Good Morning
Well, i've been up til 5am working on the VZ2000. Here's how it went:
Opened up the how to strip down a VZ2000 guide and immediately realised that it was very user friendly. Second realisation was that i didn't have magnetic screwdrivers, which i can now assure you are a must for this operation. So, just in the nick of time, i get down the hardware store and pick some up.
Back home, i start taking the screws out. Typically, what souns easy is a little more difficult when you haven't done it before and you are conscious of not breaking anything. After some troublesome moments and low level swearing, i get the the door/turntable out. Gently laying it against the right speaker grill, i can now see inside the unit, and i am shocked by how filthy it is inside. This is going to take some serious cleaning.
Slowly i unwind the wires and disconnect a couple of plugs as per instructions, and with great releif i am able to completely remove the door/turntable. I leave it to one side.
Next job is to separate the case. Leaving the tape cassette door open (this is a must) and removing the the power switch (also a must), i start trying to take the front and back screws out. These are a bit of a bitch, and there doesn't appear to be as many in the back as the guide says. So i think to myself that probably some have been removed in the past and not replaced (i'm an idiot).
I begin to try and pry the case apart. It is more difficult than suggested, but i keep trying. Finally, at the point when you start to toy with idea of moving onto brute force and ignorance, i decide to check to see if i have in fact removed all the screws. Being so deep in the unit, it is a little hard to see them. so i get my torch out and peer in. This is when i discover that a couple of holes are full of dirt, Scraping the dirt away, the screws come into sight. I was a bees dick away from disaster, but am back on track now.
Now that i have removed 'all' of the screws, the two parts of the case came apart relatively easily. Here, it's important not to pull it completely apart as you need to unclip the speaker cables at the bottom first. It's very dirty inside, so i get the hoover and Isopropyl alcohol out and start cleaning. The slider controls are thick with dirt and dust, and plenty of little spiders have met their fate inside this case.
Turning to the cassette deck, i can see where a bit of plastic has snapped off the inside carriage, explaining why it dangles down. While i'm fiddling about wondering how to fashion some kind of replacement, i here something drop out of the case. Looking down, i am pleasantly surprised to see the very part that snapped off. Being a relatively clean break, i super glue it back on and leave it to set.
I then change the belts for the cassette. My drive belt pack is a bit short on detail, so i basically have to guess what belts to put in. My method is to look at the old belt, and assuming it has stretched a bit, put a new one in slightly smaller.
Having cleaned up and played with a few things, i now put the case back together. This all goes pretty well as i'm now familiar with how it all fits in.
Now, i'm ready to tackle the turntable. First thing i notice is that there is no belt at all. Oh well, i think, it might have been removed to be used on another unit. Removing the four screws and some wires, i get the platter off, and to my horror, find the old belt, in a disgusting gooey mess spread over the bottom of the platter and around the motor spindle. This is going to be a bitch to clean. Half an hour later, i could confirm that it was in fact a bitch, but it was now at least a clean bitch.
Looking in my bag of belts, i can't for the life of me see one that has any hope of fitting the turntable. Rather than risk it, i decided to use the belt off my spare Rotel turntable and see how it goes. While being a little frustratingly tricky, the belt eventually goes on, and seems an ok fit. The tension seems ok, though perhaps a little on the loose side. Anyway, i put it back together, and then change the tone arm belt for good measure.
Feeling like i'm nearing the end of this adventure, i put the door/turntable back in with relative ease, and quietly pat myself on the back for a job well done.
Now, it's time to test the quality of my work. Before putting any cassettes or records in, i just check to see if they are working. Happily, the cassette now at least is turning and so is the record player. Success!!!! Now, better make sure the radio still works. Switch her on, and oh dear, nothing! Play with the volume dial a bit, but still nothing. Sitting back, getting progressively more worried, it dawns upon me, I didn't reconnect the speaker cables!. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Nothing i can do but pull it apart again. It's now 2am, but i have to finish this.
Second time around, it is all more difficult as the screws just don't want to come out nice and easily. Ploughing on through gritted teeth, i eventually prise the unit open again and reconnect the speaker cables. Then i put it all back together, only to realise that i forgot this time to reconnect the power switch!!!. At this stage i could almost through the unit out the window. But, i refrain from this act, and removing the door yet again, i reconnect the power switch, and then reassemble for the third time.
It's now close to 5am, but i need to give it a test run. First up, thank god, the radio is working, and sounding beautiful. Second up, the cassette is working, but sounds very wonky. i'm not sure if the belts are not right or the tape head is dirty. Either way, now is not not the time to tinker around with it.
Lastly, i turn to the turntable, the main reason i have done all this work as i still mainly play vinyl, pop a record in, and with great relief, it plays. Only issue, it sounds a bit slow, but i'm not sure. I take the record out and pop the other side on, and now, it sounds fine. Perhaps it has righted itself after years of being dormant. Either way, i'm now feeling very happy. I then remember that you can play both sides without removing the record, so i try this, and am horrified to hear the results. Sound quality has gone down to almost zero. It sounds rough as guts. Anyway, i think there are two tone arms to play each side, so if it's just a new stylus that's required, that's no big deal.
So there you have it. My VZ2000 has come a long way in just one long night. It's now clean as a whistle with the record player back in action and the cassette deck hopefully on its way to full repair. I have ordered the sliders from Bredgeo and Alfie has offered me some spare parts to fully restore it to glory.
I have taken pics, but whenver i try to post on here with attached pictures, i am told i need to log in, and then i lose my post. This never happens when i post without pics, so perhaps i don't have sufficient authority to put a picture up. If i can do so, i will post some before and after pics shortly.
Thanks again to everyone on this site who has been so helpful. I seriously could not have done any of this without you.
Cheers
Jeremy
It may take a few times of taking apart and putting back together to get things just right. Important thing is try not to rush because that's when mistakes happen. Hope to see some pics... You should be able to post them 
