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Technics SL-J2 Tonearm Issue

Airjmax

Airjmax

Active Member
I have a very nice Technics SL-J2 turntable which works great with one exception - the tonearm doesn't return completely to the starting position. If I manually push it over, things work great. There doesn't appear to be anything in the path that would keep it from returning all the way. I didn't see anything in the service manual that addresses this problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
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Mchaz said:
The SL-J2 is known for gunked up old grease in the linear tonearm mechanism. Pull the lid off, clean off the old grease, and relube the gears and slide mechanism. I used silicone grease (aka plumber's grease) on mine. While you are at it, replace the motor belt with an o-ring of the appropriate size. Those two things should fix your issues.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...new-life-into-an-old-tt.755098/#post-10265032
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Thanks for the advice. I stopped short of removing the lid, because I couldn’t figure out how. Any insight on removing it? I didn’t want to damage it.
 
There are two plastic rivet heads on either side of the cover. Pry up the head, and pull out the stem. Then pry out the remaining clip if it didn't come out with the stem.

Once you get all four out the whole cover will lift off of the tonearm/hinge mechanism.

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I am a fan of the silicone grease they put in car cv joints. very light, adheres well, and you need only like a q-tip worth for the whole thing. if you cannot get that, try red high speed wheel bearing grease. 20 years from now, it wont be dried up.
 
Mchaz said:
There are two plastic rivet heads on either side of the cover. Pry up the head, and pull out the stem. Then pry out the remaining clip if it didn't come out with the stem.

Once you get all four out the whole cover will lift off of the tonearm/hinge mechanism.

View attachment 1885391
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks! I’ll give it a try, and replace the O ring too.
 
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Thanks to everyone who helped guide me through the repairs to this unit. Especially @Mchaz. I removed the old, gummy grease, relubricated, and replaced the belt, and she’s running like new! Unfortunately, the Pickering TL-3 cartridge had a bent cantilever that I didn’t notice before, but I had a decent replacement (AT80) in stock.
 
Airjmax said:
View attachment 1886943
Thanks to everyone who helped guide me through the repairs to this unit. Especially @Mchaz. I removed the old, gummy grease, relubricated, and replaced the belt, and she’s running like new! Unfortunately, the Pickering TL-3 cartridge had a bent cantilever that I didn’t notice before, but I had a decent replacement (AT80) in stock.
Click to expand...

Enjoy it!

Mine came with a sticker on the cover with the name Jeff in big letters. Since Jeff is so compact he got put in the bedroom for low key listening, and he does surprisingly well in that role. The only troubles he ever gives us is with colored vinyl since the sensors don't track the groove locations.
 
Mchaz said:
Enjoy it!

Mine came with a sticker on the cover with the name Jeff in big letters. Since Jeff is so compact he got put in the bedroom for low key listening, and he does surprisingly well in that role. The only troubles he ever gives us is with colored vinyl since the sensors don't track the groove locations.
Click to expand...
I was honestly surprised at how good the thing sounds. I put on a 180 gram copy of Al Green’s Greatest Hits, and was very pleased. Thanks for the tip about colored vinyl. I hadn’t tried the AT cartridge yet either. Covers pretty much the whole spectrum. The J2 fits nicely atop my Sony integrated TA 2650 as well!
F7DDD1EB-34E5-4040-B32E-E0B52B6AB781.jpeg
 
Airjmax said:
I was honestly surprised at how good the thing sounds. I put on a 180 gram copy of Al Green’s Greatest Hits, and was very pleased. Thanks for the tip about colored vinyl. I hadn’t tried the AT cartridge yet either. Covers pretty much the whole spectrum. The J2 fits nicely atop my Sony integrated TA 2650 as well!
View attachment 1887359
Click to expand...

Lookin' good! Nice Sony; my J2 is hooked up to an STR-6065 wrapped in a minty wood case. I really like the look of the 70s Sony stuff.

As for the colored vinyl, you can still play it. You just have to put the TT in manual mode and hold down the next track button to move the needle over the lead in. Then tap the cue button. Of course, the track selection functionality is lost, but it plays just like a normal automatic TT.
 
Mchaz said:
Lookin' good! Nice Sony; my J2 is hooked up to an STR-6065 wrapped in a minty wood case. I really like the look of the 70s Sony stuff.

As for the colored vinyl, you can still play it. You just have to put the TT in manual mode and hold down the next track button to move the needle over the lead in. Then tap the cue button. Of course, the track selection functionality is lost, but it plays just like a normal automatic TT.
Click to expand...
That Sony amplifier is a sleeper. I bought it at a garage sale for $10. I opened it up to blow out the dust, and it was clean as a whistle. It has to have been serviced, because it is super quiet and didn’t need the deoxit treatment on the pots. Very nice sound from 45 watts. I had the same Sony receiver as you a few years ago. Built like a tank, and great tuner section.
 
Mchaz said:
The SL-J2 is known for gunked up old grease in the linear tonearm mechanism. Pull the lid off, clean off the old grease, and relube the gears and slide mechanism. I used silicone grease (aka plumber's grease) on mine. While you are at it, replace the motor belt with an o-ring of the appropriate size. Those two things should fix your issues.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...new-life-into-an-old-tt.755098/#post-10265032
Click to expand...
Hey, I know I’m 4 years late on this thread but I just wanted to say I had a similar issue to OP and I tried your suggestion- it worked!! Thanks so much!!
 
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