Rock-ola 450 changer mechanism help.

Hello all and thanks for reading my post. I recently obtained a Rock-ola 450 not working. After messing around with it trying to figure out I came to a educated guess of what was wrong. I removed the motor that was humming right before the protection circuit kicked in. when i did the motor started to work. My initial thought was something was binding. I removed the unit and set it on the work bench. I have narrowed it down to this part. It doesn't want to go through the record picking up part at all. I can see where it should move but it seems something is sticking and me being new at this I can't see what is the issue. I am decent at repairing things with guidance in this area. Thank you all for any help you can give!

This is my first juke box but not my last. For some reason This is an addictive passion!

Hi
The gripper assembly is seized up as a result of solidified grease so nothing will move until the old grease is removed and the assembly cleaned and lubricated. The gripper and basket motor most likely would need cleaning and lubrication and as well as other moving parts. Re gripper assembly some say using a hairdryer to heat it up is handy to remove old grease or you might get away with saturating it in oil for a few days, but the proper way would be to strip, clean and relubricate. if the assembly can't move this will pop the mechanism breaker and possibly blow a couple of fuses
regards
Clones

clones wrote:Hi
The gripper assembly is seized up as a result of solidified grease so nothing will move until the old grease is removed and the assembly cleaned and lubricated. The gripper and basket motor most likely would need cleaning and lubrication and as well as other moving parts. Re gripper assembly some say using a hairdryer to heat it up is handy to remove old grease or you might get away with saturating it in oil for a few days, but the proper way would be to strip, clean and relubricate. if the assembly can't move this will pop the mechanism breaker and possibly blow a couple of fuses
regards
Clones

What part seizez up? It all seems to move but the gears don't seem to line up properly. If you look close at the pictures you can see. Is it possible the gears moved on the shaft maybe from the previous owner trying to free it with a large pair of vise grips? I see brass bushing s at the ends and one seems to be sticking out slightly. Is this normal?

My Rockola 460 had the same problem. The gripper arm was frozen solid. No amount of wiggling would break it loose. Using one of your original pictures, if you apply some heat with a heat gun(hair dryer probably doesn't get hot enough and a torch might be too hot) in the area marked by the red arrow and then spritz a little solvent like PB Blaster(not WD40) on the sliding area, I think you'll get that part to start moving again. Once it's freed up, the rest of the stuff should be able to move and you can go back and lube it all up with TIOMO(see the lube sticky).



Keep us posted!

-Jim

I let it soak in oil over night and it freed up. I put everything back together and used the scan switch to see if it would work properly. For some reason it seems something may not be lined up and is binding. Is there a specific way to align things? I'm guessing there is. The record picker part is landing on the toner arm side which doesn't seem right.

Depending on which side of the record is selected, the gripper arm can land on either side of the turntable.

I am very happy tonight. After soaking the changer mechanism in oil over night It now works and I am listening to it for the first time! One problem.......It just keeps playing? Is there a switch that makes it do that? I want it where I can put quarters in it and pick my track.(It's my new piggy bank) lol. Sounds amazing BTW! Oh and one last thing the records start further into the song than it should. I'm sure theres an adjustment for that but how?


Thanks again everyone.

Do you have the service manual ? If not see informational announcement, posted above--"new-used parts/books where to find" Both questions should be answered in the manual. The first one depends on how it was modified. Examine the "price setting instructions", to determine what has been done, then,"correct" it. Needle landing adjustment screw is shown in most RockOla manuals, and explained. Ron Rich

Hi
Does it kep playing the same songs if so the levers on the wobble plate are not being cancelled, this is most likely dirty slip rings or either a faulty solenoid on the read out arm or a faulty microswitch on the cam i think it is microswitch no. 2. Re starting point for the record, as Ron said its easier to look it up in the manual buut involvs loosening a hex bolt at one end of the tone arm
clones

I figured out the needle landing part and I'm thinking while I had the changer out of the box several of the selector switches were clicked. It eventually stopped after all selections were done. Rusty keys has offered me a service manual. (Thank you very Much Rusty). And thank you all for the continued help. There's still quite a few bugs to work out but I live for this stuff. I'm already contemplating what juke box I want next! I'd like a seeburg trash can. Does anyone know if the trash can can play full length records? I know it plays either 78's or 45's but how about a multiple track record?

The M-146/7/8 series Seeburgs played 12 " 78 rpm's only. If "modified", with an aftermarket "kit", they played 7", 45 rpm's only.
Ron Rich

And only ONE side of that 78 or 45. The 146/7/8 models had no provision for flipping the record over.

Jim,
How can you say that --I have reached into many a 146/7/8, and flipped the record over! ?? ( did not like the reverse side any better, in most cases)
Ron Rich

Does anyone know why it sounds like the record is warped when played? I tried the record on my record player and it seems fine?

Yes-- the turn table is "slipping"--reasons for this include a oily/bad "idler wheel", "someone" "messed with" the spring. Motor mount grommets bad, bad motor-- Ron Rich