The record changer in mine works, but it definitely struggles sometimes during the changing process. When I took the platter off to clean it, I noticed a rubber tire. Does that play the same roll as the idler tire in a VCR? Is that responsible for making it slow to change?

The rubber idler wheels dry out and slip, and the problem gets compounded by dried out old grease everywhere in mechanism which more or less turns to glue. It looks brown or yellow and gets sticky. Idler wheels can sometimes be revived with rubber renew, or else needs to be replaced (voice of music website is a good source for new ones) and old grease has to be removed and replaced. I use isopropyl alcohol as a solvent to remove old grease, and a thin layer of automotive bearing grease to replace.

If you try and stop the turntable with your finger it should fight back a bit, if it stops too easy the idler is bad. If the idler is good and mech is slow then you need new lubrication. In a typical old changer usually both things are wrong.

I cleaned the idler wheel and the underside of the platter with alcohol, and now the turntable spins absolutely way too slow. I put on my favorite record while waiting for my show to come on, and the speakers vomited out very flat and very slow music. Any ideas??? The record changing process is much more quick, but actually playing records is a joke at this point.

Might try cleaning the idler with Goof Off. I've had luck dissoling thin layers of slippery petrified rubber off with it.

A friend of mine swears by automotive belt dressing spray, and I've seen the improvements he has achieved.

The idler tire is actually still rubbery and pliable to an extent, and the platter does not easily stall when I put my finger on it. Like I said, I cleaned the tire and platter thoroughly with alcohol, and a whole bunch of that old black rubber came off.

Update - I cleaned the idler and platter with alcohol a second time, and added a minute amount of 3-N-1 oil to the platter bearing, and it is playing better now. I synced up the song that was playing with the same song on Youtube for a quick test, and it is still lagging behind, but it is not as noticable now. Mind you, I play the saxophone, and I have to be able to listen and determine whether a note is sharp or flat, so I'm pretty good at hearing if something is wrong.

The best way to find out if it is on speed is to google phono stroboscope disc, and print an image of one. If you have a 60Hz light source like non-electronic ballast fluorescent lighting or LEDs use it to watch the spinning disc. At exactly the right speed the lines on the disc will appear to stand still while the thing is spinning.

usually if plays too slow, but speed is steady (idler not slipping) then its usually the motor bearings, the lubricants get gummy. have to take the motor off, take it apart, and soak the old oil out of the porous bearings with a good solvent. it can take several tries to get it all out. then relubricate sparingly. If the motor bearings are gummy, good change most of the lubricants in the other mechanisms need cleaning out as well. Just normal maintenance after 50 years.

I'm rapidly losing patience with this record player. It's completely useless as a changer because it changes two or three records at a time. I tried switching the order of the records, and it did nothing. Is it possible that the little piece inside the spindle is moving too slow? I just wanted to have a nice relaxing evening with Loggins and Messina, (in the correct order) but instead I just got pissed off. This thing is red-lining my patience-ometer.

most record changers that old need a teardown to get all the old gummy lubricants out of the mechanisms. just normal maintenence after 50+ years. Often the rubber motor mounts are bad, sounds like your idler is still good enough though.

+1 to what everyone has been saying reguarding a good teardown and relube of the record player.
I have worked on at least 10 record players like this with the changers on them and every single one I worked on I had to completely tear down the record player and then clean off the old grease and then put on new grease and then put the unit back together again and usually the record changer works fine again after that.
I'm probably only a few years older than you (I'm 28 years old) and even I understand after working on these old record changers for 15+ years that they will almost always need the same teardown and relube after 50+ years.
Its kind of like a car, you wouldn't expect a 50+ year old car to run properly with its original motor oil and transmission fluid in the car would ya?
NO you wouldn't you would first change the oil and the transmission fluid and any other lubricants on that 50+ year old car before you drive it or else the car will not run right or even perhaps blow your car up.

Perhaps if you don't have enough patience to overhaul and restore a vintage record player then perhaps records aren't your cup of tea, either that or just buy one of those newfangled Crosleys then you wouldn't have to worry about a sticky changer mechanism or idler tires to go bad.

Just a thought... :scratch2:

I picked up one of those high-class Crosleys. Looks like new and even had the stylus guard on it. Paid a buck or two for it, just for S&G's. It seems like the wrong AC adaptor was included. Very low volume, even with the proper adaptor.

Well that's to be expected with any of these reproduction record players these days, POC Chinese made record players aren't worth the wood and plastic they're made out of, in fact if Mr. Crosley were to see his name being used on those crappy cheap record players I think he'd roll over in his grave, considering Crosley was originally a very good and respectable company that made very decent radios and record players back in the day and even the "cheaper" AA5 designed Crosley radios were still considered a cut above the rest back then because of their cabinet designs and what not. :yes:

Also, your Admiral changer was called the Ensign. Admiral made their own record changers for some years until the early 1970's, when they switched to BSR models.

I've done several RCA 45 changers and a number of full-sized models since this post and a problem I've encountered and dealt with that hampers speed despite a good idler is bad lubrication in the motor bearings. Sometimes you get lucky and just adding lube will fix it, but other times it is more work....When the old lube is turned to glue sometimes you have to mark the motor parts (so it goes back together exactly as was with no reversals), take the motor apart, soak the bearings in lighter fluid for a day to dissolve the old gunk then add a few drops of 3-in-1 and reassemble. One of the youtube videos on the RCA RP-168 or RP-190 explains the process well.

Do not use ANY 3 in 1 oil except for the blue can motor oil. Bad to gum up easily otherwise (which is what you do not want). Zoom Spout turbine oil is also a good oil for turntable motors. I use the latter.