VPI Turntable Maintenance

[Mat]

Hey everyone!

To get things started here is a thread with a link to our maintenance video on how to keep your table spinning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHmYWT3wKqs&t=2s

This would be a great spot for others to share their maintenance experience or ideas!  Also a great first spot for new user to check for any maintenance help.   

(Note: Shyla is with me and wanted me to add a heart or I cannot post this thread!) 

[930turbo]

Thanks Mat , this would be helpful to all of us. Stay safe always .

[lgzildjian127]

Hey everyone!

To get things started here is a thread with a link to our maintenance video on how to keep your table spinning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHmYWT3wKqs&t=2s

This would be a great spot for others to share their maintenance experience or ideas!  Also a great first spot for new user to check for any maintenance help.   

(Note: Shyla is with me and wanted me to add a heart or I cannot post this thread!) 

Thanks for ALL of this Matt!! Looking forward to introducing my HR-X to everyone in the coming months. Of first concern is that the unit has been sitting in its original box unopened since 2014 - any issues I may have right out of the box? I'm thinking it will need to be cleaned up and re-lubed, also concerned about the drive belts condition/age.

[bhjazz]

I'll defer to Mat for the final answer here, but a clean and relube of the main bearing would certainly be smart.  I'd also inspect the drive belts, looking for cracks.  The worst that could happen there would be one might snap while you are listening.  Give 'em a try first.

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From my notes, here are Brent's (Brf) yearly maintenance tasks:

1) Clean and re-lube the main bearing with lithium PTFE grease. Use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to clean out the old grease. Check the ball bearing tip for any flat spots. Apply a small amount of lithium grease on the ball bearing itself.
2) Place one drop of light weight oil below the brass collar on the motor shaft - If your motor is running quiet, I would not concern myself with lubricating the motor shaft. To do it correctly requires removing/adjusting the brass motor collar which can be tricky.
3) Place the o-ring drive belt(s) into boiling water for 20 seconds
4) Clean the phono rca and ground connections (pipe cleaner + DeOxit)
5) Clean the cartridge pin connectors (pipe cleaner + DeOxit)
6) Check the table for level
7) Check the table for correct speed

You might also consider a tear-down and rebuild of the tonearm lift.  Try a viscosity of 300K cst.  It can also be done with 500k cst which allows the tonearm to drop even slower.  Personal preference.

[seamonster]

I use these to swab out old grease etc.
They don't leave threads behind, and are a good length -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QVPCK5M/ref...WNrPXRydWU=

[bhjazz]

Nice.  Those are a far better choice!

[rif]

The bearing on my platter (hw19 mkiv) is "opposite" than that in the video.  The ball is at the bottom of the shaft that is attached to the platter.

I remember briefly that lubricating this one is different than the video - I'm supposed to use oil instead of grease?  I think I tried grease once and it was a disaster - lots of friction.

Can I use a few drops of food grade mineral oil?

Thanks!

[Brf]

The bearing on my platter (hw19 mkiv) is "opposite" than that in the video.  The ball is at the bottom of the shaft that is attached to the platter.

I remember briefly that lubricating this one is different than the video - I'm supposed to use oil instead of grease?  I think I tried grease once and it was a disaster - lots of friction.

Can I use a few drops of food grade mineral oil?

Thanks!

The HW19 series of tables have an oil bath bearing which use regular 30 or 40 weight motor oil. Clean out the old oil and apply 5-6 drop of fresh oil. My preference is Mobil 1 synthetic oil which will last a lot longer than regular mineral based oil.