Turntable repairs

[Dhananjay Rau]

Hi!

When I was searching for anyone who could repair my DUAL TT, I found a link to HiFiVision. One day many years ago, it did not switch itself off and ran the whole night. In the morning, I detected a squeak from the main bearing. I am looking for someone in Pune who can look into it and tell me whether this can be done.
I will be thankful for any reference.

 

[SRI 420]

Hi Dhananjay please go through this thread:

Turntable motor problem

Hi All I have project debut carbon turntable. The motor has suddenly stopped rotating. Any suggestions on how to fix it? And if it requires repair service, what is the best and reliableoption in Pune and Mumbai.

www.hifivision.com

Hope this helps.

 

[reubensm]

Hi and welcome to the forum. You havent mentioned the model of the Dual TT. The solution to your situation (if you are into DIY) is dependent on the model. In some Garrards and Duals, it is very easy to access the center spindle assembly while in some, like changers or those with auto mechanisms, it may be a little more challenging.

I recall an old Chinese proverb by Sun Tzu - "Every Battle is won or lost before it was ever fought"

In this case, knowledge of the turntable's history is the key, especially its lube history. If your turntable was properly lubed and maintained, even running it non-stop for a whole night would not have resulted in this outcome (yes German and British turntables built in those times were that good)

First of all, assuming that the symptom reported is right, and you have positively confirmed that the squeak is originating in the motor spindle assembly, it can be due to the following:

• The lube was already dry or on its last legs, hence constant use caused your turntable to cry out for fresh lube
• Due to lack of lube, something may have worn due to the night-long odyssey, resulting in the squeak
• In an absolutely worse case scenario, due to the above 2, something may have failed

If your TTs platter still sits perfectly well in the spindle assembly without any play whatsoever and rotates freely and smoothly, then perhaps all you'd need to take care off is proper lubing. If not, you'll have to dismantle and take a closer look.

 

[Dhananjay Rau]

Hello reubensm.
Thanks for your very informative reply.
Sorry I did not mention the model number. It is Dual 1219. No, I have not positively confirmed the source of the squeak. I assumed it since it changes with the speed of the turntable.
The lube history is pathetic. It hasn't been serviced at all.
The platter sits well and rotates freely
It has been quite some time since I packed it carefully, depressed about its fate as I was, and stored it on the loft in my bedroom.

I am into DIY, but I haven't tackled such a sophisticated instrument yet, and am not confident about my skills. I shall try dismantling it and post the results on this forum.

 

[raj12345]

Hello, this Dual 1219/1229 Turntable is quite easy to service and easy to maintain.. The speed is always dead accurate.. Why not you makes a video of your problem and post on YouTube rather than telling here theoretically.. Tell weather the automatic mechanism is working well or not.?
It's an Idler drive turntable which rotates via an Idler wheel driven by high wattage AC motor. So the issue you are telling may not be coming from central platter bearing but rather from non-lubed motor..
If you wish a technician residing in Mumbai can be suggested who overhauls dual motors and lube it but he is unable to restore its automatic mechanism.

 

[reubensm]

Hello reubensm.
Thanks for your very informative reply.
Sorry I did not mention the model number. It is Dual 1219. No, I have not positively confirmed the source of the squeak. I assumed it since it changes with the speed of the turntable.
The lube history is pathetic. It hasn't been serviced at all.
The platter sits well and rotates freely
It has been quite some time since I packed it carefully, depressed about its fate as I was, and stored it on the loft in my bedroom.

I am into DIY, but I haven't tackled such a sophisticated instrument yet, and am not confident about my skills. I shall try dismantling it and post the results on this forum.

Lovely deck. With this model, you can just do some basic servicing. Duals from this generation, were built like Tanks, so again the squeak, is it heard at certain speeds or does it come up when changing the speed using the speed selector? Either way, you must lube your turntable. Venture into the spindle area only after doing some online reading and referring to the manual. If lubing the idler bearings and assembly, be careful not to drop lube on the idler itself or the inner side of the platter. Also be very careful with the auto-mech alignment. If you are taking anything out, always take clear photographs before proceeding. An old audiophile once told me - Dont lube your Garrard and it will last a life time, lube your Garrard and your great grandchildren will be including it in their will (same applies to Dual as well )

 

[gangof4]

Naren who lives in Lonavala is an old hand.

 

[General_sound]

I fully agree with Reubensm. I own a Dual 1019, which I have disassembled to lube the main cam and main bearing. The tt requires different types of lubes to function properly, and the motor does require fine machine oil to run noiselessly. In addition the trip mechanism, mounted on top of the main (plastic) cam requires both silicon liquid and a tiny bit of grease to function properly. However these machines should only be serviced by knowledgeable persons, in order to function properly.