u/Worldly_Ad_6483

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction before I replace this turntable. It's a TechPlay TCP4530 that's about 10 years old and the tonearm is being pulled outward by something.

I've already balanced the tonearm, set the tracking force to 3.0g (per the cartridge spec), and tried anti-skate settings from 0-5. Setting anti-skate to 0 helps slightly, but it still skips. I also cleaned and lubricated the auto-return mechanism.

The thing that seems most abnormal is that when I do the float test with both tracking force and anti-skate set to zero, the tonearm consistently drifts outward instead of staying where I place it.

Does that point to a tonearm bearing issue, something binding in the auto-return mechanism, a bad anti-skate assembly, or something else? I'm trying to figure out if this is worth repairing or if it's time for a new turntable.

Looking to save some coin on some window replacements in a house, let me know who’s done you right!