Any websites with info on car cassette deck repair? [Archive]

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11_Alive

04-26-2011, 08:16 PM

Hi everyone,

this is my first post. Hopefully someone here can help me out. I have a stock car cassette deck in my mid 90's Lincoln TownCar. It still works, but will only play one side of the tape. It's not eating any tapes, but I'm sure the inside would need a good cleaning anyway considering it's age.

Is there any info on the web that goes into detail about repairing a car cassette deck? I've tried searching Google with no real results.

I'm pretty sure I can remove the deck with no trouble, but I want to be careful when opening it up. If my deck needs new belts, will they be more difficult to replace than on a standalone player?

Another problem I have with the deck is that the sound is lower on the right channel. I unfortunately caused this from using my CD player's cassette adapter. One of the songs on my CD must have been too bass heavy and it looks like I blew something out in the process. I can still play tapes, but have to move the balance over to the right a bit.

I'd rather try and salvage this deck so that the car is kept in as original condition as possible. I may buy an aftermarket deck and work on this one later down the road, but I do want to get it fixed.

Thanks for your help.

11 Alive

390FE

04-26-2011, 08:53 PM

Hi,
Welcome to the forum.

Sorry to say I don't know of any sites dedicated to car stereo repair. Though there may be, I just don't know of any.

Anyways. It is more dificult to change the belts in a car stereo then it is in most home decks. But it can be done.

I suggest taking a lot of pics while you open the unit up & durring removal of parts & wires so you can return everything back to where they came from when you start putting it back together. Put the hardware you remove in pill bottles & label them so you know where they came from.

Do you know how to solder & desolder? I ask because there is a good chance you will need to unsolder some connections/wires to remove circuit boards to gain access to the tape transport & to remove the transport. Some car decks are easier then others to get to the transport on.

Sorry I can't help more at the moment as it has been decades since I have been in a Ford radio.

First thing is to get the removal tools so you can pull the radio out of the dash. It will make your job easier. The tools make removal easier but it can be done without the tool if you have the right size & length metal rod or phillips screwdriver that will insert into the 4 holes in the face of the Ford radio & will release the lock clips.

If you want to post pics when you open the top of the radio someone might be able to help with pointers.

11_Alive

04-26-2011, 10:15 PM

Hi 390FE,

thanks for welcoming me to the forum. I appreciate the pointers you've given me and I'll keep them in mind when I get to tackling this project.

I agree, you're probably right that there might not be anything available online regarding car cassette deck repair. Judging from the fact that most people have moved on to other forms of entertainment in their vehicles, I wouldn't be surprised that many give a darn about a cassette deck once it goes out of whack. They'd probably tell me to chuck it. Heck no.

Thankfully, the radio still works fine throughout. It doesn't suffer from the out of balance channels that the tape deck is now experiencing. I'm wondering if either I messed up the play head or burnt out something on the board. If anything, I'll at least try and access the belts and be able to clean the head, capstans and rollers.

When I'm finally ready for this, I'll definitely take a few pics to see if someone can help pinpoint how to approach things here.

Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.

11 Alive

Elite-ist

04-26-2011, 10:55 PM

Hi 11 Alive,

If you have your heart set on using a factory stock unit, you may be better off finding a wrecked TownCar which appears to have low mileage, and salvage the receiver/cassette deck from it. You can have the salvage yard supply a battery to power up the unit, if an ignition key is also available to turn the ignition onto the accessory position. Bring a tape and try it out, before dismantling it from the dash panel. It may be worth looking into whether Ford/Lincoln ever offered an optional stereo which had a CD player, either built in, or controller for a remote mounted CD changer. Also, buy, or borrow a cassette-style demagnetizer and cassette-style head cleaner to make it easy to keep your car deck maintained.

Nando.

jdurbin1

04-26-2011, 11:24 PM

Try these guys... one of the top OEM car radio service centers in the US.

http://unitedradio.com/consumer/

John

11_Alive

04-27-2011, 09:31 AM

If you have your heart set on using a factory stock unit, you may be better off finding a wrecked TownCar which appears to have low mileage, and salvage the receiver/cassette deck from it. You can have the salvage yard supply a battery to power up the unit, if an ignition key is also available to turn the ignition onto the accessory position. Bring a tape and try it out, before dismantling it from the dash panel.
Hi Nando. That idea sounds good. I'd have to call around though because I believe the OEM radio I have was only installed in the 1994 model.

