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Restoring Garrard Type A

you might be able to get a little more out of it by soaking in brake fluid or wintergreen oil and alcohol. I've tried both. Brake fluid is faster, but wintergreen oil smells better. Long term neither really stayed 100%, but they are still better than what I started with.

48 hours in the brake fluid got about the same results as a solid week in the alcohol and wintergreen oil mix. At that point I couldn't tell any further improvement.

I really need to put those test results together in a coherent fashion along with some longer term follow-up.
 
gadget73 said:
you might be able to get a little more out of it by soaking in brake fluid or wintergreen oil and alcohol. I've tried both. Brake fluid is faster, but wintergreen oil smells better. Long term neither really stayed 100%, but they are still better than what I started with.

48 hours in the brake fluid got about the same results as a solid week in the alcohol and wintergreen oil mix. At that point I couldn't tell any further improvement.

I really need to put those test results together in a coherent fashion along with some longer term follow-up.
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Great tip! I have it soaking right now. Even if it makes it slightly better I’ll be able to determine if it’s the idler that is causing the stoppage.
 
Another update, everything is working! I soaked the idler in brake fluid for 24 hours then gave it a final rough sand and alcohol cleaning. I think the thing that really helped was tightening up the spring that runs between idler and the on/off bar. I pull the end out, re-bent it so there was more tension between the idler and the motor and that seems to have fixed everything. Thanks again for all the tips!
 
One last question. I am getting a grounding hum but only when the tonearm lifts until it sets down and begins playing. I do have the ground wire grounded in the pre-amp. Is there somewhere else to ground? Thanks!
 
Good news about the idler spring and auto return.

For the hum - sounds like it’s happening when a muting circuit is in action. Not sure; that’s just a guess.
 
RWood said:
Good news about the idler spring and auto return.

For the hum - sounds like it’s happening when a muting circuit is in action. Not sure; that’s just a guess.
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Kind of what I was thinking. I haven’t been able to figure out how the muting circuit works and I don’t think there is anything about it in the service manual.
 
I am seeing a couple threads here:

A second Garrard Type A!

Hi, Monday, I bought (for 25 canadian bucks) an old Garrard Type A changer salvaged from a Clairtone console. After four days fighting with the changer mechanism, I gave up and modded the TT and it became a stripped down Garrard "à la Redboy". Here for reference (and a big thanks to Redboy...
audiokarma.org

Garrard Type A mods

I just bought a Type A for use in this massive Grundig console I'm in the process of restoring. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for sensible mods to the Type A? Has anyone stripped the changer guts off and used it as a manual? Any good recommendations for cartridges? I'm...
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