The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

My Cortez is starting to have difficulty in play records all the way through, even when the would fairly tightly (it used to be able to play three or four with one winding).

I have owned it for almost two years, and have, conservatively, played about 800 sides through it (it is in my garage work shop, where I spend a great deal of my time).

I have used light oil through the oil ports with no effect.

I have removed the tone arm and the two large screws with hold the motor bed plate down, and the crank.

When pulling on the lift rings, the motor will not budge.

Are there more fasteners to remove that I have missed?



Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

There are most likely some old rubber washers under the motor board that have dried up and are "gluing" the motor bed plate down. Just a guess. Plus, I think they're 4 spring motors and are probably very heavy. Not pulling hard enough?

Jerry,

Definitely not pulling hard enough. While there were no rubber washers, the bed plate was just plain stuck.

I finally got the motor out this afternoon, to find it completely caked in very, very heavy grease. After scraping, cleaning, wiping for about hour, I finally got it cleaned up (the grease was causing the bull gears to drag on the spring barrels, the spring barrels to drag on the frame, etc.

The governor pads and governor brake pad were all bone dry (may have been many years since the machine was serviced.

I lubed it where it actually needed lubrication, and it now runs like it did when I first got it-it is still a wonderful machine!