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Does anyone out there own a Columbia portable 161? I took mine apart some time ago and am having difficulty remembering the exact arrangement of the parts around the spring barrel. Parts include: 2 identical washers, star washer, and coarse gear (see attached pdf).

Presently I have the 2 identical washers on the side of the barrel with the narrow tooth gear; on the other side are the coarse gear and star washer. This seems to work OK, but I vaguely recall it being different.

I'm hoping someone has one of these machines and can take a look at how it's arranged.

Thanks.
Stan

Stan:
I'd been wanting to lubricate my 160 motor, which looks to be the same as yours. I took mine apart and this is what I found:

My motor runs fine, but of course it's possible someone's serviced this before, so I can't guarantee my findings. Maybe there's a exploded service diagram someone might have out there. Good luck!
Bob

Thanks, Bob. Initially I thought those 2 washers might belong on the other side, but figured they belonged where you indicated to provide clearance for the intermediate gear to spin, otherwise the spring barrel pressed against it. In now winds and spins smoothly.

The one problem I'm having is with the pitch - the turntable spins too fast. I've spent quite a bit of time adjusting the governor, but once the motor is back inside it's still goes too fast. I'll keep working on it.

Thanks again!
Stan

I wonder if you might be missing the spring at point "A" pictured below. Or perhaps the speed lever is binding or too loose? Also check that nothing's pressing against the motorboard or metal horn when installed. Here are some closeups of mine:
Bob

Bob, you are right. The screw below the speed control (your image A) was too tight, no doubt I thought it was a good idea to tighten it while trying to adjust the governor - which really messed it up. Now everything is running smoothly, thanks again for your input!

The only thing to do now is have the reproducer refurbished - the sound is acceptable, but could be better. Please let me know if there are any places your recommend for this sort of work.

Thanks.
Stan

I'm glad you had an easy fix!
Here's an interesting link to your 161 and the reproducer details:

http://www.myvintagetv.com/updatepages1 ... bia161.htm

You might try contacting Carsten Fischer,who posted this, and who may be able to help with your reproducer restoration.
His email address is in the same post above.
I don't know of anyone who currently makes new rubber isolators for your reproducer. Mine happened to still be pliable, so I used some silicone caulk to seal it when re-assembling.
Bob