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travisgreyfox wrote:Thanks for all of the advice. I took the spring out of the bottom one (in the pic) and cleaned and re-greased already. I guess I will do the same for the other two.

Is there a possibility that the spring on the left (in the pic) is stretched out and not winding because of it? If you look closely it looks different than the rest, it looks as if the inner end is bigger and may need to be pinched in like the rest? I'm just speculating as I have never done any motor that has more than 2 springs before.

Thanks,

Travis

Travis,

A worn out, "stretched out", spring will not cause the motor to wind forever. Let us know what you find when you get the other two out.

JerryVan wrote: A worn out, "stretched out", spring will not cause the motor to wind forever. Let us know what you find when you get the other two out.

I think he meant stretched out regarding the center coil, so it wouldn't catch the pin on the arbor. Does an arrangement exist in some multi-spring motor where if one spring is broken or unhooked, the others will not wind?

coyote wrote:

JerryVan wrote: A worn out, "stretched out", spring will not cause the motor to wind forever. Let us know what you find when you get the other two out.

I think he meant stretched out regarding the center coil, so it wouldn't catch the pin on the arbor. Does an arrangement exist in some multi-spring motor where if one spring is broken or unhooked, the others will not wind?

You could be correct there.

That's the situation in ALL multi-spring motors. Analogous to an electrical circuit, the springs are "connected" in series. It's like when one Christmas tree light goes out, it kills the whole string. In other words, one springs drives the next, and so on. So, if one link is broken, nothing gets wound. The problem with this motor, is that the break is most likely near the spring's outer end, and therefore it imparts a bit of tension before finally slipping. The other possibility could be a slipping winding gear due to a sheared pin, but that would be fairly rare I think.

JerryVan wrote: The problem with this motor, is that the break is most likely near the spring's outer end, and therefore it imparts a bit of tension before finally slipping.

This was the EXACT thing that happened to me. It would get a bit tight then slip and make a horrible clunk. I believe that you need to pull out the springs and inspect the end. Mine required a new hole be drilled. Now it works just fine.

I took all the springs out and inspected them. They were all good without any broken spots and were attached like they were suppose to be to the rivets. The one spring with the enlarged opening (the one on left side of the pic) I used pliers and pinched it in to its rightful dimensions. After cleaning and regreaseing everything and putting it back together I had the same problem.

The motor winds with little tension---forever. There are no loud thumps, scraps, or pings it just keeps winding. I get enough power to spin the turntable for a short time, but not enough to play anything.

-At a loss.

If a spring is attached at both ends it is impossible for it to wind forever. It is unhooked or broken. It's possible that the process of winding also unhooked the spring.

Jerry Blais

+1 with Jerry

Since we've ruled out the ends of the springs, is it possible that the center is still not gripping, even after a go with needle-nose pliers? The same motor that was unhooked on the end also was unhooked in the center. I just bent it inward until it fit snugly around the winding shaft, and the rivet had no choice but to latch.

Just a disclaimer, I was in the same position as you a few weeks back, utterly clueless about the spring issue . I'm just passing along info others have given to help me out.

Look for a gear slipping on the winding shaft, or a gear slipping on the spring arbor. If any gear has sheared the pin that locks it in place, it may be slipping on its shaft, but not so loose that it doesn't drag some and allow the partial spring tension that you're seeing. As you wind, careful examine every part and look for something that's not turning when it should be. Put your detective cap on!

I am wondering--do springs go weak entirely?

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:I am wondering--do springs go weak entirely?

Depends what you mean by "entirely". They do get weak enough so that there is no longer enough tension in them to play a record. They usually do not get so weak however, that they won't make a motor run at all. (Although I've had some Edison cylinder machines that wouldn't run much at all, let alone play a record)