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Help, please!
My Columbia BNW has a "machine gun" noise into! (see video)
I think it regards governor. What could I do?

Thanks a lot.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOrfmOKKBLo[/youtube]

Very noisy...

"What could I do?"


Open the lid and look for messed up gears. Post a photo of the various gears here.

I listened to the video and couldn't tell if it was governor weights hitting part of the motor or something. I'd check the governor and look for a broken spring or weak (flexed) springs. Jerry

Open the lid and then replace the crank. Wind it up and run it with the lid open and you should be able to determine what is causing the noise... maybe just lubrication.

There is a gear on the spindle that connects to the governor and the power gear from the spring. This gear on the spindle can be adjusted up or down a teeny bit by loosening the set screw on the side of the gear. It can be noisy if the adjustment is off.

Be sure to let the spring wind down completely BEFORE you attempt to adjust this gear!

Also, the gear that provides power to the gear on the spindle is also adjustable back and forth. Sometimes it is set too far from the spindle gear and rattles. It can be adjusted by loosening the screws on the 'keepers' at each end of the gear shaft.

Again, be sure the spring is completely unwound before attempting this.

If the spring is wound at all, the spindle gear and the power gear may become disengaged and ZZZIIIIIPP the spring will suddenly unwind. Who knows what horrible things will happen then. Best to avoid that scenario.

A tiny bit of adjusting of these gears can make a lot of difference in the noise it makes. Try a little experimentation with these gears. Be sure the power gear and spindle gear are securely connected before you wind it up!

Also, there is probably a collar on the spindle just under the bedplate. This is to keep the spindle from raising up. A tiny bit of up and down movement in the spindle is OK but a lot is too much. Be sure that collar is set right.

And again, be sure the spring is completely unwound before you attempt this.

Good luck! CDB

The only machine-gun like noise that I've ever heard coming form a gramophone is from a detached governor spring (1 spring broken or missing an attachment screw or clip). The stripped gear noise that I'm very wary of is a ZZZZZiiiiiippppp sound - where the number z's and p's depends on the number of gear teeth that have just been reduced to filings and the amount of potential energy stored in the spring when the noise started. Shafts should never be run in oval holes.

When I first read the title of this thread, my mind wandered to James Bond and his BMW Z3, for some reason...LOL Actually, the sound may be from a rusty hamster wheel... who knows? (I think I need some coffee)

Well, it doesn't really sound like a governor weight hitting anything to me: that would be much louder and more distinct.

As CDB says, it's most likely a badly adjusted (or worn) spindle gear: I've had to deal with those….

Bill