Cleaning Record Player motors

[DavGoodlin]

I've also used lacquer thinner and rubbing alcohol to clean motor bearings. All of them seems to flush out the gunk then flare nicely when finished.

[Findm-Keepm]

Lighter fluid is just Naptha - it'll evaporate down to the additives within 2 days.

For cleaning shaded pole phono motors, we gave them a ssquirt of Naptha, let that drain, then another, letting it drain onto a clean paper towel. That let us know when all the dried stuff had broke free. No need to soak.

One done, give each bearing a BB sized dab of Phonolube from GC. No oil necessary, unless you have a Dual-branded changer with the oil impregnated bronze bearings - light machine oil for those.

BSR, Garrard, Zenith, Collaro, and VM all used Phonolube. It has a service life of about 8-10 years before it hardens.

[OvenMaster]

Originally Posted by Findm-Keepm

One done, give each bearing a BB sized dab of Phonolube from GC. No oil necessary, unless you have a Dual-branded changer with the oil impregnated bronze bearings - light machine oil for those.

When I serviced the bearings on my Dual, I disassembled the motor and soaked the bearings overnight in regular unleaded gasoline, then let them air dry. Then I soaked them in IPA for a few hours and let them air dry.

To relube the bearings, I put them in a small steel Del Monte fruit cup and covered them with a half-inch of fresh Mobil SAE 10W-30 motor oil. I covered the cup with tin foil and set it on a pie plate on top of a saucepan with boiling water, to heat the oil and the bearings. After 20 minutes, I turned off the heat to let the oil seep back into the pores of the bronze. When everything cooled to room temperature, I fished out the bearings and reassembled the motor.

This was well over five years ago and the motor has run cool and quiet ever since.