Lubricating MMF-5 bearing

[britishbane]

So I'm getting a dry whirring sound from my TT and isolated the problem in the bearing. In order to lubricate I've heard I should use Mobile One, but is it okay to use any old 10w30 motor oil or should I specifically use synthetic because its lighter? Also how am I supposed to get the oil on the bearing and how much should I use? I was thinking a syringe would be the best way to go but I dont have one on hand, whats the best alternative?

 

[Aman]

I know this really doesn't answer the question, but I was told that this was normal and that it doesn't show any signs of any fault in the functioning of the table...

 

[britishbane]

Really? You're refering to the whirring sound? I'm shocked

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by britishbane Really? You're refering to the whirring sound? I'm shocked

Yes, I am. At least, on my table it is normal.

Well, here's a better question - is it whirring ALL the time or only at the very first few seconds of the starting of the motor?

 

[britishbane]

It used to be at the start, but now its cyclical, like every 1/2 revolution it gives off a light, dry, whirring sound. The cyclical sound is different from the starting sound(I know exactly what you are talking about in that regard).

edit: I just checked it again to make sure. There is now a constant dry whirring sound(dont know how to describe it any better) with a slight peak every revolution. I'm almost positive its caused by some foreign piece of drit/dryness of the bearing. So back to my original questions. What type of oil do I use, can it be any old 10w30 or must it be synthetic? And how do I get it in or on the bearing?

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by britishbane It used to be at the start, but now its cyclical, like every 1/2 revolution it gives off a light, dry, whirring sound. The cyclical sound is different from the starting sound(I know exactly what you are talking about in that regard).

Then I take back my original statement

Sorry about that.

 

[britishbane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Then I take back my original statement Sorry about that.

No problem. I'm just happy someone tried to help.

 

[tanfenton]

These are my two best references if your diagnosis is correct:

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=7693
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=77383

NGF

 

[britishbane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanfenton These are my two best references if your diagnosis is correct: http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=7693 http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=77383 NGF

Awesome dude. I look through AA but limited my search to only MMF-5 tables, this is a great help.

 

[Hirsch]

In regard to the MMF-5, the best person to contact in the US would be Roy Hall at Music Hall. He's the US importer, and would be best able to address questions of the right lubricant for the bearing, and the right way to lubricate it. He might also be able to help if the problem goes beyond lubrication, and might be a problem with the bearing itself.

 

[britishbane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch In regard to the MMF-5, the best person to contact in the US would be Roy Hall at Music Hall. He's the US importer, and would be best able to address questions of the right lubricant for the bearing, and the right way to lubricate it. He might also be able to help if the problem goes beyond lubrication, and might be a problem with the bearing itself.

I did just that, he said Mobil One. Thanks for all the help guys. I'll post my results as soon as I'm done.

 

[britishbane]

Well I went ahead and bought some 5w20 Mobil One and it worked perfectly. The TT is now dead silent. I just dunked the spindle of the sub platter into the oil, cleaned off all the excess oil that would drip and put the TT back together. Thanks for all the advice.


This = me now----->

 

[mono]

Synthetic oil is best because it maintains a higher film strength and does't break down as quickly.

HOwever, the idea that "synthetic because thinner" is incorrect. One of the provided links refers to "hydro-drag" which could be best referred to as nonsense, the degree of drag from an oil rather than a grease, on a large flyweighted table spinning at (relatively) low RPM isn't significant.

Rather, the important issue is flow-out, whether the oil stays in the bearing long term, and further, that having a bearing run until dry produces more play in it, such that the (original oil weight used in manufacture) wouldn't be sufficient anymore. Further, with added play in a bearing, an oil that is too thin will result in more bearing slop, which can actually reduce RPM a little bit over (an appropriately) thicker oil. Just not grease. A little thicker than 20Wt might be ideal. Very thin oil like 3 in 1 would be the worse, even in a synthetic stock it'd be worse than 10W dino-oil.

 

[drminky]

AFAIK, the best oil to use is synthetic racing oil, as it has none of the additives that are put in to most motor oil to give the inside of the engine protective coating. Mobil 1 0W40 is the most oft recommended oil for turntables (and used by the likes of michell, teres etc)

cheers,
warwick

 

[mono]

Common motor oil additives are not a problem. Racing oil gets changed, needs to stand up to extreme heat, needs to have absolute least drag at very high RPMs. Entirely different scenario.

Just because someone used something that "seemed" to work, and kept using same thing, doesn't make it best. Someone could use Crisco and make a similar claim. That's not to suggest 0W oil is "bad", only that it is sub-optimal, too thin/low-viscosity.

The most important factor in relubing is whether the oil is viscous enough to stay in the bearing long-term, when bearing has already worn some (else wouldn't be making noise). Any play in the bearing will force out lubricant much faster too.

A good maintenance technique is to relube parts on a regular basis before there is any noise- but using the correct lubricant lengthens that maintenance interval. This goes for not only turntables but furnance blowers, bikes, etc, etc.