Belt problem with my Thorens td160

[Aquateen]

Hey folks, I have a little problem on my table when I am done playing 45s. Basically after I'm done with a record switching it off causes the belt to come off. After I put it on I watched the belt mechinism (spelling) run. I took off the mat and plate and was switching from 45 to off without any problems. I thought it was just a weird occurence but today I put on a 45 and the belt came off again when it was done. Any ideas?

[AudioEnz]

My older Thorens TD150 is also unhappy with 45 speed, with the belt often sipping off.

[alexpop]

Hi,

I had the same problem with my Thornes TT. I got a new belt, plain sailing since. 15 EURO (20 UDS )

alexpop

[Aquateen]

Where does one aquire a new belt?

[alexpop]

I got mine from The Cornflake Shop in London. UK

www.cornflake.co.uk

I am sure you must be able to get one somewhere in the U.S. !

[Steve Hoffman]

There is an adjustment inside the table that will prevent this from happening. Your "workings" are out of alignment, that is all....

[Aquateen]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
There is an adjustment inside the table that will prevent this from happening. Your "workings" are out of alignment, that is all.... Really? I'm glad they checked everything over when I had it serviced. :mad:

[-=Rudy=-]

I'd almost attribute it to a stretched belt. I had a component or two that got "jumpy" in the belt department. Worst was a Sony cassette deck. They used a square belt, and once it was in use for a month or so, the square belt would start to twist inside the pulley grooves and the playback would get jerky and jumpy, changing pitch. I quit using it, but I bought a new belt that was round instead of square, which will end that problem.

Or I suspect an alignment problem--like Steve said, yours may need an adjustment. If the belt isn't centered on the pulley correctly, it could jump.

[Paul Chang]

I had the same problem when the belt lost its tension. A new belt took care of it. I was amazed by how much the old one had been stretched.

When you removed the mat and the platter, the belt wasn't driving much load so it wouldn't come off. Be sure to get one from Thorens. The first time I had mine replaced years ago in Taiwan, the hifi shop I used (not a Thorens dealer) gave me a belt that was off the spec. It didn't last long :mad: so I went directly to the distributor to buy a genuine Thorens belt, and an extra one for spare.

[Carl Hoffmann]

Aquateen,

Go to Turnatable Basics (link below). It's hard to get the right belt for this Td160 table. This company knows belts and will definitely set you straight. Quick service and probably worth picking up two while your at it.

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

[MikeyH]

Or I suspect an alignment problem--like Steve said, yours may need an adjustment. If the belt isn't centered on the pulley correctly, it could jump.

Sneaky turntable set up trick #7 - you can put the platter on upside down and watch what happens to throw the belt off. Then adjust accordingly (often bending the little fork thing makes it work OK)

Mike
been there done that.

[Paul Chang]

Don't bend the belt fork! The vertical position of the motor pulley can be adjusted.

From page 23 of Thorens TD 160 Instruction Manual:The adjustment of the drive belt must then be checked. Invert the outer platter, place it on the inner platter, and place the rubber mat on the platter. The drive belt must travel approximately in the middle of the motor pulley and not touch the belt fork. If this is not the case, a corrective adjustment can be made by turning the motor mounting screw nearest the inner platter (Figure 23).

If the drive belt is running at the right position without touching the belt fork, that means the alignment is O.K., i.e. it may be time to replace the drive belt.

[Paul Chang]

I still have the two drive belts I bought from the Thorens distributor in Taiwan almost ten years ago. One of them is working. I just measured their lengths (folded).

The good one: 10 3/8"
The bad one: 10 7/16"

Not much difference. Both have been stretched overtime. But I remember when I replaced the bad one with the good one, the difference was very significant. (The bad one worked for quite a few years so it wasn't bad in the beginning. It just got beat up first.)

I just tried the "inverted outer platter test". The good one worked flawlessly switching between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM. The bad one had a hard time getting into the "right track" for 45 RPM, which is at the top of the pulley. I gave it a little help by pushing it up with my finger. For the few times I managed to push it up to the right 45 RPM position without it jumping off, it would "lose its grip" and come off every time I shut down the motor.

I think the difference between the two belts is the tension. The bad one has lost its tension and is prone to slipping off when the motor changes speed from 45 RPM to stop. This is exactly the same symptom I experienced before with an old drive belt that had lost tension, and the same that Aquateen has described, I think.