I am going to try to answer several points together.
The mystery component sounds like a crystal or ceramic resonator. Does it connect
directly to the Z8, if
so, to what pins? 1k is a very low DC resistance for such a component, though (was this
tested out-of-circuit)?
The RD54 is a Maxtor XT1140 or something similar. The spindle motor is a 3 phase
electronically-commutated
thing (no brushes -- does _any_ small hard disk have brushes in the spindle motor [1]).
It is entirely within the
HDA, there must be some hall effect sensors that are part of it (inside the HDA too) for
position feedback.
Alas I have never seen a schematic for this drive (it's not on bitsavers that I can
find) so I don't know many
details.
Assuming the power transistors are good, then the most likely fault is a failed hall
effect sensor, inside the HDA.
If we could find a pinout of the motor cable, or a schematic for the drive, it would be
possible to see what is
going on there.
[1] Some larger hard drives, the Diablo 30 springs to mind, had brush-type DC permanent
magnet spindle
motors (and in the case of the Diablo 30, positioner motors, but that is another saga).
Many full-height
5.25" floppy drives have permananet magnet brush-type spindle motors (belt driven to
the actual spindle.
But I have never seen an 8" or 5.25" winchester drive that does.
Interestingly at one point it started working
again. Then after I put it all back together again, it stopped working
once more. In one case, it seemed to start spinning when I changed the disk's
orientation (on its side rather
than flat), almost as if it just needed a mechanical encouragement to get it moving. But
now, no matter how
many times I try, and what different orientations I try, it doesn't work. Does any of
that help with pointing the
finger at all?
Maybe if one hall sensor or drive to one of the motor phases has
failed then turning the drive moved the spindle
just enough to get another motor phase energised and it started running (possibly not on
all 3 phases properly),
-tony