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Garrard 401 Spindle and motor service instructions

W

Wayne C

pfm Member
I have just purchased a 401 which hasn't been serviced or attended to for many years , and basically was just sadly gathering dust. I was hoping some kind soul could direct me to any strip downs with lots of pictures for that I can take the spindle apart to check and oil and ( probably more difficult ) take apart the motor and check that there's oil in there?.

I've seen one instruction piece but it is a little confusing , and there seems to be very little for the new owner to follow.

Any help appreciated Wayne
 
Also the metal linkages seem to be coated with layers of sticky dust which I'd like to take off, I appreciate these pieces possibly are coated with a substance you shouldn't handle without gloves.
 
Be careful handling the metal linkages, they are cadmium plated, which is toxic stuff.

Dismantling the main bearing is very simple; remove it from the deck (three bolts), undo the two bolts on the bottom and it will reveal its secrets pretty swiftly. Be careful in your choice of oil as some modern automotive formulations are not safe on sintered bronze. It's not something I have given much thought to to be honest as I had my 301 Loricraft serviced and got a fair sized bottle of oil back from them, so have just been using that. There are some 301 bearing pics on my lengthy 301 thread here on pfm.

The motor is more tricky to disembowel, though if you have a Google you'll find sites offering step by step pictures. Most are for the 301, but the two decks are all but identical mechanically so you'll be able to dismantle it using a 301 guide if you can't find one for a 401. Again choose your oil wisely.
 
Thanks for the tips , I've looked for three days for step by steps and can't find anything with pictures , wish I could afford a service for it but I cannot sadly at this time and would like to learn and enjoy the experience. What do you clean the linkages with ?, that's something I can do without having to take anything apart?. Isopropyl or something that evaporates perhaps
 
I know it is for a 301, but this site is excellent: No 6435. Worth having a look at YouTube too, I saw a 301 strip-down there a while back, though I felt some aspects were clunkily done it would certainly give you an idea of the construction.
 
Anyone got any suggestions of what I can clean the metal flat pieces (linkages) with please?, as all are in need of it?. Also the triangular one over the idler wheel needs doing, this was stored in an open bottomed plinth so sticky dust etc has accumulated on the linkages and other horizontal pieces. This may have an amount of nicotine making the dust stick to everything.

Thanks.

It would be great if there was a video strip down like those ifixit tutorials.
 
I am a huge fan of Servisol Foam Cleanser 30, it really is magic in a tin and just cuts through grease and grime without removing or damaging paintwork etc. I'd be inclined to use gloves, though I must admit I gave my TD-124/II a damn good strip-down and scrub before realising that it's linkages are likely cadmium plated too. I am at this point still alive. Another good tool to have in your cleaning store is Brasso Wadding. This stuff really brings shiny metal back to life, e.g. I turned a bright yellow nicotine-stained SME 3009 into the flawless gleaming example that sits on my TD-124 by dismantling it and gently using both Servisol FC30 and Brasso.
 
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I suspect, though I don`t know for sure, that the linkages on a 401 would be Zinc and Passivate, not Cadmium.
Cad and Pas is expensive and was going out of fashion at the time anyway before the toxic problems were taken seriously.
I don`t think there is any great danger simply handling Cad plated parts - just don`t lick them.
 
Hello again , I've removed the bearing to dismantle it and check its condition I have been reliably informed that the bearing is a very early one , the Garrard 401 I have is serial number 1448 and apparently some of the later 301 developments were incorporated into the early 401s.
On moving the spindle in the full bearing sleeve ( before unscrewing the end cap ) I noticed a little but of play, possibly not very much but play all the same. Reading around this subject I have come to the conclusion that many folks live with a certain amount of play?, some people seem to have very bad play in their spindle bearings. Interestingly it has been suggested that a thicker grade of motor oil can help with this and sometimes eradicate it completely?, can anyone suggest what grade of oil I could consider for lubrication in a few articles I've read they are using 5/30 and the thicker 10/30 can help with the bearing play?.

I have tried to attach some photos of the bearing and linkages but clocking the little square doesn't work? , I'd love to clean those linkages but am contemplating the best thing to use Isopropyl is my first port of call.

I'm learning every day, and thanks to all who contribute any advice.
 
