AT LP120 Cue arm damping problem

[wayneholdaway]

Hi
The cueing lever no longer works correctly when going down to the record.
It is fine for about the first third but then it just drops like a stone on to the record.
Is there any adjustment that can be done, does it need oil topping up somewhere ??
Any answers and fixes please

[Melos Antropon]

Hello, Wayne:

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, this is a trick that seems to work fine, at least since I started using it. It is this: When you are through with your turntable listening session, move the arm to the rest and lock it in place as always, but KEEP THE TONEARM LIFT IN THE "UP" POSITION. Let it sit 24 hours. The cueing should work normally the next day. After that, always finish up by leaving the cueing lever in the "up" position. So far (about 10 days now) it continues to work fine for me. On another forum, a fellow wrote about fixing it himself by carefully removing the cueing platform and putting a small amount of the specific silicone oil in the smaller of the two holes under the cueing support. You can order the silicone stuff here:

http://www.turntablebasics.com/silicone.html

They say you will need the 300,000 weight, and he cautions against using too much - just a bit. And let it sit for 24 hours before trying it. Note that I have not done the procedure, so I can't vouch for it's success (or not). I pass the info along FWIW.

Tony

[wayneholdaway]

Thanks

In the end I actually ended up lifting / pumping the arm lift up and down a few times and this seemed to restore the hydraulic effect and it now works perfectly

[Melos Antropon]

Thanks

In the end I actually ended up lifting / pumping the arm lift up and down a few times and this seemed to restore the hydraulic effect and it now works perfectly

That in itself is a good tip! Thanks for sharing.

Tony

[mikelexp]

I had the same problem and I was able to solve it with your tips, thank you guys!

[Boltman92124]

I'm having the same issue with my LP120 now. Will try the up position solution first. Try to find some silicone oil at the hardware store. I did remove the lift itself with some careful angling. You need to unscrew it and pull it forward under the arm to get it off. And the spring will pop out too so be careful not to lose it.

[xnaron]

Did it work? Same issue with mine. Anyone have a substitute for the silicone oil? Which hole does it go in? The one with the screw? I will try leaving it up for 24 hours and see if that works.

[Boltman92124]

Did it work? Same issue with mine. Anyone have a substitute for the silicone oil? Which hole does it go in? The one with the screw? I will try leaving it up for 24 hours and see if that works.

The silicone works. Yes, detached the bar and add a little bit into the hole with the spring and replace the unit/spring.The downward action may be very slow at first (not a bad thing).

The tube is large. You'll never need to order again!I've actually done it twice now and the table is only 20 months old.

http://www.turntablebasics.com/silicone.html

[xnaron]

I just left mine up for a few hours and it started working again.

[Boltman92124]

The silicone is the real fix. The At120 loses it's damping over quick amount of time. The silicone is cheap too! $10!

[plyscds]

I'll put this out for consideration - that direct sunlight may be a factor in these turntables losing their dampening fluid. The tonearm on my PL120 became a quick-dropper when still relatively new, when during a temporary turntable swap, I stored it where early morning summer sunlight could have shined in on it. Dampening fluid has been replaced once because of that incident. The turntable has been kept out of direct sunlight and it is still a slow-dropper when it is let out of it's pen for a little exercise.

[Boltman92124]

I'll put this out for consideration - that direct sunlight may be a factor in these turntables losing their dampening fluid. The tonearm on my PL120 became a quick-dropper when still relatively new, when during a temporary turntable swap, I stored it where early morning summer sunlight could have shined in on it. Dampening fluid has been replaced once because of that incident. The turntable has been kept out of direct sunlight and it is still a slow-dropper when it is let out of it's pen for a little exercise.

I think it's the amount of use it gets. Just not made very well. But that's the only problem I've had with the table in a couple of years. You might be right about the heat though.

[wgarneau]

This post is several months old, but just in case someone else sees it.. I bought the silicone damping fluid linked above, and used it. I wanted to share what I found.

I took off the cartridge body off the tone arm and took the screw out of the cuing bar. You have to unscrew quite a bit to get the cuing arm off, as the screw not only holds the bar in, but also sets its level.

Once the screw is completely loosened, remove the bar. You will have to maneuver it carefully around the tone arm, as the tone arm does not move quite all of the way out of the way, but you can get the bar out with the tone arm all the way in toward the center of the platter.

There will be two holes, in addition to the one the screw came out of. Put a bit of the silicone fluid in both, and put the bar back on. Do not screw it in very much. Instead, put the cartridge body back on and then, with a record on, adjust the cuing arm down to the desired height with the screw.

Re-calibrate the downforce, and see how it works. If the cuing arm still goes down too fast, repeat the process and add a little more of the silicone fluid. Repeat until you have the desired speed.

My cuing arm works beautifully now - better than it did when new.

[plyscds]

Try to avoid direct sunlight shining on your tonearm. I suspect that killed the dampening on my older AT-PL120 tonearm several years ago.

[Boltman92124]

I think it might be time to add more of the fluid on mine. I like my needle to go down nice and slow...