Cassette Car Problem

Having problem with the cassette deck of your car? Most people will tell you to stop fooling around with that thing and get a CD player, what they cannot understand that a CD player cannot replace the whole collection of cassettes unless there is a serious investment of time and money. So the best bit is to have a look at it.

Unfortunately troubleshooting it is not so easy because of the entire set of moving and electrical components in it. The power cord can be busted, the drive best can be damaged or even broken, the reading heads can be misaligned, worn out, or possibly dirty. Most of the times the cassette is the problem, but if it’s electrically related, than you need to take it to a professional.

Let’s see some of the possible symptoms that can give you an idea about the problem. In case of complete non-response, you need to check the outlet to see that the power is on and take a look at the electrical cord. In case you hear a hissing sound, or the sound is weak and there are no tones, than you need to head for the reading heads. The heads can be dirty or worn out or misaligned. In case of misalignment you better take it to a professional, since the alignment has to perfect to completely synchronize the reading process. In other cases you can simply go ahead and clean and demagnetize the heads.

If you see the tape spilling out, than the tape itself might be damaged, the belt may be as well damaged or the pinch roller may be dirty and not pulling the tape properly. In case of poor sound quality, than the heads might be dirty or the cassette is faulty. Once again cleaning the heads and test with a different cassette can solve, or at least detect the problem. If the player stops working all of a sudden or it won’t cease at the end of the tape, than the tape might be misaligned, not allowing the heads to get a proper reading. Take a look at the hubs and clean off any visible residue. Or the problem could lead you to the pinch roller. Remove the player and deplete it from the front panel. Try to gently take out the roller assembly to get it replaced. A more difficult problem to assess, is the one related to the tape motion sensor. In case the motion sensor is faulty you need to take it to a professional.

So in order to clean the heads first of all you need cleaning tape. As time passes, oxides get loose from the tape and entangle themselves on the tape guides or on pinch rollers. Because the tape tends to jump off the proper lane. Even the slightest dirt particle can affect the sound. Try to clean the heads after about 20 hours of use, by using a cleaning tape and following the instructions from the manufacturer. In case you don’t have cleaning tape, than you need to open the cassette door and locate the heads. Wipe the heads using a swab made of cotton and imbibed in denaturized alcohol.

If you want to demagnetize the heads you need to get a demagnetizer from an electrics store and simply follow the manufacturers instructions.

Remember, that in case you have to take the cassette player to a professional, get an estimate of the expenses. Even the estimate may be a little fee but at least you’ll know

If it’s worth repairing or getting a new one.

Post tags: Tags: car problem, cassete audio car, Cassette Car Problem