VPI Aries platter/bearing change out

Your friend is very lucky. VPI must have put the 300RPM in by mistake or without him knowing was charged...because the 300RPM motor is $150 and the platter/bearing upgrade is $750. I had to pay said amount for my TNT upgrade.

Setting up the platter/bearing is a breeze. Simply take out the platter, you will notice 3 philips screws in the bearing housing, unscrew all and the housing will slip out. Simply slip in the new bearing with the outer sleeve and counter with the nut and you're done.

Changing the motor is more difficult. Unscrew the 4 philips screw on top and the 4 feet w/screws at the bottom. Write down the color coded wires so you won't get mixed up. Then uncrimp all the wires (No soldering required) and pull out the old motor. Smetimes VPI puts a rubber shim (to increase the height)on some motors to raise the height, the new 300RPM motors are high enough that you won't need the shim as it will raised up too high so dispense with it and put motor in place and make sure wiring is tucked in well. Make sure no exposed wires as it may touch the motor case thus motor may not work. MAKE SURE YOU JOT DOWN THE COLOR CODED WIRING OF THE OLD MOTOR before uncrimping otherwise you will get confused figuring out which wires goes where.

Good luck!

Thank you also Yagbol2! I appreciate your help. I know that my buddy sent a check for the platter and bearing for $750 and he was suprised that he received the motor in addition. They also rebuilt his original JMW 10 arm with new bushings and new spacer plate and screws for no additional charge! VPI deals only in MO's or Checks (no credit cards) so he got lucky indeed. VPI may not be the fastest to get things done or shipped...but in my book, they do take good care of you!
Ill be sure to keep the color coded wiring straight as you mentioned.

Many thanks again!..Ken

Hi Ken, I upgraded my cartridge since I posted the problem and found that the new cartridge was resulting in the same hum problem. So I replaced the old platter with the new platter and the hum disappeared quite a bit. The calprit ended up being the new motor. I replaced the new motor with the old one and it totally eliminated the hum. I am pretty sure its because of the lack of space in the cavity the motor sits in. I played around with the new motor placing the foam from the old motor on the bottom of the new motor and this decreased the noise floor substantially. I believe that if there was more room around the motor, this hum would not be an issue. I did contact VPI but they could not help out.
Byron