As you can see from the first picture the metal linkages (hopefully they are the flat cadmium coated bars) need a clean!.


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Tony L said:
I am a huge fan of Servisol Foam Cleanser 30, it really is magic in a tin and just cuts through grease and grime without removing or damaging paintwork etc. I'd be inclined to use gloves, though I must admit I gave my TD-124/II a damn good strip-down and scrub before realising that it's linkages are likely cadmium plated too. I am at this point still alive. Another good tool to have in your cleaning store is Brasso Wadding. This stuff really brings shiny metal back to life, e.g. I turned a bright yellow nicotine-stained SME 3009 into the flawless gleaming example that sits on my TD-124 by dismantling it and gently using both Servisol FC30 and Brasso.
Click to expand...

Ordered a tin of the foam cleanser , whilst I'm at it I guess I should invest in a box of plastic gloves as The chap at audio grail confirmed that the early 401s are cadmium plated, hopefully the spindle barrel isn't as it looks to be a different type to the linkages.

Thanks to Audio Grail for confirming this.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I've been doing a lot of reading in various sites about the properties of cadmium plating and found some very interesting results, which make me wonder why Garrard used cadmium to plate these turntables?. My 401 is a very early one, and due to this it has a lot of parts which are used on late 301s , looking at the turntables components from underneath it seems to me that a lot of the metal components are covered with cadmium?. I'm presuming that cadmium was used to offer some resistance against corrosion?, reading around this subject cadmium apparently corrodes very easily?, especially when kept in wooden crates and boxes. Cadmium itself apparently shouldn't cause any health risks even when touched , the problems like asbestos arise when your breath or ingest the particles In?. Why Garrard used a product that can corrode to white powder given the right circumstances is beyond me. Can anyone with a chemical background enlighten me on this out of interest?, am I right or wrong?.

Thanks
 
Cadmium is more electronegative than steel (so it corrodes more easily) as is zinc - used for galvanising. This means that the coating will corrode preferentially to the base steel, protecting the base steel from corrosion. Cadmium has advantages over zinc in that it has some self lubricating properties and its corrosion products take up about the same volume as the original metal meaning that it doesn't bind threads etc.
 
Moko said:
Use this guide http://thecrossovernetwork.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?5167-Servicing-the-Garrard-401

It's what I did also this is my journey restoring a 401 http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=7596.0 which might have a few tips included
Click to expand...


Thanks for those links appreciated, even with those instructions, doing the motor bearings looks really difficult ( probably isn't in reality ) but just looking makes me thing that I'll end up making a right pigs ear of it, how did you find doing it , was you a bit apprehensive and did you find the imperial spanners to do it properly. Also like little feat " the last record album " was and is one of my all time favs, can't believe MFSL haven't done it as well as , "Feats".

Wayne
 
It really wasn't that hard....I'm not particularly mechanical or electrical but it's all a bit mechano/Lego as long as you break it down into lots of small steps it is fairly easy but make sure you take loads of photos as you progress so when you go to put it all back together you can see easily which bit goes where.

I think there's a lot of vested interest from the various professionals trying to make it seem more complicated than it actually is....remember these were mass produced in a factory in Swindon so it can't be that hard.

As to spanners I think I just bought the correct sizes off EBay but I can't remember where.
 
Moko said:
It really wasn't that hard....I'm not particularly mechanical or electrical but it's all a bit mechano/Lego as long as you break it down into lots of small steps it is fairly easy but make sure you take loads of photos as you progress so when you go to put it all back together you can see easily which bit goes where.

I think there's a lot of vested interest from the various professionals trying to make it seem more complicated than it actually is....remember these were mass produced in a factory in Swindon so it can't be that hard.

As to spanners I think I just bought the correct sizes off EBay but I can't remember where.
Click to expand...

They only thing that worries me ( probably more than one but there you go ), is taking things apart then something totally unexpected happening, like something falling out that isnt described in a tutorial etc, I realise in the perfect World it would be great to sit through someone Proficient showing you how to take apart the motor, as it seems to be an essential part to look at. The bearing which I'm currently doing seems to be less worrying by comparision. The link you provided mentions doing the complete turntable including other areas but there's only the motor strip down, which I appreciate is a good place to start.
 
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