So I was finally able to find one of my dream turntables for a decent price... It's an mkI in fairly good condition with the original plinth, and an unknown Micro Seiki tonearm that I will eventually post pictures up to identify. I have three main concerns at this point.
1. I believe the platter is slightly warped. I record a video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQi9NjlgKAY Could anyone diagnose where the wobble is stemming from?
2. When I deactivate the clutch, the top platter scrapes against it, and I've read I just need to adjust it. Anyone experience this?
3. There is a noticeable amount of noise when I turn it on, similar to the sound of a reel playing... you can somewhat hear it in the video. Is this normal? My Luxman PD 121 is dead silent so I'm not familiar with the noise.
I haven't watched the video, but I bet I can answer all of your questions:
1.) It's not uncommon for the aluminum top platter to become warped. Correcting it is not easy to do and you might need to locate a replacement.
2.) The clutch is adjustable.
3.) You probably need to clean the pulleys. Residue from the belt builds up on them over time, causing squeaking. Put some pure iso on a q-tip and clean them, taking care not to get any alcohol on the idler wheel.
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See:
http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/td124page.html
LIGHT ALUMINUM PLATTER
It is possible that the clutch does not work correctly. Maybe the aluminum platter is somewhat round on top, overall, or just partially. In that case it will touch the clutch in the up and in the down position.
Or the platter may be slightly concave. If it is extremely concave it may be free from the clutch at all times. Either situation has to be corrected.
Put the aluminum sub platter on a glass plate and check if the rim is perfect and its edge is supported perfectly well, all around. Even though it is, it is possible that some changes in the surface can be detected. You can check this better if you unscrew the center 45 RPM adapter. (If you are dismantling this center piece, do note exactly what you have done. This makes
it easier to reassemble it.)
By taking off the mat you can check the surface better. There should not be any part of the aluminum platter that is lower.
If the platter's rim and surface needs correction, you should only make changes if you are really sure that you can do that, and if you are certain that the aluminum top platter is the culprit of the malfunctioning of the clutch system.
THE WORKING OF THE CLUTCH
The clutch has the shape of half of a circle. It is a strip which should not have a bend. Check if the clutch is bent or torted. If it is, flatten it. The clutch can of course be adjusted. The drawing (below) shows the functioning of the device. For better understanding you can save the drawing and view it in detail when necessary.
There are three screws with a specific shape. If one or two are missing try to find the same or similar ones with the same diameter and thread. Have one end turned by a machinist exactly to the shape of the original screws.
In the playing mode, the holes of the clutch fall over the top end of the screws. That means that the clutch is in the down position.
By moving the knob of the clutch away from you, the clutch will be lifted and will rest on top of the screws. This means that the aluminum sub platter is resting on the clutch and is lifted also, just enough to let the main platter turn freely underneath, without constraint.
If the platter is not turning freely, the locking nuts have to be turned loose and one or more bolts have to be turned as to protrude more. This adjustment is rather delicate. And you only have to make the adjustment if the strip is not bend and only if the former owner has adjusted the bolts unwisely.
When playing a record, the sub platter should never touch the clutch.
