Oiling up the spindle?

[RickeyM]

I've ordered some oil for the spindle on my Techie. It's one of the ones with the black plastic "gear" on the bottom of the spindle shaft and I'd like to know how to remove it. I didn't want to force it and risk damaging anything so I'm asking if anyone here can tell me how it's done. From info I've gleaned from the web, my deck is probably around 25yrs old. So far it's running like a fine Swiss watch and not missing a beat but it probably could use a fresh lube by now.
TIA

[Anthony K]

ooooooerrrrrrr Matron

[Andrei]

First, you don't need to remove the black plastic gear. If you do then just probe at it with a paring knife - you will have to use some force but don't worry it is pretty hard to break anything.
When you have the bearing out you can service it.
Do not unscrew the baseplate. There is no purpose to that, it can do no good and may do some harm in that it may not screw back on exactly as it was.
Inspect the bottom of the shaft. If it looks worn - then I would give up and try to purchase a new bearing +- 30 quid.

There are two things you want to lubricate. One is the thrustpad, and the other is the sleeve (the Technics bearing is known as a Sleeve Bearing).
It is not absolutely essential to remove the shaft from the sleeve. If you want to you will need some pliers and a lot of strength to pull off the circlip that sits at the lower end of the shaft. Viperfrank on Youtube advises to hold the clip very tightly with the pliers 'cause if that little clip goes flying you will never find it again.

The second thing to lube is the sleeve. Give the shaft and inside of the sleeve a good clean and then lube with the same good quality motor oil. A tip from Dimmy on this forum is not to use an oil that is too thin or it will flow down the shaft too quickly and soon enough you will have relube.

As mentioned it is not entirely essential to remove the shaft from the sleeve. You can put some oil at the top of the sleeve and move the shaft up and down to work the oil down the shaft.

Finish off with a wipedown of excess oil and reinstall. One more tip: To remove the bearing you would have had to undo the pcb. When screwing the bearing back in place do that before screwing the pcb back in place. Likely it will not make a difference, but if there is a slight mismatch - and I have experienced it - then it it is more important not to force the bearing screws than the screws that hold the pcb in place.