The 33/45 lever stopped working on my TD-145, and I found that the linkage which is supposed to engage the motor does not extend quite far enough to release the switch which engages the motor.
If I push outward a tiny bit on the linkage, the motor engages and works fine on both 33 and 45 positions.
I consulted the service manual, but I cannot find any mention of adjustment of this linkage. Is there some way to adjust it.
TIA
If I push outward a tiny bit on the linkage, the motor engages and works fine on both 33 and 45 positions.
I consulted the service manual, but I cannot find any mention of adjustment of this linkage. Is there some way to adjust it.
TIA
Thanks for the reply.
There's a spring inside the cylinder that pushes on the switch linkage. You can see this part at the end of the red line that I drew in the photo past the word "extend" to the right side.
This spring may now be less "springy" than it once was, leading to incomplete engagement of the linkage.
I hoped there might be an adjustment to it, but I can't actually see anything like that.
If it's a matter of making the spring more effective, I could potentially replace it, but I know very little about how I could source a perfect replacement that will work in this situation. Also I believe that I could simply insert something between the linkage rod and inside surface of the cylinder, causing it to load the spring more, although I'm not sure how I'd get it to stay put for the long run if I did that.
I did try to loosen the screws holding the assemblies at the two end of the linkage, but there wasn't any play in their mounting to speak of and it was not a fix.
There's a spring inside the cylinder that pushes on the switch linkage. You can see this part at the end of the red line that I drew in the photo past the word "extend" to the right side.
This spring may now be less "springy" than it once was, leading to incomplete engagement of the linkage.
I hoped there might be an adjustment to it, but I can't actually see anything like that.
If it's a matter of making the spring more effective, I could potentially replace it, but I know very little about how I could source a perfect replacement that will work in this situation. Also I believe that I could simply insert something between the linkage rod and inside surface of the cylinder, causing it to load the spring more, although I'm not sure how I'd get it to stay put for the long run if I did that.
I did try to loosen the screws holding the assemblies at the two end of the linkage, but there wasn't any play in their mounting to speak of and it was not a fix.
I've been there.
There's no substitute to a real shop where you can see & handle springs. I have a small box of random springs picked up over the years & saved for just this kind of thing. 😉
You could try a simple substitute or aid with a bit of clothing elastic and see if higher pressure from that spring fixed the problem. Then at least you have a correct diagnosis.
There's no substitute to a real shop where you can see & handle springs. I have a small box of random springs picked up over the years & saved for just this kind of thing. 😉
You could try a simple substitute or aid with a bit of clothing elastic and see if higher pressure from that spring fixed the problem. Then at least you have a correct diagnosis.
Thanks. I'm beginning to suspect I'm off-base as it seems too weird to be the problem.
There's a solenoid in the base that I guess is supposed to kick on when it's in service and hold the switch open, engaging the motor. I can't say I understand why they make it so overly complicated, but there it is.
I guess I have to figure out why the solenoid isn't turning on with the motor. It does energize when I force the switch open and start the motor by turning the 33/45 switch, but only for a moment when it switches off.
EDIT:
Taking a closer look, I can sometimes get the solenoid to properly engage if I tease the 33/45 knob back and forth a tiny bit after it's been put into position.
It seems that the actual issue is that the solenoid is too slow to engage itself during the process of turning the switch. I can't for the life of me figure out how the solenoid is told to turn on though.
Is it supposed to always be energized, and only break itself when the 33/45 knob is turned off? If so, I don't see what switch is being activated or deactivated.
There's a solenoid in the base that I guess is supposed to kick on when it's in service and hold the switch open, engaging the motor. I can't say I understand why they make it so overly complicated, but there it is.
I guess I have to figure out why the solenoid isn't turning on with the motor. It does energize when I force the switch open and start the motor by turning the 33/45 switch, but only for a moment when it switches off.
EDIT:
Taking a closer look, I can sometimes get the solenoid to properly engage if I tease the 33/45 knob back and forth a tiny bit after it's been put into position.
It seems that the actual issue is that the solenoid is too slow to engage itself during the process of turning the switch. I can't for the life of me figure out how the solenoid is told to turn on though.
Is it supposed to always be energized, and only break itself when the 33/45 knob is turned off? If so, I don't see what switch is being activated or deactivated.