How much would a junk yard charge for a pulled radio? I can handle anywhere from $20 to $40 as long as I know the deck is working well.
It may be worth looking into whether Ford/Lincoln ever offered an optional stereo which had a CD player, either built in, or controller for a remote mounted CD changer. Also, buy, or borrow a cassette-style demagnetizer and cassette-style head cleaner to make it easy to keep your car deck maintained.
That could be possible considering that CD's were coming into their own around that time. I'll do a bit of digging online and see what options the TownCar had during my model year's production.

Thankfully, I have a demagnetizer tape I bought sometime in the 90's. Just have to put a new battery in it. I'll look around for a proper cassette head cleaner (preferably one that has pads to clean the capstans at the same time it's cleaning the head).

Here's a pic I found of the cassette deck I have.

http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr167/oemradios/jblf1.jpg

On the Bay, it looks like there are a handful of them brand new for around $85. If they're still available and it's my last resort, I'll go that route. In the meantime, I'll probably just purchase one of those CD/cassette 1 din combos. I was thinking about getting one made by Pyle, but I read the reviews and they don't look promising (the deck malfunctions and overheats, melting CD's *eyepop*). I like the one made by Sanyo, but the price is out of the ballpark for me right now. I guess I'll just have to enjoy what I've got at the moment.

11 Alive

11_Alive

04-27-2011, 09:47 AM

Try these guys... one of the top OEM car radio service centers in the US.

http://unitedradio.com/consumer/

John
Thanks John, I appreciate that. There's another repair center (I forget the name of it at the moment) located near me in Pennsylvania. It looks like the repair cost would set me back a bit. If this deck was extremely rare, I'd go for it though. But I'm glad to know that there are still repair centers servicing car decks. Thanks again for the link there.

11 Alive

Elite-ist

04-27-2011, 02:05 PM

You could try one of these models from Pioneer. I was surprised Pioneer still offered a cassette/receiver:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Accessories/Cassette-Decks

Nando.

11_Alive

04-27-2011, 03:02 PM

You could try one of these models from Pioneer. I was surprised Pioneer still offered a cassette/receiver:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Accessories/Cassette-Decks

Nando.
Yeah, I'm surprised about that too. I searched the Bay for Pioneers and found some good models in used, but not abused condition. Kenwoods and Alpines I've thought about purchasing one of them too. I'll find something eventually.

This Sanyo is right in line with what I'm looking for. Both CD and cassette are right there when needed. And it should look really nice in the dash. But the price is a bit much. Guess I'll have to wait there.

http://shop.globalelectronics.com/media/catalog/product/f/x/fxcd500.jpg

11 Alive

390FE

04-29-2011, 12:34 AM

Yeah, I'm surprised about that too. I searched the Bay for Pioneers and found some good models in used, but not abused condition. Kenwoods and Alpines I've thought about purchasing one of them too. I'll find something eventually.

This Sanyo is right in line with what I'm looking for. Both CD and cassette are right there when needed. And it should look really nice in the dash. But the price is a bit much. Guess I'll have to wait there.

http://shop.globalelectronics.com/media/catalog/product/f/x/fxcd500.jpg

11 Alive

I have this unit. It is an excelent deck with very good power output. The newer version the 550 which dropped the Dolby but added a digital buffer anti skip to the CD player.
There was also a version that had both the tape & CD hidden behind a flip down panel. Which I did not like as it impedes the speedy & easy access to both players.

My Sanyo FXCD500 is currently installed in my '87 Crown Vic wagon.

pic to come as soon as I find it.

11_Alive

04-30-2011, 02:37 PM

I have this unit. It is an excelent deck with very good power output. The newer version the 550 which dropped the Dolby but added a digital buffer anti skip to the CD player.
There was also a version that had both the tape & CD hidden behind a flip down panel. Which I did not like as it impedes the speedy & easy access to both players.

My Sanyo FXCD500 is currently installed in my '87 Crown Vic wagon.

pic to come as soon as I find it.
You mean with the 500 there was no anti-skip? How well does it handle playback in your Crown Vic?

I'll check into the 550, but I'm still cool with the 500. I don't mind no Dolby being available. I've never used it much on my OEM deck. So either should be fine for me.

I agree with you about the hidden panel design model. I too want quick access to both players.

