The other day I moved the belt on my VPI Prime's motor pulley to play a 45 RPM record and when I started the motor I could hear the attached noise coming from the top of my motor. It's best heard directly above the motor's pulley. I held my iPhone about an inch away from the top of the motor's pulley to make the attached recording.
I've noticed a clicking noise in the past but this static/grinding noise is new. It only occurs when the motor is loaded/driving the platter; when I remove the belt from the pulley and turn on the motor it's completely silent. Also, when I turn the motor off while the platter is spinning the noise goes away while the platter is spinning down. The noise is louder when playing at 45 RPM compared to 33 RPM. As far as I can tell the noise cannot be heard through my speakers.
I've always performed annual maintenance on the turntable and have lubed the motor per Mat's instructional video. The motor's shaft is completely straight and has no vertical play. The motor's pulley is centered, its set screws are tight, and it doesn't wobble at all when it spins. I've inspected everything closely and nothing is rubbing; again, when there's no load on the motor, it runs completely silently.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this or how I might fix it? The noise sounds a little like a sound I'd expect the brushes inside a cheap motor to make.
Thanks in advance for any assistance! I tried to reach out to VPI via telephone several times today but no one answered.
I’ve encountered a similar issue with my VPI Prime motor. The noise seems to be related to the motor pulley alignment slope