Garrard 401 Eddy Disc jamming

[Carosio]

A friend passed over to me a 401 that he has just bought, motor not turning. I've never seen one in such good condition, looks brand new (except for fault). I found that the nylon "pivot" above the disc is fouling it, and has also left score marks on it, also the magnet is fouling the edge of the disc. If I slacken the motor screws slightly (lowering it), the motor will run freely.The disc adjustment on the motor shaft seems limited as it is already close to the top of the motor. I am of course unfamiliar with this deck, but would like an opinion as to what might have caused this problem.

[Greg.]

Your post is a little confusing but I'm trying to get to what your are talking about. When you say 'slacken the motor screws slightly' are you talking about the two long transit screws which connect to a plate under the motor and when screwed down, hold the motor solid to the chassis to prevent movement for transit purposes?

These screws need to be unwound for operation and playing, allowing the motor to rest in it's own sprung suspension. If I am wrong in my interpretation of your problem and the eddy brake disc is still fouling the magnet and the 'nylon pivot' (which I believe what you are referring to is the bush for the arm that carries the tension spring for the idler drive wheel), the disk itself can be adjusted on the motor shaft by the three grub screws on the collar immediately above the brake disc.

The original manual might help you.
http://www.arrakis.es/~igapop/Garrard.htm

The best forum to discuss Garrard issues is
http://garrardmatters.freeforums.org/index.php

[Carosio]

Ah! you've mentioned transit screws! I was actually referring to the three screws on the top plate which hold the outer cradle for the motor, but I've made the fundamental error of not realising that the transit screws (that you have alerted me to) were locked down, no wonder the motor wouldn't run! They are of course the ones tipped with red paint and visible below the top plate. It is now functioning, although I did lower the disc a few thou so I'll have to reset it tomorrow. It's just that it's the first time I have seen these decks.

Thanks for the links.

[Carosio]

Just one further question before I sign up to the Garrard websites: the idler wheel is reluctant to climb up onto the 78 pulley, not surprising as it is quite a step, is this a common problem or not? the idler wheel is running about 1-2mm below the 78 and 45 pulleys.

[Greg.]

The pulley may need adjusting on the motor shaft using thr three grub screws. If at any stage the motor has been serviced or removed from the chassis, the pulley will have been removed and may now have been refitted with the incorrect clearance. I'm assuming you now have the transit screws fully disengaged as if these are still screwed up, you will get the same problem. For future reference, the secret to retaining the correct position if the motor is to be disassembled is to feeler guage the gap between the bottom of the pulley and the brake disc assembly before removing the pulley. Reassemble with the same gap. Same rule applies to removing the brake disc.