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I figured out how and when the solenoid is energized. There's two switches that are normally "on."
For the solenoid to be energized, both switches have to be "on."
How it's supposed to work is that when you turn the 33/45 knob, the linkage pushes a plate against the solenoid, and the solenoid is supposed to "grab" the plate and hold the linkage in place, keeping the motor engaged.
The problem I'm having is that the linkage is not pushing the plate up against the solenoid for long enough that it's touching while both switches are in the "on" position; it skates by the contact point with one of the two switches still "off."
I tried to adjust the position of the switch by loosening the screws and moving it around (there is some play in it), but when I back the switch away enough for the plate to contact the solenoid at the right time, it stays "on" when the 33/45 knob is in its off position, so thereby the solenoid continues to operate and the motor stays on.
There's no sweet spot that lets the thing grab the solenoid and allows it to turn off.
However, at least the solenoid is working perfectly fine; I measured it with a multimeter and confirmed it's turning on and giving full power when both switches are toggled.
I guess I'm back to the linkage being too short (or needing more spring.)
I'm not sure where you are in the USA, so I will relate the hardware store(s) in my area. Menards, True Value, Ace Hardware in my area have an isle of two with grey plastic trays that pull out filled with nuts, bolts, washers, clips, bushings, etc. I have found the springs they stock have been almost exact replacement for a 1952 Blackhawk floor jack, various small devices along with countless DIY projects. Shop around and find a retailer who stocks these springs and look to match the spring you have with a replacement spring. Look for thickness of the wire, diameter of the coils, density of the coils. You will probably need to trim/cut the replacement spring to the correct length. As long as you get close to the spring force for your particular project, you can make it work. The good news is the springs usually cost less than a dollar, so you can buy extras to experiment with.
When starting to fit the replacement spring, start long and then trim to fit (longer means less spring force, shorter more spring force).
When starting to fit the replacement spring, start long and then trim to fit (longer means less spring force, shorter more spring force).
You might consider pulling that too-short device out and see if it can be modelled in 3D, stretched just enough, and then 3D printed.
3D printing is so amazingly useful for things like this, for fabricating long discontinued spare parts. I used it a couple months ago to make a much improved dust collection part in my table saw that reduced sawdust spray at least 50%! But I have the benefit of a local library with a free service FabLab & friendly operators happy to take my pencil-paper drawings and translate them to image files for their printers. 😎
3D printing is so amazingly useful for things like this, for fabricating long discontinued spare parts. I used it a couple months ago to make a much improved dust collection part in my table saw that reduced sawdust spray at least 50%! But I have the benefit of a local library with a free service FabLab & friendly operators happy to take my pencil-paper drawings and translate them to image files for their printers. 😎
Ah. Well so I removed the linkage end and I found the spring to be sufficient. It cannot spring anymore than it already is because it's captive inside the plastic cylinder.
So my only recourse is to remake the plastic end part a tiny bit longer.
However, I have been able to jam the end of toothpick inside and it functions properly for now. I'm considering glueing it in place if it seems to continue to work.
I can have something 3D printed, but I don't have my own printer, so I'll have to pay for it done, and may not get it right the first time.
Thorens really should have put a screw adjustment on the end of this linkage. All the plastic parts are junk and will eventually crumble.
So my only recourse is to remake the plastic end part a tiny bit longer.
However, I have been able to jam the end of toothpick inside and it functions properly for now. I'm considering glueing it in place if it seems to continue to work.
I can have something 3D printed, but I don't have my own printer, so I'll have to pay for it done, and may not get it right the first time.
Thorens really should have put a screw adjustment on the end of this linkage. All the plastic parts are junk and will eventually crumble.
I can probably just fabricate something out of brass by hand that has a little screw adjuster at the end so I can fine tune the solenoid contact. Less work and it won't shrink and need to be replaced again.
You know, it's kind of funny because I figured that this would be a problem with many (if not all) of the TD-145s, and there would have been multiple people out there with fixes for it or what have you. I only found one reference to solenoids, and it didn't seem to be the same issue.
You know, it's kind of funny because I figured that this would be a problem with many (if not all) of the TD-145s, and there would have been multiple people out there with fixes for it or what have you. I only found one reference to solenoids, and it didn't seem to be the same issue.