Hello Everyone,
I am a beginner, and have been reading a lot of articles and watching a lot of videos about different telescopes, mounts, etc. A used Celestron Astromaster 130EQ telescope became available locally for a really good price, so I bought it. It has a CG-3 equatorial mount. When I brought it home I noticed I could not turn the slow motion declination knob. The DEC clutch knob located on the side of the mount is secure, so the slow motion should move. When I looked at it closer, I think it might be bent somehow, preventing correct turning. For better or worse, I removed the knob connected to the DEC adjustment and unscrewed it from the mount. Attached are pictures. Once I removed it, I could turn DEC spindle but noticed it was warped. If I back it out all the way, I can no longer screw. How much are we supposed to be able to turn the slow adjustment knob? I've looked for articles, but could not really find anything about how exactly the DEC slow motion works. For RA, I can clearly see a gear which turns. I also noticed that the metal pointer is against the DEC clutch knob. Could this also prevent it from turning correctly? Thanks.