sluggish tonewheel on M3

[kip r]

I have two M3's. One is an ebony A2 that is banged up, but works ok. The other is in great shape, but the run motor does not work and the start motor 'jumps' after trying to turn the shaft.

 

Like many of the M3's it has been sitting a great while before I bought it, but I am not sure why it would be so 'stuck'.

 

Also, on the one that works, the shaft or wheel between the clutch and the run motor housing seems to slide back and forth with about a 1/4" play---

but on the one that does not work, it does not slide at all back and forth and when it is turned manually, it seems, as I say, sluggish.

 

Thanks for any info, kip r.

[MightyTonewheel]

It's very difficult to accurately diagnose this on a forum, but my first guess is that the generator's oil is old and has gummed up. Hammond's require lubing once a year -- barely -- and are pretty forgiving, but naturally some never get oiled, so you can imagine the results in a 40-year-old organ.

 

Get some genuine Hammond tone generator oil and and oil that puppy. Let it sit for awhile, then manually turn the shaft a little every few hours to work the oil in. If things don't improve, I wouldn't both getting a tech involved. It's cheaper to simply buy another M3.