11 Alive

Skywavebe

04-30-2011, 04:42 PM

Hi 11 Alive,
I have worked on a lot of car audio units in my time. Most of them were Sony due to the refurbish/repair place was a Sony authorized but we also did Hitachi and JVC and a lot of other brands. Stock unit are more clunky than the higher end stuff but they all work on the same principle.
I can not tell you what the problem is remotely without working on it and seeing what is wrong. If you have a problem with one channel being lower and not all the way out that would sound like a speaker issue more than a amplifier issue. One thing that I have seen over the years in this type of unit is poor soldering coupled with vibration that is ever present in cars.
Many solder joints have been the cause of failed or intermittent functions. The first thing to over come when working on these units is a repair setup.
That mean with all the different unit there are you need a harness to power and access the speaker output as well as a good ground. Then once a bench has that it is just a matter of dealing with problems at hand. I have had to replace some power amp chips in these things on occasion but there have been other problems too. If you do not want to
send it off for repair, my advice is to go to the Crutchfield website and see what is presently available that would fit your car. They used to have custom kit that would fit anything to look like it was factory.
If the right channel is lower in both radio and cassette, then it is a amp or output problem. If only tape either dirty heads or dirty pinch roller and capstan shafts which skew tape. Belts for these sized unit is not a problem. Let me know if you need more help that what I have stated and I can do more for you.

390FE

05-02-2011, 04:23 PM

You mean with the 500 there was no anti-skip? How well does it handle playback in your Crown Vic?

I'll check into the 550, but I'm still cool with the 500. I don't mind no Dolby being available. I've never used it much on my OEM deck. So either should be fine for me.

I agree with you about the hidden panel design model. I too want quick access to both players.

11 Alive

FYI Pyle also made a single DIN combo Tape/CD unit but when I was looking & researching them for a friend I felt the Sanyo was a much better unit & looked a lot nicer also.

The 500 only had mechanical anti skip. The 550 added a digital memory buffer like used on portable CD players in addition to the mechanical. But they dropped the Dolby B on the 550. Also the 550 looked a little different, the coloring of the buttons changed but it was a minor change.

I don't ever remember my 500 skipping & I improved the suspention on my Crown Vic Wagon so it was stiffer. I put Billistein Truck shocks in the front. Greatly improved handling. Even if I lightly bottomed out the front end I didn't have it skip.

Installed in your Lincoln you should have no problems.

Here are 2 pics of my 500 as installed in my '87 Crown Vic wagon.

20438

20439

You will notice that I did NOT hack the dash to put the radio in. If you use the install mounting kit called out for your car you will have to HACK up the dash to put it in. On both my '84 T-Bird & my '87 Crown Vic I used the kit for installation into a Ranger of the same vintage. It sets the radio back in the dash so you don't need to cut the dash pannel. The dash pannel will flex enough (which isn't much) so it can be installed over the front of the radio. No trimming or cutting needed.

Both the 500 & the 550 have a CD changer connector & line outs.

Another reason I don't like the flip down pannel is it is one more thing to break or go wrong.

As for speakers I always used/kept the Factory dash speakers as they sounded good, could handle a fair amount of power & were way to much of a pain to try & replace. The rears I usually upgraded though as they were a lot easier to get to.

11_Alive

05-03-2011, 06:37 PM

FYI Pyle also made a single DIN combo Tape/CD unit but when I was looking & researching them for a friend I felt the Sanyo was a much better unit & looked a lot nicer also.
Yeah, Pyle doesn't look too promising. The color scheme is an eyesore. I read reviews on Amazon about the deck overheating, chewing up tapes and melting CD's. Not good.
The 500 only had mechanical anti skip. The 550 added a digital memory buffer like used on portable CD players in addition to the mechanical. But they dropped the Dolby B on the 550. Also the 550 looked a little different, the coloring of the buttons changed but it was a minor change.

I don't ever remember my 500 skipping & I improved the suspention on my Crown Vic Wagon so it was stiffer. I put Billistein Truck shocks in the front. Greatly improved handling. Even if I lightly bottomed out the front end I didn't have it skip.

Installed in your Lincoln you should have no problems.
If that's the case, then I'll probably stick with the 500.
Here are 2 pics of my 500 as installed in my '87 Crown Vic wagon.

20438

20439

You will notice that I did NOT hack the dash to put the radio in. If you use the install mounting kit called out for your car you will have to HACK up the dash to put it in. On both my '84 T-Bird & my '87 Crown Vic I used the kit for installation into a Ranger of the same vintage. It sets the radio back in the dash so you don't need to cut the dash pannel. The dash pannel will flex enough (which isn't much) so it can be installed over the front of the radio. No trimming or cutting needed.

Both the 500 & the 550 have a CD changer connector & line outs.
Thanks for sharing the pics of the unit in your dash. It really does look nice. Sanyo knew what they were doing when they designed it.

