Help! I've just bought a Garrard 401!

[A.Grail]

Nice 401 Darren.
You have a twin spark suppressor type (Flush strobe, non serrated) which as you said is an earlier type and more desirable than later type 401's. The strobe assembly is more complex and the cosmetic finishes (Fascia plate etc) superior to later versions.

In terms of basic servicing:
Clean the inner running face of the platter Using isopropyl and a lint free cloth
Clean the pulley - Using isopropyl and a lint free cloth
Clean the running face of the idler wheel Using purified water and a lint free cloth
Check for play in the idler housing bearings - place fingers on the periphery of the idler in the 12 and 6 o'clock position and rock alternately. Then try the 9 and 3 o'clock positions - any movement?
Check for play in the spindle - Place fingers on the periphery of the platter (Whilst in situ on the spindle) in the 12 and 6 o'clock position and rock alternately. Then try the 9 and 3 o'clock positions - any movement?
On the underside observe the idler housing arrangement there are three rubber grommets attaching the assembly to the chassis - are they dry / deteriorated?
Remove the spindle housing from the chassis, remove the base plate of the spindle housing and remove the thrust bearing and spindle. clean the bearing, spindle and the inside of the housing with isopropyl (A small bottle brush is handy) prior to re lubrication of the felt washer (Sits on top of the housing at the base of the spindle and feeds the top bush (Lubricate liberally), the small screw close to the base of the spindle (visible on top of the housing) gives access to the oiling chamber for the bottom bush - Oil liberally)
Remove the idler wheel from the idler housing (Two screws) clean the pins of the idler wheel and lubricate the top and bottom bushes
Check none of the springs (Visible on the underside of the unit) are visibly stretched out
You may note a loud bang noise emanating from your speakers when switching the unit on or off...This will be the spark suppressors which will likely need replacing if not now soon.
You may note I have not mentioned the motor which ideally should be stripped down and rebuilt this is due to the felt oil reservoir lubricating washers which are likely to be either dry or 'varnished' from age old oil the same is true of the bearings which are sintered bronze (Porous, they get clogged and can not fully retain lubricant (These can be heated to leech out the oil prior to heated re lubrication) . To gain access the riveted top and bottom plates need to be removed, to reveal the the bearings and felts. This process is fairly straightforward and well documented however options on re affixing the plates vary from nut and screws to re riveting.
As has been previously mentioned a greasing of the linkages at all contacts and joints is a good idea.

Tips:
Use a light flexible power cable as the motor is suspended and a stiff or heavy lead may push or pull on the motor which will cause noise.
Speed can be adjusted by moving the magnet closer (To slow down) or higher to speed up the unit. This adjustment can be made via the small screw visible south east of the idler housing cut out on top of the chassis (Visible with the platter removed)

For checks on what constitutes a buggered 401 see:

[Wakefield Turntables]

THAT is very good advice.

[DarrenHW]

Thanks for all the replies, links and info gents Sorry for taking so long to reply, I'm having issues with my ISP's DNS so getting online is quite temperamental at the moment .

Andy - How's it going, how are you getting on with your speaker refurb? Your stunning 301 is in no small way responsible for me keeping an eye out for a Garrard. The 401's nowhere near as attractive as the 301 in my opinion but the more time I spend with the 401 the more it's growing on me. Thanks for the all the info and link to your 301 refurb, need to make some time and read through it, if I do continue with this, I'll be happy if it turns out anywhere near as well as your refurb ! Unfortunately I don't have the original mat, best option I have available is the Reso Mat.

Ali - Thanks for the offer of the servicing links. A Trans Fi's on my hit list for the future, for which Ken's adventures with Techies is solely responsible!

Ken - Thanks, concrete did cross my mind. I'm in the process of casting concrete copings for a job I have on at the moment, it's a long and laborious process. After suffering concrete burns a few years ago I really don't like working with concrete and I don't like the copings I'm having to churn out which make the process even less enjoyable! It does however present the opportunity with a fairly simple mold to knock up a very cost effective plinth, definitely food for thought, thanks.

Kev - I didn't mean to buy it, it was an accident! This really wasn't a planned purchase, I'm supposed to be selling off the small mountains of equipment I'm not keeping to fund a new Croft 25 and servicing my Quad 405. I made this decision a month ago, but since then all I've done is buy more stuff, I've not sold a thing, need to be more focused on the task in hand but what can you do when opportunities present themselves? On that subject, do you have a new pair of speakers???

Barry - Thank you. Did we meet at Marco's or was that another Barry?

