Thorens TD-124/II restoration / upgrade

[Tony L]

On the subject of 'annual' service, I have a 124/II which was fully refurbished about 7 years ago, and I haven't done anything to it since. I don't use it very often, maybe once or twice a week. Then when I travel I may not use it for a month or more. I wonder what might need servicing after all this time? I am thinking mainly of oiling and/or cleaning -- it seems to run fine and is quiet (to my ears).

I use mine a lot more frequently these days, typically a couple of hours a day. If it is running very quietly with good speed stability chances are it is fine. Without knowing exactly what was done in the refurbishment it is hard to advise. After 7 years I’d personally want to check oil etc, though it is likely fine if the refurbishment was competent. These are very robust and well-engineered turntables.

The only area of real concern with a TD-124 is the decay of the ancient PVC-coated wiring. Mine, which is a MkII, really started to suffer with the black wiring that links the mains to the switch and neon decaying to the point it was oozing a green liquid. Obviously potentially dangerous and now all replaced with new. I’d advise anyone with a deck with original wiring to at least keep an eye on this and ideally just replace it.

 

[Mike P]

As Tony has said above, it really depends what was done 7 years ago. If it was fully rebuilt back then including a rebuild of the motor and replacement of any worn parts then it might not need much doing.

Assuming it was thoroughly gone through 7 years ago a basic check list might include:

• Lift out the platter and main bearing spindle. Empty the oil out and clean out the bearing well with kitchen towel. Examine the thrust pad for wear. Clean the ball bearing at the end of the spindle and examine for wear with a powerful magnifying lens. Replace the oil with ISO46/SAE20 turbine oil only. Do not use other types of oil.
• If you have a normal black rubber belt fitted the belt running surfaces of the motor pulley and stepped wheel will need cleaning of any belt residue with isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirit.
• Clean the 'steps' of the stepped pulley and the outer edge of the idler wheel with isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirit.
• Remove the stepped pulley and add a couple of drops of the ISO46 oil to the bearing well.
• Check if either the main bearing well or stepped pulley are leaking oil. If they are, fix it.
• Add one or two drops of the ISO46 oil to the upper motor bearing (visible under motor pulley) and the lower bearing (visible through the small lubrication window in the lower casing). Use a torch so you can see what you're doing and aim to get the drop of oil on the motor spindle/lower bush junction.
• Check over the wiring for deterioration.
• Check the spark suppressor cap for signs of failure.
• Apply one drop of oil to the idler wheel bearing.
• Oil/grease as appropriate any linkages that you think may need it.
• After oiling gently rock the stepped pulley to gauge if there is excessive play in the bushes. If there is, replace the bushes. Only do this when oiled as the oil takes up some play.
• Check the operation of the clutch. Is it lifting the upper platter clear with no rubbing?
• Does the idler engage positively with all speeds with no rubbing?

I'll have forgotten some things no doubt but the above should give you a good starting point.

 

[豚に真珠]

Many thanks for your replies @Mike P and @Tony L. Apologies for my late reply since I am in different time zone.

Yes, the E50 motor was rewound and rebuilt 7 years ago here in Japan (existing armature was used). All other wiring replaced. Idler wheel and belt was replaced at the same time, and as I recall the spindle bearing ball and thrust plate were also replaced. I suppose I should check whether there is any leakage. Thank you for your detailed advice - I will do my best.

I acquired the turntable from a recording studio in Helsingør Denmark which was shutting down. They had several such, some fitted with SME tonearms, others with Ortofon Bokrand in larger plinths. I had to modify the tonearm board and chassis to fit the Japanese 9" tonearm standard of 230mm spindle-to-pivot distance (used by Fidelity Research, Ikeda, and many Jelco arms). At the moment I am running an older Ikeda arm and cartridge, aligned for Stevenson geometry. Occasionally I swap with an SPU.

 

[豚に真珠]

Just to follow up, I completed the maintenance pretty successfully I think, despite the fact that I am not very technical.

The turntable runs very quietly (as it did before, to be fair) so I hope to get at least another 7 years of service from it. The man who restored it originally did not seem to think that oiling the stepped-pulley bearing or the motor bearing was warranted if the table was running smoothly, so I did not do those two things, sticking to lubricating the main platter bearing and the idler wheel bearing.

Many thanks to you both for your advice.