanted to investigate that next but it was 1am and I couldn't see straight at that point LOL.
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That's the issue. Gotta get that "finger" to travel the full distance!
 
I had a little progress last night. I took the pieces off above the cam as well as the piece that moves the size selector rod and gave them a good cleaning and reassembled. They are all moving much better now however it didn't solve any of the problems. I propped the unit up and spent a little time underneath it watching the mechanisms work and noticed that the arm with the finger and spring just wasn't moving the rod the whole way - even though it moved freely. I took the little spring off and pulled out some of the windings to make it tighter and that did it. Now it has enough tension to move the rod the whole way and the record drops down where it's supposed to. Victory!

What still needs fixed include:
1. It still doesn't turn off in auto mode at the run out - the arm returns then keeps repeating the cycle.
2. In manual mode when the arm returns everything slows down right before the tonearm gets to the tonearm rest, sometimes everything stops for a second before sluggishly finishing the movement.
3. The activation of the auto arm movement still makes a loud clunking noise (seems louder than it should be anyway).

If anyone has any thoughts on these last three I'd appreciate it!
 
For the slowing down problem, you still have either slipping occurring on the idler wheel or rim. I've soaked idler wheels in dot 3 brake fluid for 3-5 days wrapped in a warm heating pad and then rough sand the edge. Also, the inside rim of your platter needs to be cleaned very thoroughly as well. Use isopropyl alcohol. Make sure you got all of the bad grease out of the cam gear in the pathway of the finger that could slow it's travel down.

Here's a video of a SL-95 having the turntable not shutting off problem and possibly some solutions.

 
I had the same problem with that linkage that looks like a caliper, and pulling a coil out of the spring to drive the size selector over to the 12" position ended up being my fix as well.
 
Bruno Primas said:
For the slowing down problem, you still have either slipping occurring on the idler wheel or rim. I've soaked idler wheels in dot 3 brake fluid for 3-5 days wrapped in a warm heating pad and then rough sand the edge. Also, the inside rim of your platter needs to be cleaned very thoroughly as well. Use isopropyl alcohol. Make sure you got all of the bad grease out of the cam gear in the pathway of the finger that could slow it's travel down.

Here's a video of a SL-95 having the turntable not shutting off problem and possibly some solutions.
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Thanks - I did remove this piece last night and cleaned it - seems to be moving well. You're comment about the cam gear got me thinking - currently there is a black material in there which I think is graphite. I also see some of this in the platter gear teeth that moves the cam. For some reason I was under the impression I should leave the old graphite in place. I did hit it with a little lithium grease - should I get it all out of there? On the platter too?
 
The black grease is usually OK. The brown grease is the problem.

The area that your tonearm stops in is the place that takes the most torque. If your idler is relatively flexible and you rough up the edge with coarse sandpaper, (not fine), it will slow down somewhat, but it shouldn't stop. I have found that USE actually starts to help the whole thing along. Try running it a while in 45 rpm and see if it completes the cycle. If it does, that means you're REAL close to finishing it.
 
Last night I disassembled the whole cam gear and gave it a good cleaning, made sure the pawls were moving freely, lubricated the shaft the cam sits on and put it back together. I then pulled off each lever attached to the manual and auto switches and cleaned them and the chassis where they make contact. I took the idler off and wiped down the outer edge (I realized I didn't have any fine grit sandpaper but will get some) and cleaned the center hole/shaft and gave it a little oil. I took some alcohol and cleaned the inner rim of the platter where the idler makes contact.

After this I now get no slow down of the platter when the arm is returning and in fact is seems to move faster. In manual mode the arm returns after the record run out and the unit shuts off. Any time I activate the auto stop the arm returns and turns off.

The engagement of the any auto function seems loud - but it might be slightly quieter. In auto start mode I'm still not getting the unit to turn off after the arm returns and it's still in repeat play. I feel like I'm so close.
 
Don't use fine sandpaper. It'll make the idler wheel smoother and more prone to grip.

Your auto shut off mech, (the one under the platter), is not getting "tripped" like it should. When the tall spindle is in, the part underneath that slides that makes the tall spindle piece move to "check" if there is another record is not moving far enough to affect the auto shut off unit. When the short spindle is in, it should slide far enough to set the auto shut off every time.
 
Success. I spent some time with the unit propped up and I watched it operate from underneath. I was able to see that the sliding lever over the cam was not moving the rocking lever under the platter when in automatic mode. It would just barely touch it and thus would not move it far enough to trip the shutoff. The sliding lever has a small piece bent at 90 degrees that comes in contact with the top lever post. I used a small pair of pliers to ever so slightly bend this tab toward the post and voila - the shutoff now works in auto mode!

I ordered a generic stylus which should be here next week. The current stylus is shot. Until then I'm going to work on getting it cleaned up and set up the tonearm. I'd also like to figure out why it's so clunky / noisy in auto mode. I've watched a few videos on Zero 100's in action online and I can hear the same noises - but not as loud. Maybe it's supposed to be like this but it seems a little much to me.

Aside from that is there anything else I should address with this unit? Thank you all for the great advice and support!
 
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Here is a video of the player in action - you can hear the clunking noises. I think it's coming from the cam area - any thoughts?

 
Some auto noises can be affected by the o-ring around the outside of the platter spindle shaft. The one that sits in the slot below the cogged part of the shaft. Is it still there on your unit? Often it disintegrates with age.

Congratulations on fixing the auto shut-off!
 
T68 said:
Some auto noises can be affected by the o-ring around the outside of the platter spindle shaft. The one that sits in the slot below the cogged part of the shaft. Is it still there on your unit? Often it disintegrates with age.

Congratulations on fixing the auto shut-off!
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Thanks and yes this o-ring is pretty much gone. Is it replaceable?
 
Is it normal for these motors to run hot? I've been running mine for about an hour just to see how it does and it's holding speed perfect but the motor is really hot to the touch. Thanks!
 
In the ones I've had, (and have), some ran hotter than others. (Although they do get quite warm.) If the motor makes no noise and is lubricated properly, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Bruno Primas said:
Yeah. You can find a suitable replacement in the plumbing section of a hardware store, believe it or not. Although, I don't remember the inner diameter off the top of my head.
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Found some dimensions online and ordered a few. Looks like a 15mm ID with 1.5mm cross section is acceptable. Assuming I should use a lubricant on the ring?
 
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