Thorens TD-125 Repair Questions

[Treker]

Greetings All,

I was lucky enough to pick up a Thorens TD-125 with a SME 3009 Series II (not Improved) tonearm locally for a reasonable price, but I have discovered a couple of issues with it that I'm hoping the forum members here can help me sort out.

My primary issues are that the subplatter spindle is bent and the motor shaft is also bent.

So my primary questions are, can these be straightened successfully? I have tried a bit with the motor shaft, and have improved it a bit, but it seems to be bent in more than one place, so I've only been able to get so far with it. I have not tried to do anything with the subplatter spindle yet.

My other question revolves around the compatibility of TD-160 parts. Are the motors the same between the TD-160 and the TD-125 MKII? It looks like the subplatters are the same just minus the speed scale on the TD-125. In fact, I have the subplatter from my TD-160 on the TD-125 MKII right now so I can test play it for a bit before doing anything else.

 

[Copanel]

What's wrong with the platter spindle? Some pictures of the spindle would be good too.

 

[Treker]

What's wrong with the platter spindle? Some pictures of the spindle would be good too.

It appears to be bent near its connection point with the subplatter. This bend makes it ride up and down as it spins.

The attached pics show the low side and the high side. I also attached a short video. These pics were taken with the subplatter mounted on my TD-160.

The up - down variance is about 1/4 of an inch.

 

[Copanel]

I assume the platter is properly seated on the hub, otherwise it looks like it was damaged during shipping. If you move the hub, does the axle feel like it has radial play? After removing the platter, does the hub have the same up and down movement?

 

[Treker]

I assume the platter is properly seated on the hub, otherwise it looks like it was damaged during shipping. If you move the hub, does the axle feel like it has radial play? After removing the platter, does the hub have the same up and down movement?

Yes, the platter is properly seated on the hub, and the axel does not feel like it has any radial play. And yes, the subplatter has the same up and down movement without the outer platter in place as with it on.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I switched the subplatters between my TD-125 and my TD-160, and the problem followed the subplatter. That indicates to me that the problem is in the subplatter from the TD-125.

If this is not repairable, right now I am thinking I will buy a subplatter for a TD-166 on eBay and use it on my TD-160, and then use the subplatter from my TD-160 on the TD-125. And while the TD-166 subplatter is plastic and not metal, it is listed as compatible with the TD-160, so it should work. If I end up needing to go this route, I think I can remove and transfer the speed indicator ring from the bad TD-125 subplatter to the good TD-160 subplatter. That would solve this particular problem, but I will still need sort the bent motor shaft issue.

 

[Blue Shadow]

There are a couple different diameter subplatter shafts, at least 7 & 10mm. Get the right one if you‘re replacing it.

 

[Copanel]

In this case the hub with axle and the platter are fine. I would check the inner bearings and their support.

 

[Treker]

There are a couple different diameter subplatter shafts, at least 7 & 10mm. Get the right one if you‘re replacing it.

Thanks! The TD-125 and TD-160 both take the 10mm size, which thankfully it looks like the TD-166 shares as well.

 

[Treker]

I just noticed one more issue with this turntable, and that is it shimmies or oscillates side to side while playing. This is even with the good platter from the TD-160 installed. Based on the frequency of this oscillation, which is pretty fast, I believe it is due to the motor shaft being bent.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to straighten the motor shaft? And if not, is there anyone out there that either rebuilds these motors or straightens these motor shafts as a service?

 

[Copanel]

There are definitely at least one or two shops in the US that can fix these defects. Now Vinylnirvana comes to mind. I'm very curious what they'll find wrong, I find it hard to believe that the aluminum plate that houses the bearing support is bent. Regarding those oscillations, you should remove the platter and belt and see if the motor pulley has oscillation. https://vinylnirvana.com/product/thorens-td-125-td-125-mkii-top-plate-cover-brushed-aluminum You can straighten the motor shaft at home but you should have a dial indicator to check if it is straight after straightening. I would remove the pulley when straightening.

 

[Treker]

There are definitely at least one or two shops in the US that can fix these defects. Now Vinylnirvana comes to mind. I'm very curious what they'll find wrong, I find it hard to believe that the aluminum plate that houses the bearing support is bent. Regarding those oscillations, you should remove the platter and belt and see if the motor pulley has oscillation. https://vinylnirvana.com/product/thorens-td-125-td-125-mkii-top-plate-cover-brushed-aluminum You can straighten the motor shaft at home but you should have a dial indicator to check if it is straight after straightening. I would remove the pulley when straightening.

Thanks! I checked with Dave (Vinyl Nirvana) and he said he used to have a machinist that did that kind of thing, but that he is in poor health and is no longer available. He suggested I contact a machinist to see if it is something they could and would be interested in doing, so that is the route I am pursuing.

 

[Copanel]

Normally any metalworking shop should be able to fix the problem.

 

[Treker]

I hope so. This will be a really nice turntable once I get the problems with the platter and motor drive shafts sorted out.

 

[Copanel]

You can check the flatness yourself and whether the motor shaft is crooked.

 

[Treker]

I have. It is indeed bent.