Turntable spindle totally seized in the bearing - Pioneer PL12D

[geoffdavison]

I have just bought an old Pioneer PL12D turntable, have renewed the belt and played a couple of records OK, about an hour. Then I put on another disc and the centre spindle shaft is totally seized. I have removed it to inspect and have put a little WD 40 at the bottom of the shaft, where it goes into the brass sleeve (bearing?). also a little WD 40 into the hole where a small screw usually is fitted, to retain something?

Any ideas on how to free up the shaft from the brass tube? I have read various threads about relubricating, but I need to get it to come apart first!

Has anyone had a similar problem and managed to fix it please?

 

[soundguruman]

heat the sleeve if you can, very hot, with oil in there. It will expand and you may be able to get it off by working it back and fourth. Leave lubricant in there for several days, like liquid wrench. No guarantee that this will work, but it has been used before.

 

[geoffdavison]

Thanks Soundguruman - I was lucky. I had previously worked a little WD40 into the sleeve. After an hour off task I tried a small screwdriver between the spindle shoulder and the brass bearing sleeve and gently prised it and it moved and I gradually eased it apart. Previously I'd been trying to rotate it. As other posts have said there was a residue of white solid material at the top edge and this had caused it to seize up.

What I hadn't realised is that the grease in the brass sleeve presents a lot of suction so pulling the spindle shaft out requires some steady pulling or it sucks it back into the sleeve, like a piston in a cylinder.

Cleaned all the old grease off and relubed with a little "car grease" and it now works perfectly.

Thanks again for the tip. I was lucky not to need to do this, but anyone else trying the screwdriver method it did start to move quite easily - I had been concerned that I would chew up the brass in some way if it hadn't moved easily.

 

[Guest]

I'd advise checking the arm bearings carefully as any lubricant will have long ago dried out -- or if the bearings have any play it will affect the music -- this is a nearly 40 yr old turntable, after all.