VPI Classic 3 IDLE drive

Stefanoo,

First off, VPI changed the pulley design a while ago. I saw a Classic I at my dealer's with the wider pulley last year. But it's still just a pulley, not a different drive. The new pulley also has a wider clearance at the bottom to allow easier lubrication of the motor.

Now, your description of changing the oil left me puzzled. What precisely did you do? Super Lube is for lubricating the platter bearing, not the motor. For the motor, you're supposed to use a 40 weight motor oil, not a grease which Super Lube is.

As far as the motor pulley, once you loosen or remove the hex screws, the pulley should easily come off. It's possible that it has some resistance due to the very close tolerances, but it should come off with a pull. However, it is critical that you balance the screws when you put the pulley back on as any imbalance will cause the pulley to wobble, which will affect the speed stability as well. This is the reason why I recommend using a syringe to lubricate the motor rather than mess with the motor assembly.

Lastly, if you used Super Lube to lubricate the platter shaft, I used essentially an identical product, which also caused significant slowing down of the platter. I think Super Lube is too thick, and I don't quite understand VPI's selection of the lubricant that causes the platter to slow down significantly after application. A Classic owner without the SDS would likely experience a serious problem with the speed if he used Super Lube. What I did was to remove the grease, and then make a paste with the grease and a high viscosity motor oil (I asked guys at my local Jiffy Lube to pour a bit of the highest viscosity oil they had in a cup for me). I then mixed the grease and the oil with a plastic knife and applied the mixture to the shaft. It worked perfectly.

Stefanoo,

I'd recommend using a syringe like Redglobe described. The only problem might be getting one as in many states syringes and needles are not freely available to the public. I live in CA and it was impossible to get it. I eventually had one shipped from NY by a family member.

Next best thing is a dropper you can get at a local drug store such as Duane Reade or Rite Aid. Using a dropper without removing the pulley might need a bit of a clean-up job since you'll most likely leave some oil residue at the bottom of the pulley.

Steve from VPI told me to use two wooden spoons to remove the pulley, but once I loosened up the 3 screws, the pulley just came off easily. I'm not sure why yours would not. The balancing job on the screws is actually quite tricky as simply tightening the screws did not work at all. VPI actually uses specials tools to mechanically balance the tension. The least tension that did the trick (pulley was spinning) was what worked.

As far as the oil, Steve recommended 3-in-1, which also makes a type specifically for lubricating motors. Or you can go with the other types mentioned above.