Also, thanks for the installation tips. When I'm finally able to get this deck, I hope not to mess up much if there is some type of hack involved. I know it'll look very stylish in the TownCar, especially since the buttons don't stick out and are flush with the unit.
Another reason I don't like the flip down pannel is it is one more thing to break or go wrong.

As for speakers I always used/kept the Factory dash speakers as they sounded good, could handle a fair amount of power & were way to much of a pain to try & replace. The rears I usually upgraded though as they were a lot easier to get to.
Regarding the flip down panel, I'd be concerned about that part breaking down too. I'll probably keep all the speakers in my car intact. They still sound decent.

I'm sure if I had plenty of money, I'd just bring the car into an audio dealer and have them install something that gives a better overall sound. Don't get me wrong, I like what these speakers provide, but there's still something lacking. A little more high-end and mid would be great.

11 Alive

390FE

05-24-2011, 05:53 PM

Yeah, Pyle doesn't look too promising. The color scheme is an eyesore. I read reviews on Amazon about the deck overheating, chewing up tapes and melting CD's. Not good.

If that's the case, then I'll probably stick with the 500.

Thanks for sharing the pics of the unit in your dash. It really does look nice. Sanyo knew what they were doing when they designed it.

Also, thanks for the installation tips. When I'm finally able to get this deck, I hope not to mess up much if there is some type of hack involved. I know it'll look very stylish in the TownCar, especially since the buttons don't stick out and are flush with the unit.

Regarding the flip down panel, I'd be concerned about that part breaking down too. I'll probably keep all the speakers in my car intact. They still sound decent.

I'm sure if I had plenty of money, I'd just bring the car into an audio dealer and have them install something that gives a better overall sound. Don't get me wrong, I like what these speakers provide, but there's still something lacking. A little more high-end and mid would be great.

11 Alive

You can say that again abt the looks of the Pyle. The green back light of the Sanyo matches the Ford lighting. Which I like.

I just got a 550 (minus face plate) & need to correct some things. The 550 not only doesn't have Dolby which I knew about, it also deleted the Changer Control connection & function that the 500 had.

The factory speakers are good. I always have left the factory dash speakers as they are a royal pain to change on most cars. The rear deck speakers are a ton easier to change if wanted.

I will NEVER allow some/any car stereo shop to hack up or even touch my car. I DON'T trust them. And I hate to hack or cut a factory harness in a car, try real hard not to & 99.99% of the time don't.

Car stereo installation is not that hard. There are wireing interface adaptors you can buy so you don't have to hack up the factory harness. Some will even plug direct into the aftermarket radio & plug direct into the cars factory harness. No wire cutting or splicing. Others you just buy the pigtail to plug into the car harness & splice the aftermarket radio harness to the pigtail. Same goes for speaker connections.

Buy a mounting/install kit as needed.

And some basic tools.

Piece of cake to install.

11_Alive

07-07-2011, 10:29 PM

Hi 390FE,

this is a late reply, but thank you for the installation advice there. I read this post earlier, but haven't logged in to contribute much in awhile.

Just wanted to update folks here on my car deck's situation. It looks like it's able to play both sides of the tape now. I was listening to one cassette and just decided to let it run out knowing the worst that could happen is the deck would try to reverse and then just eject saying 'error'. Well, this time that didn't happen. It flipped to the other side and actually played fine. I pulled the tape out to see if the reverse capstan/roller was doing any damage and I didn't see any.

I'm guessing that playing enough tapes had eventually freed up the auto-reverse mechanism. Very good indeed. I'll probably keep this one in the dash for awhile longer, but am definitely going for that Sanyo when I've got the dough.

11 Alive

Scorpion8

07-07-2011, 10:49 PM

Is there any info on the web that goes into detail about repairing a car cassette deck?

Try here.... http://www.carstereohelp.com/

EM-X90

07-09-2011, 11:34 PM

Warped Bezel

07-10-2011, 10:55 AM

11Alive, either your head is out of alignment or there is a another problem, such as the head wiring being damaged or the head needing cleaning and demagnetizing. That being said many auto salvagers have a computerized network to locate pulls of any condition, including the electronics.

EM-X90, I know for a fact my Ford technicians are not stupid and Ford holds a yearly contest in the US for high school repair teams, which a local school's shop has performed masterfully during the 30 years their just retired teacher was there. The Ford dealer's body shop is topnotch here as well.

If your Cortina suffered badly I offer my consolences but I also have to ask have you had too many bouts with Popeye? Why are you so gruff?