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26-2-2018 11:47:14  #1


Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

So, I have this Olympia Sm3 Deluxe with a wide carriage that is in really great conditions. Everything works just fine and I type on it a lot. Now, recently, I noted some problem with the carriage movement. Whats happens is that when it is near the end, near the right margin, the carriage sometimes slows down or even stops. If I try to push it with the lever it just doesn't move. The same happens if I press the carriage release. So I have to pull it really lightly to the right to hear a click, then the carriage works again normally. It happens just a few times, and since it is a wide carriage I can use just its left half with no problem. But this problem concerns me, and I would like to hear some thoughts on it and on possible ways of fixing. I'd appreciate any help you could give me.

 

26-2-2018 12:59:47  #2


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

When you press the carriage release, does the carriage move freely back and forth? If so, then I would first suspect insufficient tension on the mainspring, so you need to add tension to the spring.

 

26-2-2018 13:18:49  #3


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

Could it possibly be the rubber o-rings underneath are mushy and need replacing? I understand that this is something that happens frequently with this model.


Smith Premier typewriters are cool!
 

26-2-2018 16:15:21  #4


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

so my first question would be has it ever worked properly, has this happened gradually or has it become apparent since some work was done on the machine, I have seen a similar issue when the wrong screws were used to hold the right hand line finder scale on.

 

26-2-2018 21:37:58  #5


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

Fleetwing wrote:

When you press the carriage release, does the carriage move freely back and forth? If so, then I would first suspect insufficient tension on the mainspring, so you need to add tension to the spring.

Yes, it moves freely but slows down and sometimes stops near the right margin. I set the margin all the way to the extreme right, so I don't hear the bell ring when I write haha. If I move the carriage pressing the space bar, then the carriage really stops near the end.

If the problem is in the tension, how should I fix it?

colrehogan wrote:

Could it possibly be the rubber o-rings underneath are mushy and need replacing? I understand that this is something that happens frequently with this model.

I don't know, I can check it out to see their conditions. But I don't understand how this could be the cause of the problem.

t24psy wrote:

so my first question would be has it ever worked properly, has this happened gradually or has it become apparent since some work was done on the machine, I have seen a similar issue when the wrong screws were used to hold the right hand line finder scale on.

I didn't unscrew anything. I did nothing but a basic clean on the the typewriter. So I'm sure I didn't assemble anything wrong. It seems to me that it is a recent problem.
 

     Thread Starter
 

26-2-2018 21:54:49  #6


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

Sometimes the rubber o-rings deteriorate and cause the rear panel to rub on the carriage.  That’s what they’re talking about.
I had that issue on one of my other machines, where the carriage got stuck at the right. Before tightening the spring, try putting a dot of lubrication on the escapemt wheel.


Typewriter Service Tech (and avid nerd)
 

27-2-2018 11:32:30  #7


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

Lucas Dul wrote:

Sometimes the rubber o-rings deteriorate and cause the rear panel to rub on the carriage. That’s what they’re talking about.
I had that issue on one of my other machines, where the carriage got stuck at the right. Before tightening the spring, try putting a dot of lubrication on the escapemt wheel.

Thanks. I'll do that.
 

     Thread Starter
 

05-3-2018 20:51:33  #8


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

Bad news. I've changed all the rubber o rings and the problem continued. I've putted a little drop of oil at each end of the carriage track, and it didn't make any difference. So I've decided to check on the band that pulls the carriage. It was a little messy, and it' hard to fix it. It was all twisted. So I've untwisted it and tried to tighten it a little bit. Result: now the carriage doesn't move if I press any of the keys. If I press the carriage release then it moves freely. Also, if I use my left hand to pull the carriage to the left while I press space, then it moves normally all the way through. So I guess I'm doing something terribly wrong. What should I do? I'm so frustrated with this Olympia haha.

     Thread Starter
 

05-3-2018 22:15:57  #9


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

So the machine did type before -- that is, the carriage moved when typing, and when you hit the spacebar? And now it doesn't move at all. You reattached the drawband to the carriage? (Forgive the question; just trying to work through the checklist.) If the drawband is somehow still twisted or caught on something, then the carriage shouldn't move at all, even when you press the carriage release. I'm wondering if maybe you unwound the spring tension rather than tightening it? Again, maybe an insulting question, but that is consistent with what you described.

 

05-3-2018 23:31:35  #10


Re: Little problem on Olympia Sm3 carriage

I have to agree with fleetwing.  The escapement and rails seem to be fine, you just don’t have enough tension.  You want to wind the spring in the direction you want the drum to spin.  If the drum is on the right side of the machine with the back facing you, and it spins clockwise to pull the carriage, make sure the center pin is tightened clockwise.  Don’t overdo it, it is possible to snap the spring, but make sure it still pulls with one or two pounds.


Typewriter Service Tech (and avid nerd)
 

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