Vitanola type 12 slowing to a stop

[ian1995]

Hello,
I’m fairly new to phonographs and acquired this machine and have a question when I got this machine it would play normally then the needle would be placed and it would slow to a stop I had the main springs replaced as well as the governor springs. So my question is why would it still be doing this? It’s a dual spring motor if that helps

[Curt A]

What type of records are you trying to play? As a rule of thumb, records made after the early 1930s are a different composition than shellac acoustic records from the early 1900s to early 1930s. The later records will not work well with steel needles (which should be replaced after each use) and will cause too much friction which will slow a phonograph to a stop... worn needles will do the same thing.

Post pictures of the records you are trying to play.

[Frisco The Beagle]

I recently cleaned and regreased the main springs in a Victrola X-A. I was having the same problem and it was very inconsistent - some records would play fine, some would slow but then speed up, and some would just stop dead. After about 15-20 plays, it seemed to have "cured" itself. I pulled the motor board off to look things over and found a LOT of excess grease had squeezed out of the spring can. I think the problem was I may have put too much grease in when repacking the springs in the can, and once some of the excess squeezed out, things seemed to work much better. Or maybe it was partly due to the new grease needing to get spread around by winding/unwinding the springs. This is just my best guess, but you might check.

[ian1995]

What type of records are you trying to play? As a rule of thumb, records made after the early 1930s are a different composition than shellac acoustic records from the early 1900s to early 1930s. The later records will not work well with steel needles (which should be replaced after each use) and will cause too much friction which will slow a phonograph to a stop... worn needles will do the same thing.

Post pictures of the records you are trying to play.

All my records are period dating mostly in the 20’s and I change the needle after every play which furthers my confusion about it slowing down

[ian1995]

I recently cleaned and regreased the main springs in a Victrola X-A. I was having the same problem and it was very inconsistent - some records would play fine, some would slow but then speed up, and some would just stop dead. After about 15-20 plays, it seemed to have "cured" itself. I pulled the motor board off to look things over and found a LOT of excess grease had squeezed out of the spring can. I think the problem was I may have put too much grease in when repacking the springs in the can, and once some of the excess squeezed out, things seemed to work much better. Or maybe it was partly due to the new grease needing to get spread around by winding/unwinding the springs. This is just my best guess, but you might check.

I’ve noticed that with mine as well I have some 12 inch records that will play and some 10 inch ones that slow i may have not greased the springs enough maybe I’ll clean the motor really well and grease it again what are some recommendations for getting old grease off the motor?

[JerryVan]

Hello,
I’m fairly new to phonographs and acquired this machine and have a question when I got this machine it would play normally then the needle would be placed and it would slow to a stop I had the main springs replaced as well as the governor springs. So my question is why would it still be doing this? It’s a dual spring motor if that helps

Help us understand.

- Did you have new springs installed because of this problem? Or, did you have this trouble only after the springs were replaced?
- Did the person who replaced the springs have the whole motor, or did you remove the spring barrels and send them out?
- Was anything done to the rest of the motor, either by you or by the spring guy?
- Try winding the motor up, then simply allow it to run down to a stop, without trying to play a record. Then, when you turn the crank a bit, is there still some significant tension on the springs, or does the crank turn with almost no effort?
- A very common issue with people who are new to wind-up phonographs, is not knowing how far to wind the motor before playing. While it should never be necessary to wind a motor fully to get through a record, try doing just that and see how it works. (If in fact you haven't already tried that.)

[soundgen]

Motor spindle ball bearing dropped out ?

[Frisco The Beagle]

Interesting! 12" records played fine on mine as well, and it was the 10" records that slowed and/or stopped!

Vegetable cooking oil is really good for cleaning the old grease off of various parts - non-flammable, no harmful vapors, does not evaporate and it is thick enough that it sticks well to parts while scrubbing. On the main springs, I used parts cleaner, but did them outside due to the fumes.

Good luck!

[Curt A]

"...what are some recommendations for getting old grease off the motor?"

Automotive brake cleaner works exceptionally well, if you are not overly concerned about using chemical cleaners (always wear heavy duty rubber gloves).

[ian1995]

Hello,
I’m fairly new to phonographs and acquired this machine and have a question when I got this machine it would play normally then the needle would be placed and it would slow to a stop I had the main springs replaced as well as the governor springs. So my question is why would it still be doing this? It’s a dual spring motor if that helps

Help us understand.

- Did you have new springs installed because of this problem? Or, did you have this trouble only after the springs were replaced?
- Did the person who replaced the springs have the whole motor, or did you remove the spring barrels and send them out?
- Was anything done to the rest of the motor, either by you or by the spring guy?
- Try winding the motor up, then simply allow it to run down to a stop, without trying to play a record. Then, when you turn the crank a bit, is there still some significant tension on the springs, or does the crank turn with almost no effort?
- A very common issue with people who are new to wind-up phonographs, is not knowing how far to wind the motor before playing. While it should never be necessary to wind a motor fully to get through a record, try doing just that and see how it works. (If in fact you haven't already tried that.)

So it had this problem before but in between pick up time for this machine the previous owner wound it up too much and snapped the Main spring. I had the spring replaced and that’s about it I did put new governor springs on as well as for any other motor parts I left them as they were