Wurlitzer 1900 Centennial restoration

[jukenorman]

Yes that's pretty much it! After you remove the turntable mech., you can also remove the record basket.

Norman.

[viperz]

My mechanism is stuck with the record in playing position (so one arm that pushes records into playing position is stuck up). Should I look for anything specific to try and reset that back to "rest" position? Thank you again.

Some idiot stuffed all fuse holders with 8a and 15a fuses. Like instead of 0.4A fusetron for selector solenoid, there was a 15A fuse. I cannot locate the 0.4A and 0.8A replacement fusetrons at the moment . I believe the modern replacement would be time-delay fuses?

[Ron Rich]

Hi Eugen,
You should be able to turn the record lift arm motor by hand-- use the "knurled" post on it's end. Moving it one way lowers/raises the arms-- moving it the other engages the clutch, and moves the basket. 8/10-4/10 time delay are marked "MDL" by Buss brand fuses, and "313" by the Little Fuse brand. The "idiot" installed "no blow brand" fuses-- whadayouwant ?
Ron Rich

[viperz]

Thank you very much Ron. I looked at MDL and MDQ fuses. MDL is a standard slow-blow. MDQ is the time-delay. Either one should work, I guess.

I'll go try to locate that motor after work today and turn it back, thank you so much! I cannot even remove all records from the carousel the way it is stuck now.

[viperz]

Ron, I apologize, I spent last half hour flipping through the service manual, reading about states of the cycle, mechanical and electrical conditions... The manual talks about advancing the cycle - on my Rowe machine it is obvious how to advance through the cycle by rotating the wheel with several microswitches. This manual does not tell me how to do it. I located the motor that operates the basket and I believe the lift arms. When I turn the knurled knob, it does advance the basket and shoots one of the lift arms up like a gun. What I don't understand - shouldn't there be a position where both arms are held down, as in 'standby'? Sorry for all the basic questions

[viperz]

And just to get this topic of the way... should I remove the turntable top mechanism? Looks like that's the only way to clean and relube gears properly. Same for junction box side covers - to clean inside the junction box?
And what cleaner should I use? Something like gojo on the brush? There is old lube slobbing everywhere yuk

[Ron Rich]

Hi Eugen,
I don't do that many WurliTzers-- the same motor turns the basket as lifts/retracts the arms-- two direction motor. Ron Rich

[jukenorman]

Hi Eugen,
I don't do many Wurlitzers either. The complete mechanism can be removed from the cabinet, I lay it on a dolly trolley so that it can be moved around easily, like here - www.dropbox.com/s/gnd6ynvz8jgrgyl/W2100%2007.jpg?dl=0

The arch with the turntable assy can be removed - it is already off in the 2100 picture above. You can do this even although a lift arm is up. You can then remove the record basket, although be aware that if one lift arm is up, the other will shoot up as you remove the basket. The lower selector assy can then be dropped off. You should now be in a position where you can service the individual sections.

I wouldn't be unduly concerned about the lift arm. After you clean and service the motor and moving parts, you should then be in a position to manually operate the mechanism. I think these Wurlitzer mechanisms are quite "agricultural" in operation - although I don't mean that in a bad way because they are very robust and reliable.

Norman.

[viperz]

Thank you, gentlemen! I spent all last evening cleaning the grime and burn residue from contacts and tracks in coin register and coin rejector. Coin rejector had SIX quarters jammed together - 5 from 1970s and one from 1969 - gives you an idea how long this machine sat idle. I adjusted slightly microswitch position that triggers coin register motor to turn on, as it was engaging 50/50. Then had to clean and oil little pawl that triggers the microswitch, as a dime did not have enough weight to push it (quarter did). It seems that a dime and a quarter now can trigger that microswitch. Will change the 100uF/50V electrolytic capacitor in register circuit hopefully Monday, as the new one is still in the mail.
I do not understand how coin register differentiates a dime from a quarter, but I can see them falling out from different slots in the coin rejector. The fall out onto the same pawl, which triggers the microswitch, which triggers register motor cycle. (EDIT - ah, found it in the manual - there is a "feeler" that moves under the coin selector paddle/lever, so the coin blocks it from moving in 3 different positions. That is cool. I'll go push more coins through it to watch how it works lol. 


Regarding the changer mechanism - while I rotate the knurled knob on the back of the motor by hand in each direction, I can pull the lift arm, which is up, down and it will click in, but at the same time, I can feel the other arm is already jamming against a changer basket, so when I touch it, it jumps up. Do I just miss the position where both arms should be locked in the rest position?

[Ron Rich]

Hi Eugen,
Just keep turning the k-nob in the direction that forces the up arm, down. When it gets to the same height as the other lift arm, both will com down (to rest position), together. (Sorry-- I can not tell you which way to rotate the motor as I don't remember --CCW, I THINK ?) )-- Ron Rich

[viperz]

Ron, I see... I am sitting in front of the mechanism... It is much easier to rotate in one direction (basket rotating CW) than the other (CCW). Maybe that's what I am doing wrong - if I push harder CCW, maybe the arm will start moving down. So far I think I have been doing it CW every time. Thank you, will report back.


EDIT - both lift arms are always disengaged for me and push against the basket... So when I am rotating the record basket, one eventually clears the slot, while the other is still pushing against the basket... I'll go back to the manual, as I do not understand or see the mechanism that would pull the lift arms down and lock them.

[viperz]

Disconnected and removed record player mechanism.
Will replace motor mounts and isolators - looks like 2 of each. Install new belt. Will read up how to oil the motor - hopefully I won't need to take it apart completely to clean the bearings but we will see.
Everything is sticky and yucky. I'll order a can of gojo hand cleaner/degreaser to try and clean up the layer of crud on all metal parts.

[viperz]

I guess, the jukebox was turned off at the beginning of the cycle. I finally turned the cam that pushes the roller for both arms into its rest position, now both arms are locked down, so I can remove record basket for cleaning later.

One of the arms has a broken fin on its end - i believe, those fins are for the popularity counter wheels.

[viperz]

So today I finished cleaning top record player assembly - half a roll of paper towels later, I am hurting just thinking about that time. I also removed turntable motor, cleaned everything, oiled the little pad under back bearing, cleaned and reinstalled top bearing, cleaned and reoiled gear shaft. Put it back together, now I can spin worm gear with one finger, and shaft rotates freely. Installed two new rubber motor isolators. Will install two new rubber motor mounts and new belt hopefully tomorrow. Old isolators were rock hard and cracked; old mounts are also cracked and squished. Old belt seems to be ok, someone must have swapped it before, but it is being replaced anyway. 

I will oil all shafts and whatever else needs oiling in that mechanism tomorrow, and will hopefully be done with it.

I am looking at further disassembly to keep cleaning. Noticed one thing - little selector solenoids - when you push them, they would pop a finger in the selector assembly above. Well, two of them do not trigger any fingers when they're pushed. I assume, that is not normal and I will have to look into that?

[viperz]

Ok, record player assembly and coin register/grinder assemblies are cleaned, oiled, rubber parts replaced. So that's as far as I can get with these two.

I removed record changer basket. It is filthy. I guess I will have to take 56 screws out and clean every record slot of the 52 there... they are stupid dirty...

I also discovered an issue down below. Two selector solenoids were not triggering any selector pins. Looking further into this, four pins associated with those two solenoids are stuck solid. I can lightly push every pin, and it springs up. These eight are just stuck stuck. What could be the cause of them not moving?

And the switch on bottom of junction box got stuck in ON position. No idea why... Will have to order a new one.