Attn Vintage TX-Akai surgery success!

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steamshooter

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Thanks Vintage TX, I just figured out how to put the @#%* drive belt on the 4000D. What a PITA! I decided to do it first thinking it would be the simplest. I had to dig waaaay down in the toolbox to find an allen wrench small enough to fit the pause control button. Right now it's ALL over my kitchen table. Lots and lots of parts had to come off. What's the going rate for this job?? I want to treat myself with what I saved :D
I installed an M-Audio 2496 over the weekend. Now I got to get this reel back together so I can play!
Btw-Where does this screw go? :rolleyes:
Now to do some cleaning inside and put him back together.
Thanks Vintage TX for the help and encouragement! Your pics on your site were invaluable for this job!
Brad
 
That small allenscrew is metric and can be stubborn :rolleyes:
As you know by now, faceplate has to come off lifting the belt on the capstan-motor pulley.
Did you figured out all the parts or need some help ?
Let me know if I can assist you. :)
 
Thanks Vintage TX, I got it back together after what seemed like a box of q-tips cleaning up the old grease. No leftover parts! In your honor I played a 3600' fellow Texan-Willie Nelson at 7 1/2 with nary a hic-up. BUT-it will NOT play 1800' at 3 3/4 without bogging down and dragging towards the last of the tape :mad: I read somewhere that the capstan gets polished and needs to be roughed up. It is slick and shiny like chrome. If that's the case, what grade of sandpaper would you recomend? 1000 or 1500 and go rougher from there?
Thanks a bunch
Brad
 
Great job Brad. :)
If the pinch-roller is cleaned but still has a shiny residue left, use a emory board very carefully, clean it again before testing 3-3/4 speed.
Also clean the capstan-shaft with head-cleaner.

Good Luck and enjoy the tunes Brad. :cool:
 
I just tried your suggestion. It helped, but, only a little. The speed is consistently slow, not wavering like before. (better grip) In an archive somewhere I read that if you push the pinch roller towards the capstan (which I did) and it goes back to speed (which it does), you have a bad roller. Is there an adjustment to take up the slack in the mechanism? Light thumb pressure will cure it.
Is this a fair assesment? Is it time for a new roller? :( Are they available or do I have to get a retread? I don't have any rubber conditioner (still shopping, leaning towards the Caig CaiKleen RBR. Will the rubber swell after conditioning?

CaiKleen RBR below:
http://shopping.netledger.com/s.nl/c.ACCT113328/sc.2/category.179/.f

Thanks
Brad
(Chompin' at the bit to start recording instead of listening) :D

Watch out for Ivan-I've got my eye on Jeanne!
 
Try following first before replacing the pinch-roller:
Not sure if you did this when you had the faceplate off.
The left arrow is the tape-roller, unscrew the top, below is a washer, plastic roller bearing and another washer, be sure you assemble these back in the same way Brad.
Clean the shaft with head-cleaner.
Also clean the white roller-bearing edge where the tape goes against with head-cleaner, be sure no cleaner goes inside the small bearing in the center.
When that is done, put one small drop of light machine-oil on the shaft, put the washer on, roller, washer and finally the silver cap.
Don't overtight the cap. :rolleyes:
Check with your finger if the plastic roller is turning freely.
Be sure the heads are clean.

Try with a tape and 3-3/4 speed again.

If this don't work, you need to take the faceplate off again and check pinch-roller linkage where the other green arrow is pointing.
There is a steelball + 2 cams with old grease between.
Clean the grease off and check when you turn the lever to play-mode the linkage goes up against the capstan-axel.
Put new lube on both cams, so the arm moves freely, I use a Q-tip with head-cleaner to get the old grease off.
Before you install the pinch-roller, check the shaft where it's mounted and use # 400 grit sandpaper to make it clean again, wipe it afterwards very carefully, put one small drop of machine-oil and mount the pinch-roller, be sure the small black washer is on the bottom of the shaft >> pinch-roller>>washer>>silver-cap.
If those washers are missing or not in the center of the silver-cap, that create more resistance for the pinch-roller to feed the tape thru at constant speed.

The picture is a 4000 DS model but inside is the same as your GX-4000.

Good Luck now with the "surgery" Brad
 

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Wow! Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna get to it ASAP. It's hard to do something like this with a four year old picking up everything :eek: and asking questions faster than I can answer. :p I'll let you know how it turns out.
Brad
 
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