Martin - It is in pretty good physical condition, however it would seem (please see videos below) that a few of it's moving parts might be in need of replacement surgery, it would seem the aging process is inextricable.

Andre - If the 401 gets praise from you for it's bass reproduction then it must be really, really good!

Matt - Thanks for all the info, and for taking the time to post it! So far I've been through part of your check list and have uploaded some videos of what would seem to be problem areas:



There is play in the spindle from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock all other axis seem okay. The felt washer is bone dry so no sign of recent servicing. Is this terminal?



Idler wheel's bearings seem to be knackered. It's not ver audible in the video but the wheel makes a grinding noise when spun and there is play in it. Would this mean a replacement wheel is required or can the bearings be replaced? On the plus side the speed disk seems okay.

[A.Grail]

Perfect! showing the issues with films makes diagnosis so much easier - Trouble shooting blind can be a long winded exercise.

The felt pad on the top of the bearing housing may well denote the top bush has not received adequate lubrication. In the mean time buy a new one soak it and strip the bearing housing, cleanse it and charge with oil - THe slack in the bearing will take up some of the slack - If however considerable movement is still noted then new bushes would be advised.

The idler wheel bushes are bone dry hence the noise, remove the idler wheel top plate and clean the pins of the idler wheel, then clean out the idler housing bushes, some people like to use a little grease on the bottom bush which again will take up a little slack, the top bush I always lubricate and add a drop on top of the bush once the idler is re installed in the housing with the top plate in place. - Test for movement again, the wheel should spin more quietly now - if there is still lots of movement within the idler housing new bushes may be required.

Bushes, felt oil pads, spark suppressors, and idler housing grommets are all available form Perfect Sound.

Good luck

[DarrenHW]

Cheers Matt , a quick clean and a little lube seems to have sorted everything out, not as thorough as it could have been but right now I just want to establish what condition everything's in before deciding whether to proceed with this or not.

A couple of videos:



Doesn't feel like there's much play in the spindle, although the only way I can measure it is by giving it a wiggle, you can see in the video there is still some play, I know it's difficult to judge from the video but is this acceptable?



No noise coming from the idler.

Spindle seems to be in good condition although this is only via visual inspection, I can't see any sign of excessive wear? Bottom plate's still a bit cruddy and the spindle still need more of a polish but I'll leave this until I have a replacement gasket.





Next step will be to inspect the motor but I'm out of time today, so far would everyone agree this is a worthy candidate for restoration?

[Wakefield Turntables]

Darren,

Nice to see that you are progressing well. I think you've answered your own question by the fact that your restoring it!!! Keep up the good work and you'll have a deck that will prolly see you out.. The Resomat is a good option, I must admit to not doing a lot of experimenting with the one I own as it normally lives on my 1210. I would follow the advice from audio grail and buy some new bits and pieces from ebay, it's a one time purchase and once its done you can sit back and relax with your 401 when you've finished it off. The motor is very simple to strip and clean I dont think you'll have much trouble doing that. I actually prefer the look of the 401 to the 301 but thanks for the kind comments with regards the appearence of my 301. I have now finished my JR149's and am now thinking on moving them on as I need to drop some more of my hifi kit, I've gone from 8 pairs of speakers down to 4 and TBH I hardly use the 149's.

Andy

[DarrenHW]

Cheers Andy. I'd consider what I'm doing at the moment more a basic service than a restoration. I want to make sure everything checks out okay, then look at the cost involved in a full blown restoration including plinth and arm.

[A.Grail]

To check if the spindle bushes have too much play, place the platter on the unit with your fingers positioned at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions (On the periphery of the platter) and rock with alternate pressure, then try the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, how is the movement now?
To check the condition of the idler (With the platter in place and the unit powered) remove the platter mat and run the unit at 33 1/3 with your ear close to the mid left of the platter can you hear a cyclical thudding? If so the idler wheel has a flat spot.

[Wakefield Turntables]

If you dont intend making your own plinth I'd get one from Moldova just like the one I bought. He does some exotic wood finishes. The cost for any part for the 301 or 401 has been pretty much determined by perfect sound suppliers on eBay. You can save a lot of money if you do a little lateral thinking. I think they want £20 for 4 mounting bolts, I made my own for under £7! Anway i think you need to spend some time going through the deck and then working out what needs to be spent on it.

[DarrenHW]

Popped the cover off the motor, some sign of oil in there but not much:





A few marks around the bushing, sorry for the poor quality of the photo, I can't get a shot inside the bushing.

Does this look okay, can I apply some sewing machine oil and reassemble, do I need to check or clean anything else here?