I just inherited an old Zenith console turntable and stereo combined. Stereo sounds wonderful, but when I play records, the sound isn't loud. Is this a problem with the needle or what? When I touch the stylus, it sounds like it's in stereo, but the audio from the record doesn't. I need help, please. Sorry, I don't know model number or exact information.

The manufacturers of such items would usually buy in such hardware as record turntables from fairly standard catalogues.

One popular brand of turntable was the BSR but the design of other brands were similar. The metal gears aren't for driving the turntable but to drive the multichange mechanism so when one record has finished playing another will drop from the stack loaded onto the extended centre spindle.

This type of turntable is driven by a synchronous motor with a multidiameter spindle via a moveable idler wheel equipped with a soft rubber tyre. Lack of maintenance causes many problems and as the rubber tyre ages it tends to harden and lose traction on the inside of the steel turntable so when the record reaches the end and the metal gears engage there is insufficient torque and everything stops.
It is for that reason many older examples have had the multichange removed or disabled.

Removing the turntable centre motif should reveal a circlip which when removed will allow the turntable to be removed for maintenance.

Check the speaker cord

Generally speaking all you need to do is find the left and right channels leads from the old deck to the amp, cut them off or if thy plug in somewhere unplug them, then you can connected the playback leads of the new deck to the amp and it will then play back.

As to no sound, does this console play in any mode; radio, aux, etc? For more information, or should you have further questions, please visit my website at audioserviceclinic.com. You may contact me through the website. Thank you.

It could be that the wires to the cartridge are off, or that the cartridge is faulty. If you touch two of the 4 wires to the cartridge (when removed) with you finger and the amp on you should hear a buzz on either channel (assuming it's a stereo deck). If you do that's a sign the cartridge has gone. If you don't there's something wrong with the pre-amp in the main part.

Just sounds like it's so old to the point that it's working on it's last legs...enjoy your time with it while it lasts.

when you said "no sound enough to enjoy listening" did you mean that you could hear something coming thru the speakers, but it isn't loud enough? if so, you may be plugging the turntable into a "ceramic" phono input on your stereo. it may be that your stereo doesn't have a pre-amplifier on the phono inputs. Ceramic tonearm cartridges (the part that holds the stylus - which you may call the needle) have enough output level to drive an amplifier. if your cartridge is magnetic, the output is very low compared o the ceramic. the trade off is that magnetic cartridges have a much wider dynamic range than the ceramic, and when properly pre-amplified, sound MUCH better than a ceramic unit. you can probably find a separate pre-amp at radio shack (i know they sold them several years ago). you plug the turntable into the inputs of the pre-amp, then plug the pre-amps output into your stereo. hope this helps.

truntable go fast

either the cartridge is bad in the phonograph tone arm.  Or the pre-amp in the stereo is bad...remember that the turntable is the only accessory that uses the pre-amp input on the stereo.  I'm betting the pre-amp is bad.

hook the turntable "directly" up to the "phono" inputs. if it sounds normal this way, and not loud and distorted, then you have to plug the turntable up that way, directly to the reciever's phono input.

you can hook the eq up through the "tape in/out" jacks.

take the tape record out jacks, and hook them up to the input of the eq, and take the tape play input jacks and hook them up to the output of the eq. then, to use toe eq, select whatever input you want eq'ed, while also selecting "tape monitor"