1965 rockola model 426 grand prix ii

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

hello everyone.. we are new to this forum and hoped to possibly get help with our rockola..Are there any Rockola people out there

[Blue Angel]

Hi

Welcome to VE and a fabulous 2011 to you. My bro' has two Rockola machines.

blue angel

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

Colleen and I now have 3. a 426 , a 1971 447 console and a 1975 450. The 426 started acting up last week...We have a 447 and up trouble shooting guide and a 426 sevice manual.. I have been reading up on the subject and tried reccomendations but so far no luck. I thought if I gave a detailed discription who knows someone might be totally familar with the problem.

[Ldg]

I have an improving Rockola 435, for my sins !

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

The Princess Deluxe....Excellent ...Nothing like playing your favorite record anytime simply with the push of a button..

[Ldg]

The 435 Princess is a 'this year' acquisition, my first juke box, and I didn't need to do too much to it to restore it to a beautiful basically operating state. It looks , and sounds, bona fide !

The 435 is the smallest of that rock-ola family, still all valve of course. I re-capped the amplifier as part of the initial installation.

So, though I'm by no means a Rock-Ola expert, what is the nature of the problem with the 426, you never know there may be common ancestry between the 435 and 426, and/or I may be able to help out ?

[KentT]

Some big things to know. Jukeboxes are complex beasts requiring regular use and maintenance to function best. I would get on the web and Google Jukebox-List and join it and enquire there. Also, look in the phone directory and see if there is anyone who has a route in your area and see if their technician does house calls. Some will do repairs for hire for home users.

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

Thank you so much for your reply..as lovers of the Rockola we own 3. and in fact have done quite a bit of research including purchase of repair manuals and troubleshooting guides and a multimeter. . Sooner or later i will find the problem..The 426 had sat somewhere the turntable motor gromets were so rotted they basically were not there. also a dirty cigarette film inside the box does not help. . . Parts are no problem with suppliers like Victory Glass available.. As collectors we want to learn these machines inside and out and the 426 after repairing the gromets actually worked fairly well, but every once in awhile (rarely) the read-out arm would keep going around the selector assembly but eventually would stop when the write in carriage selector armature kicked the selector lever into position or in other words something eventually worked somewhere. So far i have taken out the selector assembly cleaned and checked for obvious problems. The 426 has a single letter and single number key plate that when you push your choice the keys remain down until the write in carriage locates that choice and kicks the selector pins then at the same time selector pins are kicked the choice keys pop up being kicked by the keyboard solenoid. but now the write in carriage finds and stops in the correct spot but does not kick the selector pin. so the read out carriage arm keeps seeking and the selection keys (letter&#pushed) stay down. The only way to stop this action is to turn off the power switch..... Next I will remove the selector assembly again but completely disassemble, clean and check everything. Then I will check for an open 60 ohm resistor that goes to the trip coil in the control box checking all plug connections as i go. Eventually I will check everything the manuals suggest. Our 1971 and 1975 models, although basically the same design do have some improvements and both work great making the repair a no rush learning experience and the more I learn the better. . By joining the forum we had simply hoped someone might read this and say I know what that problem is and share that knowledge with us plus it is always enjoyable to hear from others who share our interest, that interest being The Rockola Jukebox..

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

Hello- Just a note concerning the rockola 426 ...An inspection of the write-in relay and stop relay contacts found the problem, switch contacts burnt and charred from years of use. ..disassembled the contact switches and with a careful cleaning of the contact points,... the machine is back working again ..yea.. ... I will be ordering new replacements from Victory Glass to help assure trouble free operation in the future..Who knows..maybe this info will help someone with this problem area.

[Ldg]

Hello- Just a note concerning the rockola 426 ...An inspection of the write-in relay and stop relay contacts found the problem, switch contacts burnt and charred from years of use. ..disassembled the contact switches and with a careful cleaning of the contact points,... the machine is back working again ..yea.. ... I will be ordering new replacements from Victory Glass to help assure trouble free operation in the future..Who knows..maybe this info will help someone with this problem area.

Thanks, Guy and Colleen Rockola. Maybe that info will come in handy for me one day. I'm fortunate enough not to have had to diagnose any tricky/deep state machine problems so far, on my 435. Sure they'll come a day !

Glad the 426 is back. Well done, and enjoy !

[Guy and Colleen Rockola]

Thank you Lucky Dog: The 435 much like the 426, 447, 450, are all what I would describe as the simple design years with simple relays and switches. From what I've read around 1978 Rockola began to use what are sometimes called the dreaded micro processor boards and those boards when a problem occures much like with a Pac-Man arcade game must be sent out for testing and repair. A pricey venture. The early machines like your 435 seem quite reliable and possibly you may never ever have a problem...sweet... Our 426 on the other hand I think may have had a hard life and upon inspection I can see someone has done repairs in the past.. It also has two other issues I will be looking into ; every once in a while the record when finished just goes around and around and does not eject, but I have found a simple push on micro switch #1 finishes the cycle and puts the record back in file. I think this may be a simple adjustment of the micro switch and its relationship to the cam that activates it. .. It looks like time and use may have worn the cam down somewhat. Also the write-in motor seems at times to operate quite sluggish, turning slowly with appearent drag. Possibily cleaning, lubrication or replacement is required who knows but when those issues are resolved I will post whatever I discover...One thing I have found that pretty much any parts you may need can be found with very little effort and I say a big yahoo to that. .

[sportrac]

Help,
I also have rockola 426 now showing wear I found tone arm cam keeper spring broken acquired service manual guess what no help, I ordered keeper spring but now cannot figure out how to install it, makes little sense to me was hoping someone could help maybe post picture of how this thing sits in tone arm cam. Thanks

[Ldg]

Here's a pic of the tonearm cam & follower for the 435, as I acquired it :

This is the Princess 435, of course and the 426 Grand Prix might well be different. Perhaps you mean the thin bronze coloured spring one end of which is free in the pic ? Or if you mean the other end of the camshaft, shout and I'll try to help if I can.

Good luck !

[bauzace50]

Ahhh,
those magnificent machines! truly special!
Have fun ,

b50