Sounds like the capstan belt has to be changed. It's a pretty normal and common service item for a deck of that vintage to require it.
If you're a handy sort of person, you might want to attempt opening up the bottom of the unit to gain access to the cassette mechanism and verifying that the belt has in fact fallen or broken off and order the replacement part from TEAC/TASCAM America's parts department or, seek out a qualified/authorized TASCAM service repair shop in your area to do the job which is a quick and simple one for a technician with experience at it.
... thanks , ghost... much appreciated. this 244 is in time capsule kinda shape, but i guess belts can go at anytime. i have a good tech in town... how much should this set me back in your opinion?
thanks again - jv
... $65 later and it's as good as new... you nailed it... it just needed a belt, and he checked everything else in the transport out and lubed it up. he said he had never seen such a clean 244 in recent years. thanks again for your help. you're an asset to this forum and you've helped me out before with your knowledge and experience. i hope i can return the favor sometime.
peace - jv