rega rb300 tonearm lift not working - fixable


the tonearm lift no longer lowers my rega arm. I've had the arm quite a while. is there something in there that may have dried out, anything I can do to bring it back to working condition?
128x128lloydc
Try lowering the lever just past the vertical position and letting it drop on its own with the platform and arm. This usually works; please give it a try and let us know if it resolves your problem. If not the mechanism may need to be replaced or rebuilt.
>>> is there something in there that may have dried out <<<

Yes there is, normally a very thick type of silicon fluid. Most arms start playing up after some time (years). Normally you open that piston chamber, clean it and replace the silicone.
Check: http://www.turntablebasics.com/silicone.html
Axel
I had this problem a few years ago and cleaned the lift. Bad move! Afterwards, it dropped like a rock. Even the thickest grease did not slow the descent rate. I wrote to Rega, and they responded that they use Roccol Kilopoise damping grease. Unfortunately, there are many different types of damping grease, and too expensive to try different types to see which works best.

I highly doubt if silicone will work. Since silicone is not a damping grease, I believe the lift will drop like a rock. Even if it did work, the bottom of the rega lift is open, and the silicone will drip out.

My advice is to go ahead and clean it to the extent of removing any pieces of foreign material visible, but don't remove the damping compound. If that doesn't work, I think replacing the lift is the best option.
Hi Msiebers,
you say:
>>> ***Since silicone is not a damping grease, I believe the lift will drop like a rock***. Even if it did work, the bottom of the rega lift is open, and the silicone **will drip out.** <<<

I think you ARE misinformed about silicon, maybe you want to read that link.

Incidentally SME uses that stuff in a lot of places and NOTHING is dripping anywhere.
Take note, silicone 'fluid' come in MANY viscosities and the one for the tonearm lift is lots thicker than honey in winter (and stays that way in summer).
A.