Hi I have just bought a Hitachi TRK-5280e The radio works fine but the tape wouldn’t play so I opened it up and found that the belts have been melted from age cleaned up put new belts on but won’t drive the main sprocket for the tape to wind up I don’t know what I’m doing wrong not very good at writing please see pictures
Change the belts but it won’t wind tape up
- Thread starter Tin
- Start date
Belt path looks good based on the picture attached. Somehow the contact wheel linked to the gear system is not moving and catching it to engage tape transport mechanism.
Locate the wheel linked to the tape take up reel axle. Press play and see how these wheels are engaged and check what is limiting the movement. There are contact wheels with gears move back and forth for each transport mechanism to activate it.
With all belts in place turn the flywheel counter clockwise. In some cases it will reset the deck and all will work fine!
Other experienced members will have better suggestions.
Locate the wheel linked to the tape take up reel axle. Press play and see how these wheels are engaged and check what is limiting the movement. There are contact wheels with gears move back and forth for each transport mechanism to activate it.
With all belts in place turn the flywheel counter clockwise. In some cases it will reset the deck and all will work fine!
Other experienced members will have better suggestions.
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Hi, nice box! hope you’ve managed to sort but if not - I’ve done a couple of Hitachi boxes recently a TRK 8200 and 8600 and found both had sticky mechanisms due to the lube going off and solidifying gic8 g similar problems to yours. Grab some cotton buds and some plastic and rubber safe cleaning fluid such as made by Nagaoka off the ’net and swab away all the old lube. I use a micro tipped mini bottle oil applicator (plastic safe oil) from Eileens Emporium to relube spinning parts on shafts (pulleys and gears) and lithium based grease for the sliding parts (usually metal or plastic) found in the mechanism - a cocktail stick is perfect for this. Banging some music on whilst your doing this job really helps popping out the capstan (the steel shaft about 2mm in diameter fitted into the usually grey metal flywheel about 40mm diameter and, watch out for the very small spacing washer and lock washer on the shaft), cleaning the capstan shaft and bearing mounted in the cassette mechanism back plate will make a massive difference - you’ll know you’ve got this right as the capstand will spin for ages without its drive belt fitted. All the best and enjoy the problem solving, sadly there aren’t any manuals for repairing 40+ year old boxes bit hope you enjoy writing your own story.