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VPI Scout 1.1 Motor Noise

I have read what I can regarding this. I have a Scout 1.1 and one day the motor was super quiet during 6 or so LPs - the very next day it was so loud I could hear it from my listening position, during quiet passages, and in between songs. I have had the table about 3 months. I think the motor is the 600RPM one. Table was bought new from Elusive disc - waiting to hear back from them as the VPI site says contact dealer first for problems. The table is great, tracks great and has little surface noise (Soundsmith Zephyr cart). I tried the one drop of Purple Racing oil (per VPI per another thread here.) No luck. It still makes a whirring noise as it did before the oil drop. I did notice when I turn the pulley manually, it does not turn effortlessly or glide so to speak. It seems like it has resistance every fraction of a turn (almost like a volume control that has "steps" in it. Does that sound normal?
moofoo
9 responses Add your response
zd542
5,339 posts
 
I have 2 Scouts. An old one and a newer one. I'm guessing the newer one is the 1.1. I think you have a bad motor. Neither makes any noise. The only thing you hear is the belt squeak a little until it gets up to speed. That should definitely be under warranty.
skriefal
20 posts
 
The motor may be inducing your rack / shelf to vibrate, and this induced vibration may be what you are hearing. Look for a thin rubber mouse mat and place it beneath the motor. Worked for me.
riffer
362 posts
 
Can you run the motor away from the turntable to see if the noise is still present? If it isn't, double check that the pulley isn't rubbing against the platter. That happened to me once and I had a bit of a freak out. Check the power cord where it attaches to the back of the motor and ensure it isn't contacting the back leg of the turntable. That's all I can think of.

P.S. There is some resistance when turning the motor. On my 300rpm not much, but it can just be felt.
fivechannelguy
19 posts
 
I had the same problem with the motor of my Scoutmaster. I brought it to VPI. Harry discovered the plate at the top of the motor was loose. He unscrewed it, put a drop of glue under it, reattached it and it was quiet again.

Jon
moofoo OP
292 posts
 
Thank you all for your responses. I will try the mouse pad and yes the motor makes the same noise when it is away from the turntable. I will also check to see if it is rubbing against anything. I did hear back from Elusive Disc so hopefully I will get it worked out. Thanks again
riffer
362 posts
 
Just took a look at mine to see if there are any other possible issues. Other than making sure the set screws are adequately tightened, I can't think of anything. Elusive disk have good customer service, so hopefully this can be resolved.
moofoo OP
292 posts
 
Thanks Riffer. The set screws are tight.
moofoo OP
292 posts
 
For those that may have this issue with their VPI motors - I heard back from Elusive Disc who spoke to VPI and said it may be a loose pulley or spindle. I loosened the pulley hex screw and the spindle hex screw and slid both up and down a little, re-positioned each, then re-tightened each screw. The noise went away. All quiet again.
benlandon
1 posts
 
Thanks for the info on loosening the pully screws and retightening it. After getting my table, I wanted to ensure I was at least doing everything I could to achieve the best (in this case least) sound possible.
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