Advice needed on the infamous Sanyo M9994k clutch

Hey everyone,

After a hiatus due to moving and having no money I haven't been able to give this hobby much attention. I did pick up a Sanyo M9994k last year and had the deck working ok but it would still occasionally eat tapes unless I let the thing play for a while to sort of warm it up. I've had some time and rebelted the thing but it still doesn't work right so I must accept that I'm having issues with the clutch. I can actually see the issue with that belt not moving if I hit Play or FF.

I'm pretty comfortable opening this thing up and accessing everything at this point. I can get to the clutch and I bought a bit of replacement felt just in case. Is it possible to fix the felt that's in there or should I just try and replace it? If I need to replace it how do I remove the retaining ring that holds the clutch in? It's freaking small!

I did a write-up on relining a M9990 clutch, which is similar, if not the same. I have searched the entire forum, but it seems to have disappeared.
Maybe a Mod can find it.
The only tricks to removing that C-clip is to be careful. And have a towel or cloth on your work surface to keep it from bouncing and rolling away. I used piano action leather to reline mine. It works perfect, but I find it tends to get squeaky when it warms up, just like a squeaky piano action - go figure.

superlew said:

I did a write-up on relining a M9990 clutch, which is similar, if not the same. I have searched the entire forum, but it seems to have disappeared.
Maybe a Mod can find it.
The only tricks to removing that C-clip is to be careful. And have a towel or cloth on your work surface to keep it from bouncing and rolling away. I used piano action leather to reline mine. It works perfect, but I find it tends to get squeaky when it warms up, just like a squeaky piano action - go figure.

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Thanks for the info. I actually recall that thread and I believe I made a post in there because the process you described looked similar to the M9994k. Thanks for the advice,

The easiest way is to remove the mechanism that pushes the clutch. it's one screw and a spring. Then get the circlip of and remember how the bearing rings are located on the shaft. I've got four of these boxes, in various stages of use, and none of them needed a new felt. I cleaned the felt part and the oposite part with brake cleaner to completely degrease them. That was enough.

I also advise to not use the recommended thicker main belt, but to use a smaller diameter and thinner belt. I found it much more reliable. Don't worry about the tape speed with this box, you can actually adjust it. Unlike the 9990. Good luck.

Michiel said:

The easiest way is to remove the mechanism that pushes the clutch. it's one screw and a spring. Then get the circlip of and remember how the bearing rings are located on the shaft. I've got four of these boxes, in various stages of use, and none of them needed a new felt. I cleaned the felt part and the oposite part with brake cleaner to completely degrease them. That was enough.

I also advise to not use the recommended thicker main belt, but to use a smaller diameter and thinner belt. I found it much more reliable. Don't worry about the tape speed with this box, you can actually adjust it. Unlike the 9990. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Perfect, I'll try another belt as well and see if I can get better results. I have a big bag of them I'm sure I could find a size that fits. Thanks for the tips. I'll try to come back and update you guys with good news.

Found it...:
https://boomboxery.com/forum/index.php?/topic/17960-sanyo-m9990-deck-repair/

sirkevinvonbboyin said:

Thanks for the info. I actually recall that thread and I believe I made a post in there because the process you described looked similar to the M9994k. Thanks for the advice,

Click to expand...

Yup. I guess you did.
Keep us posted.

E-clips are notorious for losing them. They jump like tiny frogs.
In case you lose it, E- clips can be purchased from Autozone or ACE Hardware. You can buy the assorted variety.

Just wanted to update everyone:

The issue is fixed! This is the first time I've had everything going perfectly with this radio and your guys' advice helped.

I actually ended up not removing the e-clip and instead I just slid a card with an alcohol pad wrapped around it in and out of the clutch to clean the gunk and hopefully clean the felt a bit.

Then I took Michiel's advice and replaced the thick square belt with a slightly smaller thinner one (also square) which is working perfectly.

Now REW, PLAY, and FF is working good and strong for the first time. Thanks for your time everyone, I got most of the way there but just needed that bit of direction to get the job done. I got some more stereos that need work so I'm sure I'll be back in tech talk soon enough.