85 Fiero Cassette player too slow (Page 1/2)
SPoD FEB 04, 06:51 PM
So I have this cassette player from a 1985 Fiero



Problem is; the cassette is wayyyyyy too slow. Like 125% slower than normal.
However, I noticed while fiddling around with it that I can get it to play faster if I slightly lift the right pinch-roller. If I lift it too far, the player plays too fast.

Has anyone encountered anything like this, or know how to fix it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chris Eddy FEB 04, 09:49 PM
Is the belt snug? Most of the time the belt ages and gets limp.
SPoD FEB 05, 12:14 PM
Yep. Belt is brand new and capstans have oil in their bearings.
IMSA GT FEB 05, 03:06 PM
I don't believe there is a way to adjust the speed on that model. Just a curious question, the belt is installed correctly? I cannot see the belt routing.
SPoD FEB 05, 08:06 PM
Yep. Belt is routed across both capstans.
IMSA GT FEB 05, 08:49 PM
Oh ok. This is what drives me nuts about our radios. Everyone seems to have the same radio but a different cassette cartridge. This is mine from a stock 87GT:

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 02-05-2023).]

SPoD FEB 05, 09:15 PM
funnily enough, I actually do have a second radio with that style of cassette deck. I'm not using that one, however, because the FF / REW buttons don't engage, and the motor is dead (The radio itself is also completely silent-- it tunes but without volume. This is also the revision board with the redesigned amplifier board.) I made a post about that deck a while ago, but that was before the motor quit working. The cassette deck itself also appeared to have been dropped, because the metal piece that holds the FF gear is bent so badly it engages no matter what.

[This message has been edited by SPoD (edited 02-05-2023).]

Dukesterpro FEB 06, 09:06 AM
Did you try watching the Ronald Finger saturday repair video on this exact radio and problem?
SPoD FEB 06, 05:58 PM
Yes. He has the exact same style deck so that was my first idea.

Quoting the video, he "slid the pulleys out with the shafts attached to them, wiped everything down, and added the teeniest bit of oil", which fixed his problem

I tried both his fixes for my deck, because mine also got stuck in auto-rev. His fix for the auto-reverse mechanism worked just fine, but even after adding oil to the base of the capstans, it still moved at about the same speed. Though again, I can get it to play "too fast" by moving the little rubber pinch roller away from the capstan.


EDIT: So after a bit of forum digging, I found out that the belt was installed incorrectly (picture above isn't correct). It needed to be put behind the left capstan, such that it spins the left capstan clockwise and the right one counterclockwise. I've since rerouted it, but it's still about 30% too slow.

[This message has been edited by SPoD (edited 02-08-2023).]

Chris Eddy FEB 07, 10:32 PM
Can you measure he voltage on the motor? Sometimes the switch that applies power to the deck is weak.
Can you use touch to see where and if there is resistance in the path?