SOTA Sapphire speed issue


Hi, Gang,

I have a SOTA Sapphire turntable that I bought new in the late 1980's. it was sent back to SOTA for a refresh several years ago. They inspected it, replaced the suspension springs and put in a new bearing. 
The table is now having speed problems. It can take literally 4 or 5 minutes to spin fully up to speed. 
Have any of you seen this on your own SOTA table? Any ideas? I'd love to avoid the time and expense of shipping this beast back to SOTA if I can. 
Thanks in advance. 
rebbi
Hi,i had the motor run dry,so maybe that can be looked at too.Something i didnt know.The turntable doctor fixed that.
Rebbi, For another step up in performance, I would consider an outboard motor controller.  Not only would a good one stabilize the speed of the SOTA but also the MC isolates turntable motor noise from your local AC supply.  Without this filtering effect, the motor contaminates the AC feeding your other equipment.  You may not hear any problem now, but when you insert the MC, you'll notice the effect by comparison.
VPI SDS, Walker Precision Motor Controller.  Neither is state of the art but both provide an audible improvement.  There are many new developments in this area; I am now using a Phoenix Engineering Eagle power supply with a RoadRunner tachometer.  The RR feeds back to the Eagle to hold speed around 33.3333 rpm. (Yes, according to the 4-decimal-place readout of the RR, the speed flirts with that level of accuracy.) This is on my Lenco L75.  But sadly, Phoenix is out of the business.  I just noticed that George Merrill sells a tt PS.  Check whether SOTA markets one for their tt's.  VPI also has a newer power supply that may be less expensive than the SDS.  Look also on Audiogon for used stuff.  There are kits under development, as well, if you have DIY skills.