Goodafternoon ladies and gentlemen

 I picked up a beautiful Beogram 1203 on ebay 2 days ago. It was pretty cheap so I guessed there would be a catch but I like fixing things and I just thought the pickup looked so damn good to just leave it there.

 Anyway, it plays too slow. I tried the pitch or adjustmen wheel on the left side but that only made me make it slower, not faster. I fould 2 little holes on the bottom with screws inside. The mentioned 30/25 and 17. I guessed this could be for tweaking the speed but that only changed the position for where the needle lands when I press the Lift button. Allthough yesterday it got to the right speed eventually (?) but It slowed down again after a while.

 I tried opening it - couldn't resist it - and noticed the belt looked intact and again I couldn't resist checking the rest out. I am carefull with this things though but maybe I did something wrong, When I closed everything down and tried once again it just even went slower then before. Maybe when I took of the belt I made it even worse... So my guess is that the belt just needs replacement. But I wanted to know what you guys - and I hope experts - think. Could it be the motor also? How can I know?

 And... where can I order a new belt/motor if I have to. I live in Belgium, there is a B&O shop here in Ghent, I allready mailed them but got no reply yet (it's sunday offcourse).

 Sorry for any mistakes in my english and I hope you can help me!

 Jasper 

Hello, and welcome to Beoworld. Had the same problem myself with a Beogram 1203. What has happened is the oil in the motor has dried out. Now instead of lubricating the motor it is working like a glue and slowing it down. You will need to remove the motor and completely strip it down. Then you need to clean the parts in Isopropanol. Reassemble the motor relubricating with Sewing Machine Oil. Then you Beogram should be as good as new.

Craig

Thank you Craig

 That sounds more complicated then I hoped for but I'll try, rather this way than spending lots of money offcourse :)

 I'll do this as soon as possible and post back my results. Thanks!

Jasper 

It's not as bad as it sounds, I managed to do mine OK.

Craig

Okay, it took me lot's of sweat and tears, allthough it all looked very simple... it just isn't when your little cat jumps on the little pot of  screws and springs when you're not looking but I guess thats my own fault :)

 Anyway, I'm glad to say, it works darn well!

Thank you Craig, if you're ever around I buy you a beer :)

Jasper 

I was too positive I guess. The slow problem is solved... but now it's going a little bit too fast.

It's not much but enough to make low voices sound higher than it should.

The adjustment wheel on the left let me set it on the correct speed but when I release the wheel it goes back to wrong speed, I need to hold the wheel at the correct speed. So I guess that's where the problem is somewhere...  

What could I do?

Jasper 

Hi Jasper

Good work getting your 1203 back in action. I am trying to fix mine as well. Same problem as yours - it runs very slow. The belt shouldn't give you any trouble, though. I had my 1203 serviced about 15 years ago (my family bought it new in 1976) and B&O advised that the belt should last "forever". Mine is still running on the original belt, 33 years later. If the belt does gove you trouble at some point, spares are available. I bought one (just in case!) from GP Electronics, who now service B&O in Melbourne, Australia. I'm sure you should be able to locate a spares supplier through your local B&O dealer.

Happy listening,

Rohitha

Hellow, sorry to bring this up after so much time but it seems "solved" was a bit to fast again. I actually gave up that time, but I saw my Beogram standing here last week and got appealed by the design again and really want to get it fixed.

I checked on a local Hifi forum and they said I might need a new "string". How can I get such a new string and how would I remove the old and place a new one? 

Thanks again for your time!

Jasper