I bought a second hand, well-kept Rega Planar 3 a few years ago. I know it’s not the fanciest, but I sure enjoy it. I don’t listen every day due to other constraints, but when I do, I can count on my rig to deliver.
Imagine my surprise when I lifted the dust cover and discovered my Rega on. Yep. Spinning. Not to throw my lovely children under the bus, but I can only imagine a curious child must’ve accidentally flipped the switch. I have no idea how long it was on… Maybe a couple of weeks.
Everything seems mostly fine. There is a slight audible ‘growl’ when the platter is getting up to speed, but it disappears and the audio seems very stable. My first thought was to lubricate, but I thought I’d ask here before doing anything rash. Thoughts?
It’s probably fine. If it’s an older P3 with the old style motor, however, the motor upgrade is well worth it.
At the risk of massive downvote, I’d say it’s totally normal for a Rega xD.
Just kidding ;)
You can lubricate the axle but I suspect the rubber belt to be a bit old and sticky.
Clean all the parts in contact with the belt and try to find a new belt.
I did the exact same thing before going away for vacation for 10 days. Came back home to put on some Rory Gallagher and it was still spinning. Nothing was hot, no growls or hums, so I just gave it a drop of oil and kept listening. All you’ve done is accelerate the “play time” of the machine.