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Sony ps 212 motor lube? how to lubricate? I ask for help!

Roman68

Roman68

Active Member
Bought this turntable. I replaced the capacitors, adjusted the tonearm, cleaned the variable resistors. Everything works perfectly. Does the motor spindle need to be lubricated? The motor runs quietly, keeps the speed, but the turntable is 30 years old, maybe the grease has dried up? Thanks in advance for your replies!!! Have a nice day!
 
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Yes. It is likely the bearing lubricants have changed over the years. And the thrust bearing may have worn also.
You probably will have to remove the trapping screw in the side of the main bearing to get the spindle out. Clean, get the thrust bearing out and inspect - if worn, you might get away with just flipping it. Relube, replace the screw, and enjoy.
 
thank you. I have never used a direct drive turntable, can you tell me what kind of lubricant I can try?
 
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can you tell me more about disassembly of this engine? perhaps there is some kind of video, or article to read?
 
Looking at my comments, I realize that I did not read your original post carefully, and my advice is probably more suited to belt and idler drive tables than to your direct drive.
Here is another attempt: First: don't argue with success - you say it works perfectly, and so more work may actually make things worse. Second: if you haven't looked for the service manual at Vinyl Engine, do so, with the knowledge that there may be other models with the same motor, so if your exact one isn't there, look at others of the same period. And last: lubricants do age, and thrust bearings do wear, so my original advice wasn't wrong, but should have been less flippant.
You clearly are capable, having gotten the thing going, but since you are entering new territory for you, the manual will be very helpful.
 
Understand. Thanks for the advice! I downloaded the service manual, but there is nothing there about servicing the motor. I'll try to look for something similar. Some people say that if the speed is holding and the motor is quiet, then nothing needs to be done. But I can’t do that, I’m worried about the thought that I didn’t take all the measures to prevent problems with the turntable :)
 
There is a saying in America: If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
These aren't mystical devices. If it functions properly, it is as good as it is going to get - there probably are modifications you could do that might make it better than it was or might not. But if the platter spins smoothly and for a decent while if you give it a spin, and if you don't hear rumble, I would leave well enough alone. If, in the future, problems develop, deal with them then. In the meanwhile, just enjoy listening.
In particular, don't fall for the idea that you have to rewire the arm - if there isn't hum and you have signal in both channels, everything is good. The table is late enough that it probably has low capacitance wires, and even if it doesn't, unless you are playing CD4 quad records, low capacitance may be more of a problem than an unalloyed good. Whereas taking the bearings apart is almost always a fraught procedure for those without prior experience - you can screw bearings up with surprising ease.
 
Nat said:
В Америке есть поговорка: если что-то не сломалось, чини, пока не сломалось.
Это не мистические устройства. Если он работает должным образом, он настолько хорош, насколько это возможно — вероятно, вы могли бы внести некоторые изменения, которые могли бы сделать его лучше, чем было, а возможно и нет. Но если тарелка крутится плавно и прилично долго, если вы ее крутите, и если вы не слышите грохота, я бы оставил ее в покое. Если в будущем возникнут проблемы, решайте их тогда. А пока просто наслаждайтесь прослушиванием.
В частности, не ведитесь на мысль, что вам придется перепаять руку — если гула нет и у вас есть сигнал в обоих каналах, все хорошо. Таблица достаточно поздняя, поэтому у нее, вероятно, провода с низкой емкостью, и даже если это не так, если вы не проигрываете четырехъядерные пластинки CD4, низкая емкость может быть скорее проблемой, чем чистым добром. В то время как разборка подшипников почти всегда является сложной процедурой для тех, у кого нет предварительного опыта, вы можете с удивительной легкостью закрутить подшипники.
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Hi. I dismantled the motor, and I see that there is a lubricant there, dark yellow in color, quite liquid. spindle is not dry. Does it make sense to remove the old grease and apply a new one, or leave everything as it is?
 
The Sony DD motors are usually "Lubricated For Life" like most non Technics DD motors are. If the owner's manual states a maintenance interval for lubrication, then follow the recommendation.
 
KentTeffeteller said:
The Sony DD motors are usually "Lubricated For Life" like most non Technics DD motors are. If the owner's manual states a maintenance interval for lubrication, then follow the recommendation.
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I already smeared. Thanks. I know it's for life. only this period is approximately 10 years. And he is already 40 years old. other than that, I've already changed the lube anyway.
 
Roman68 said:
I already smeared. Thanks. I know it's for life. only this period is approximately 10 years. And he is already 40 years old. other than that, I've already changed the lube anyway.
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Fine, you did the right thing this once or twice. But also bear in mind, that also means average home use. This motor is not built to be disassembled multiple times. Sony isn't the most robust DD motor, on most of theirs (the high end manual broadcast units exceptions) and they're on the complex side, especially those automatics (and Sony's grease in their automatics is notorious for turning to cement). That mechanism needs cleaning and re-lubrication every 3-4 years with plastic safe grease. Those automatic return gears are usually what dooms a Sony automatic to the parts bin, as they fail.
 
KentTeffeteller said:
Fine, you did the right thing this once or twice. But also bear in mind, that also means average home use. This motor is not built to be disassembled multiple times. Sony isn't the most robust DD motor, on most of theirs (the high end manual broadcast units exceptions) and they're on the complex side, especially those automatics (and Sony's grease in their automatics is notorious for turning to cement). That mechanism needs cleaning and re-lubrication every 3-4 years with plastic safe grease. Those automatic return gears are usually what dooms a Sony automatic to the parts bin, as they fail.
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To be honest, I don't really like automatic turntables. I originally had an idea based on the Sony ps212 drive to build a Project debut style turntable, direct drive on an MDF board and put a good tonearm. Without any automation. But right now there is no time.
 
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