Acoustic Research ARXB - main bearing has alot of grey grease in there - i thought it was supposed to be thin oil?

i thought it was supposed to be thin oil
You're correct. See image...
AR TT Oil.jpg
 
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Possibly a light weight turbine oil would be suitable like Zoomspout 10wt. (These are non-detergent) Automotive oils are usually multi-vis, anti-foaming, and high in detergents that degrade over time. Royal Purple has a great reputation but I have never found it in the quantities and weights I need for my particular small collection of TT. (Several TD-124 and a Scheu Premier II)
 
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Since the main point of lubricants is to prevent/reduce metal-to-metal contact (and thus extend lifetime by many orders of magnitude), viscosity of a lubricant should be selected to the particular circumstances - slower moving and more pressure dictate more viscous lubricant so the lubricant film doesn't break down. There are also additives like graphite and molybdenum disulfide which are layered in structure and help prevent metal-metal contact. A thin oil is appropriate used for light pressure and fast movement in general, heavy greases with additives for constant pressure and slow movement.

In some applications minimizing friction is important, which means the choice of lubricant is a compromize between friction and lifetime. Acoustic noise from a bearing is also affected by viscosity as this acts to dampen vibrations.

But tribology is complicated, the nature of the materials, surface roughness, speed, pressure, lubricant all interact.
 
Help please.
Three weeks ago I bought an Acoustic Research AR AX in great cosmetic condition, and yesterday received a new Shure N55e stylus for the M55e cartridge.
There had been no issues with the old stylus with the fresh cleaned and lubricated platter bearing and tonearm bearing, both shafts and wells lubed with 3 in 1 no paraffin oil. 15 drops in the platter well, as well as lubing the spindle and bearing itself.
3 drops in the tonearm well, as well as lubing the bearing and shaft itself.
Now with two different records, a midbass low level brief rumble comes through the speakers almost but not quite in the same songs, regardless of making it through other songs first or just starting the ones with the noise in them.
The noise was not present with the stylus the table came with, and isn't now.
Does anyone know if the new stylus is revealing an issue the old one misses?
Stopping playback, lifting the inner platter, and spinning it down to settle to its height before replacing the belt and outer platter sometimes stops that noise, but only for a few minutes.
I can't contact the prior owner to find out what the prior oil used was. When I got the turntable home, I cleaned the wells and shafts with q tips and 99% pure isopropyl, and after about 10 q tips each, no more jet black came out of the wells, which didn't seem to have any oil in them.
Have I over filled them, or maybe 3 in 1 isn't viscous enough?
Any help is much appreciated.