I just cleaned my old SL-B2 in much the same way, had to order a 3D printed gear to fix the auto-return from the eBay guy, totally worth the investment these are great little budget turntables that can be easily upgraded to sound really good.
I bought one from Ebay in 2007 for 60 usd hoping it would be a good table and it was awful, The motor was worn and a new or a good used motor could not be found but it had a Precept Cartridge and that was a gem I did not expect to get...That was a new high end type of an upgrade by Audio Technical that came out in the early 80s and that made the 60 usd very well worth it because I removed the head shell put it on another table with a new stylus it is great and the B2 does make a great platter for cleaning records .
I think you got super lucky, I haven't seen a bl-s2 with the Panasonic label on it, that by itself doesn't mean much but that return gear has a brass or copper catch on it which isn't what I'm used to seeing. Normally the gear and catch are one using in plastic or nylon and break all the time. Mine has the break but the returns still working. I will have to design a replacement and use my 3d printer to print one. So basically they used to be built better, I wonder what else is better, I assume they made changes for cost cutting.
It is amazing what people put on the curb. I've collected 3 easily working Dysons over past couple of years but ... they are lousy at playing vinyl! Thx for watching. Have a good one.
Hi Jose, Thx for watching. Yep - just took the provided grounding wire sanded corroded connector down to clean metal and grounded to amp. No hum now! Best wishes on your project.
Much too much oil. 2 drops is enough. You have got to keep contact cleaner on hand, to work on these. Even if speed is OK, you should spray the pots--small amounts--since they probably have never been cleaned, to avoid future speed issues.
Thx Len. I'm not a frequent old school audio component taker-aparter so appreciate the feedback. Deox spray purchase in my near future. (I found this turntable on the curbside on garbage day and couldn't pass it by) Cheers!
Hi Marry - I know which gear you are referring to. It's the white plastic gear. For non-Dutch speakers it's the gear that actuates the arm to return at end of play. Can anyone advise Marry where to source this part? Unfortunately I don't know of a source myself. Best wishes on your search.