Zenith MN2604 Turntable Malfunction

[nmgreen1]

Hello,

I have a Zenith MN2604 I purchased from the non-original owner.
On the back, the label reads: Model MN2604 Chassis 8NT02 7L01Z1.
The system's radio and speakers function (albeit with some minor static).

I am posting here because I am looking for help diagnosing an issue with the turntable.
With the audio set to phono and a vinyl on the turntable, twisting the switch to on results in the arm moving to the vinyl and playing music for a few seconds before moving back to the stationary position.
Sometimes the arm moves back and forth several times, sometimes not.

See attached photos showing the console and video of the issue here.

Am I operating the turntable incorrectly or is it malfunctioning?

Any help you can offer would be really appreciated.

Cheers,
N

 

[cademan]

Sounds like its the turntable. They're easy to remove and check for any stuck spring or bar in the automatic return mode. Could probably use some new grease or relubing anyway.

 

[mibag6]

I believe that's a Voice of Music turntable. If you happen to need parts of any kind, contact these folks,
https://thevoiceofmusic.com/
They're very helpful and should be able to help out if necessary.

 

[nmgreen1]

Sounds like its the turntable. They're easy to remove and check for any stuck spring or bar in the automatic return mode. Could probably use some new grease or relubing anyway.

Is there something specific that I should be looking for?
Here are a few videos showing the underside of the turntable - from below and the side.

 

[cademan]

You should be looking at the tone arm pivot. Something connected to the pivot is either stuck or needs a little nudging to not trip the automatic reject when trying to play a record.

Have you tried to just click it to on and not over far enough to the "rej" position and putting the tone arm on the record manually?

 

[nmgreen1]

You should be looking at the tone arm pivot. Something connected to the pivot is either stuck or needs a little nudging to not trip the automatic reject when trying to play a record.

I took the turntable off the housing so I could see the arm and the mechanics below.
There is not anything obvious to me that is stuck or obstructed - here is a video showing the arm attempting to reach the record.
It is hard to tell in the video - the motor is noisy - but music does play through the arm and speakers for a second before it resets.

Have you tried to just click it to on and not over far enough to the "rej" position and putting the tone arm on the record manually?

I have tried both the on and the rej positions with similar results.
Here is a video of what happens when I manually move the tone arm to the record - it resets back to the resting position.

I appreciate your help troubleshooting this with me!

 

[cademan]

Yeah, kinda difficult when I or someone is not there in person to physically help out.

 

[webdog2010]

I'm no expert on these and it's been a while since I've worked on one but it is obviously cycling repeatedly. I would have to guess most of what is causing this behavior is gummed up grease (probably of the cycling cam components) and/or parts out of adjustment. The only way to get these VOM tables working reliably again is to tear them down, clean and re-lube them. It looks daunting but it's not too hard if you are patient and mechanically inclined. There are some really good videos on youtube that demonstrate what needs to be done. This one is a good starting point:

And here is a good thread on antiqueradios.com:

https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=186294&hilit=restoration+zenith

One more thing I noticed that I want to touch on. In your first video, the first time it cycles the tonearm goes to the 12 inch position. Each time after that it goes to the 10 inch position. It is doing this because it did not sense a 12 inch record dropping so it defaults to the 10 inch position. But since there were no other records on the spindle, it should have shut off. The record support bar, if working properly, should have dropped down after the record dropped so the mechanism knows there are no more records. Unless the bar was not positioned all the way to the left, in which case it would just cycle repeatedly at the end of the record until it is physically shut off. This would be normal. The way the support bar is positioned can have an effect on how the changer will act. So, this behavior may or may not be a problem, depending on how the bar was positioned. I wanted to mention this just in case you aren't aware that the position of the bar can affect the operation of the changer. I don't remember exactly, but I think if you lift and move the bar slightly to the right that is for manual mode.

I had a Zenith console with a changer that looked identical to yours. I believe it was a VOM model #1297. It should be stamped somewhere on the bottom of the changer. A service manual for your model # would be helpful too, though I believe most VOM 1200 series tables are nearly identical underneath. Zenith just added their own 2G tonearm and cartridge, which were pretty good for a console changer of the era. Regardless, it had issues and at the time I was completely unfamiliar with these. But after a little study, I was able to tear it down, clean it up and re-lube it to restore it to proper operation.

Hope this helps point you in the right direction to get it sorted out. Good luck.