The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I rebuilt the 4 spring for my VV 17 and it seemed to be running ok until I put the needle
down then it slowed down to a crawl. There was a little play in the governor so I adjusted
the pivots but that did nothing. I then decided to pull the speed indicator friction pad
away from the governor disc and now it runs properly. I can't see anything wrong with
the pad and I lubed it with no change. The tiny tension spring looks ok and it puts so little
pressure on the governor that it seems inconsequential. Any ideas on what I may be overlooking?
Thanks for any info.

You may try slightly backing off the bolts that hold the motor to the motor board. Sometimes if these are too tight, it can warp the motor frame and throw everything into just enough of a bind that the motor won't run properly. Worth a try!

I've worked on a few motors in the past where the friction leather for the speed control kept pressing too hard against the governor, not because the spring was bad, but because the component's pivoting points weren't pivoting properly... so I cleaned and oiled them, then made sure they were loosened by manually turning them a few times. that always worked for me, at least regarding that problem.

Thanks John and Brian! I will give these techniques a try.