424 MKII tape speed problems

[jondanger]

Hi all, I was hoping that one of you knowledgeable types might be able to help me with a problem that I am having.

My old 424 MKII is having some tape speed issues. It speeds up and slows down after it has been recording or playing for a few minutes. I have cleaned the whole thing out with compressed air and reoriented the belt on the flywheel.

The pin that comes off the flywheel and engages to roll the tape has a small plastic loop holding the flywheel up that seems to loosen up and let the flywheel drop just a bit. I am wondering if this vertical movement is making the tape speed vary. I can tighten this plastic loop, but it just slackens up after two minutes or so.

Does anyone have any advice on fixing this? Or on how to obtain a whole new tape mechanism and just drop it in?

Thanks so much for any help anyone can offer! -Jonathan

 

[jjones1700]

You might want to see if you can locate a service manual for the 424mkII. If so, you could contact Tascam (Teac) and order the faulty part to replace it. Luckily, Tascam is one of the few companies that still carries parts for their older machines.