A common fault with older machines is lack of reel torque. This can
result in the machine shutting down in playback or record modes and the tape
not being would back into the cassette housing after eject.
The best cure for this is to replace the reel chassis. However, because
of changes during production you may find that some other bits, such as
springs, may need replacing as well. Sony also made available a
'motor mod kit' which consists of a .02mm thick piece of plastic which
can be fitted in the worn bearing. Alternatively a small ball bearing
can be fitted but this may require the rotor to be filed down to ensure the
correct gap between rotor and stator coils.
Audio level controls not operating.
Check that the audio monitor is set to Auto. The VU meters only show
the Hi-Fi sound level in this mode.
No head drum rotation
You may find that the head drum fails to rotate. This
is due to a problem with the Hall effect device on the
head drum motor which is secured by a blob of glue which
tends to become conductive especially if it absorbs
moisture. The best remedy is to remove the glue from
the device. To do this first remove the rotor from
the bottom of the drum by undoing the lock-nut.
Sometimes, however, it is enough to wait for the
damp to dry out.
Deck goes into rewind
This can be caused by failure of the tape end sensor. You can check this by
unplugging the sensor at its socket on the PCB.
