I am attempting to restore a 1956 VM changer. After watching a couple YouTube videos, a took things apart, cleaned and relubed. I replaced the rubber mounts, cleaned and lubed the motor. The rubber idler wheel seems soft and pliable. Well, it still slips or is dragging. What are your experiences with this type of problem? I don’t know if I should go ahead and replace the idler or go through the transmission again. I did not pull and clean the tone arm. I can “help” it go through the cycle, and things do seem a little tight. I’m open to suggestions. First crack at one of these.
When you say it "still slips", are you meaning only when its going thru the change cycle? . . . or at all times?
Jake, it slips when going through the cycle. I may need to pull the tone arm off, clean and relube that area. I didn't do that part. If it still slips then its about got to be a bad idler.
"Jake, it slips when going through the cycle."
I was only wanting to make the distinction because of the small chance the change mech is binding or frozen up, . . . but indeed, it's probably just a bad idler wheel. These VMs actually had quite a bit of torque to them, so if you can slow or stop the platter with a slight pressure from a finger on the side of the platter, it's the idler, and perhaps no major problem with the change mechanism.