Sony TC-366 Reel to Reel tape deck problem

ticul38

New member
Have acquired a vintage Sony TC-366 tape deck. Cleaned inside/out. Tape advances both ways OK but can't get it to reliably hold in the play position...there seems to lack a notched resting position for the mechanical linkage.
Any repair/adjustment suggestions or directions towards a forum specializing in tape decks?
Thank you
Louis
 
Thank you Vintage Texas...really like your site. Good detail there on what mechanical challenge I need to work thru to get the unit going again.
Question re. the adjustment screw...is it accessible without lifting the head stack?
Louis
 
Thanks for your comment Louis, yes just over the tape-selector switch you find a small hole with the adjustment (phillips screw).
Turn it two times clockwards and test the selector lever with only the face-plate off and see what happens.:)
 
NICE!

I used to have one of these decks. It was given to my by my dentist (odd, huh?) who was about to throw it away, along with about 45 reels of Sony PR-150 tape that had AMAZING dubs of classic rock records.

When he said he was about to trash it, I said "no you aren't" and picked it up that same day! I spent the next year and a half on my spare time dumping the tapes to my PC, into CD-format audio. To this day I'm still in the process of researching the music, and chopping up these massive WAV files into tracks, for enjoyment on other medium.

I did experience the issue that you're experiencing with the machine. At first, it would play and then slow down to a crawl after about 10 minutes, until the tape stopped. I took it to a local vintage electronics shop, and they managed to lubricate it and clean the belts and moving parts enough to bring it back to life to the point that it would play a tape at the correct speed consistently all the way through.

But I continued experiencing the issue with the play lever not latching -- it was intermittent, and eventually it was stay. I never pursued fixing it though.

That's a really cool website -- I wish I had seen it before when I still had the deck :rolleyes:
 
Hoooray!

Your the man "Vintage"!
Took a while to locate that screw (it is horizontal) but 2 turns did the job..now holds play position very well.
One more help area I need for this tape deck: the smudgy damp basement smell inside, looks like a bit of moisture had splashed thru the rear vent screen onto the back side of steel frame plates, and some wires. I cleaned off the wires but the tangy smell remains:eek:...any way of cleaning this away?

Many thanks Vintage,
Louis
 
Glad it works again :)
I think cleaning the inside of the wood cabinet can help, wipe it down with regular house cleaning product like Ajax grapefruit or something that you like.
 
Problems Sony TC 366

Hi,

Hav noticed that here is a lot of knowlegde about RTR decks in this forum.

I have problems with my Sony TC366. The Capstan motor wont start. is there any usual problem ? Maybe a easy fix also?.... ;)

-olderkongen
 
Did you test with a tape loaded ? :)
There is a small rod on the left side of the headstack that engage the motor, without tape..no juice.
Look at the pictures below:
 

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TC 366 motor not working

Hello Vintage TX!

your website is excellent and most informative! thanks for all of your hard work.

I can't seem to get my capstan motor to work. The tape recognition lever is fully engaged, yet the motor will not run.

I have been dealing with this problem and trying to diagnose it properly. I accidentally left the unit on overnight and this was the last time that it was operating properly. Could the fuse/tranformer be blown??

Please let me know if you have run into this problem. I miss using this and am kicking myself for making such a stupid mistake!

thanks in advance!

jeffrey
 
thanks for your quick reply!

No, I didn't have the tape loaded when it sat with the power on overnight. This was the reason for the oversight. I had taken the reels off in order to load new tape for recording the following day.

The next day, after I had realized that I left the unit on overnight, I placed the reels back on the unit and gave it a go. Once the reels were properly loaded I turned the lever to play and nothing happened. I then tried forwarding and reversing the tape - nothing. All of the components seemed to be engaging, but the reels, motor and any subsequently driven parts are at a standstill.

Thanks again for your time!

best
jeffrey
 
OK, but if the deck didn't have any tape loaded while power button was on, the motor is not engaged.
Do you have a voltage-selector on this deck (located on the right side) ?

Check one other thing, take the rear cover off (4 scews inside the rubber-feets)
Turn the power on with tape loaded on the deck, look if the fan moves at all.

Let me know what you find :)
 
Good News!

I took the back off of the unit as per your suggestion. The fan was idle and not operational. I turned the unit on - still nothing. I gave the fan a nudge (jumpstart) and it started! Everything seems to be working fine now.

What could this have been? I am still worried that this sensitivity might prove to be an issue in the future. Perhaps the anomaly could just be chalked up to age and motor rundown? Maybe you have some insight...

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day!

I can only hope you know how much this is appreciated!

jeffrey
 
You welcome Jeffrey, but I don't think the problem is fully solved yet.
Let it power up now for 5-10 minutes with a tape playing, check if the speed slows down after using fforward or rewind function, is so the start capacitor motor is weak and need replacement.

Do this test and see what it does, but have a feeling the cap is on the fritz.
 
OK

So I let the unit run for about 10 mins. It does seem as though the motor might be weak. Everything seems to be fine with the play function. However, when I try to forward or reverse the tape everything just eventually peters out.

I guess my enthusiasm was way to preemptive, but at least now i'm closer to knowing what the problem is thanks to you!

Would you happen to know how much a new motor would cost?? I am in Brooklyn, so I'm sure resources are somewhat plentiful here. I would very much like to know what I'm getting into here if I have to fix/replace the motor myself or get someone to do it for me.

Thanks again,

jeffrey
 
Good testing Jeffrey, I think you only need to replace the cap.
Most cases the motor survive but will send you a PM with more details :)
 
Do you have a voltage-selector on this deck (located on the right side) ?


Second on the voltage selector issue. I used to have one of these decks, and about 1 out of 20 times that I'd try turning it on, it wouldn't turn on, because the voltage selector jumper was not making good contact. Wiggling the jumper usually would kick it back into gear -- but afaik the symptom of that issue is the entire deck not powering on.

If the deck is slowing to a crawl during playback, it could be a variety of things. Vintage Texas will likely have ideas for you in his PM. Good luck!
 
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