Andy,
Do NOT remove or loosen anything! VPI's instructions leave a lot to be desired to be sure, but putting a drop of oil into the motor does NOT entail removing or unscrewing any hardware.
"Below" the brass piece means putting a drop of oil toward the bottom of the pulley shaft. The gravity will do the rest. The challenge is to get the job done cleanly as there is very little space between the brass piece and the pulley the piece surrounds. (Btw, the new Classics now come with a different pulley and have much more space between the brass piece and the pulley, doubtless in response to many customer complaints about the difficulty with lubricating the motor. I'm just not sure why it took Harry that long to address this.)
The best way to accomplish the task without getting any oil on the brass piece, or the pulley, is to use a syringe and a needle. The next best thing is a dropper you can buy at a local Rite Aid or Duane Reade. Unfortunately, the dropper's tip is too thick to actually insert it in the space so you'll have to put a drop of oil in the space at the bottom of the pulley, and let the gravity do the rest, and clean up any oil residue off the brass piece.
Lastly, lubricating the motor may not eliminate the noise. My motor also makes a very low "swooshing" sound even though is lubricated well. Because the motor pulley is exposed, dust and small particles make their way into the motor. As the oil is drying up, it may also cause the motor to make low level noise. It does not seem to be affecting the performance of the table, or the speed stability, but of course I still find it annoying. Mike told me the best medicine for this is to play a lot of records. I'm still not sure whether he was serious or facetious...
Do NOT remove or loosen anything! VPI's instructions leave a lot to be desired to be sure, but putting a drop of oil into the motor does NOT entail removing or unscrewing any hardware.
"Below" the brass piece means putting a drop of oil toward the bottom of the pulley shaft. The gravity will do the rest. The challenge is to get the job done cleanly as there is very little space between the brass piece and the pulley the piece surrounds. (Btw, the new Classics now come with a different pulley and have much more space between the brass piece and the pulley, doubtless in response to many customer complaints about the difficulty with lubricating the motor. I'm just not sure why it took Harry that long to address this.)
The best way to accomplish the task without getting any oil on the brass piece, or the pulley, is to use a syringe and a needle. The next best thing is a dropper you can buy at a local Rite Aid or Duane Reade. Unfortunately, the dropper's tip is too thick to actually insert it in the space so you'll have to put a drop of oil in the space at the bottom of the pulley, and let the gravity do the rest, and clean up any oil residue off the brass piece.
Lastly, lubricating the motor may not eliminate the noise. My motor also makes a very low "swooshing" sound even though is lubricated well. Because the motor pulley is exposed, dust and small particles make their way into the motor. As the oil is drying up, it may also cause the motor to make low level noise. It does not seem to be affecting the performance of the table, or the speed stability, but of course I still find it annoying. Mike told me the best medicine for this is to play a lot of records. I'm still not sure whether he was serious or facetious...