Nakamichi woes

opusarlo

Active Member
I fired up my Nakamichi today hoping to hear some Loverboy, but it did not want to cooperate. It seems as though every button works on it, but it will not play. If I ffwd it to the end of the tape, it does the flippy thing with the tape and forwards a bit to where the music should start, but it simply will not play. This is a much more complicated tape player than I have ever had so I am not sure if I have a setting wrong. I am hoping someone here can offer advice. Yes, I know it is not powered on, but nothing changes with the power on, lol...it still does not play.
 
Double check all of the deck's switch settings - especially the recording section buttons. I had a ZX-9 with a tricky "Monitor - Tape/Source" button. When my deck went silent I had to flip the switch a few times to get it to settle into the correct position. Depending on your model, there could be other buttons in the recording area that are accidentally pressed.
 
The RX-303 and 505 need belts and idler rubber replaced. It's not that hard to do, but you say the flip mechanism is working fine? Does the counter light work? If deck is in fact broken, you either are going to have to learn how to repair yourself or spend a lot of time waiting for a qualified shop to repair it (along with a lot of money) as stated in another recent Nak thread. I'd go the shop route since the adjustments are tricky and mechanisms complicated. People typically think Nak decks are built like tanks but after all these years, they only perform at their best when totally gone over by an expert (a big investment in time and money, and up to you whether worthwhile). First things to go are the rubber and old dried grease, and I suspect neither of yours has ever been replaced.
Edit: You say you aren't good at fixing things and sig says you have an empty wallet. That's a rock and a hard place. I'd recommend you sell this deck under those circumstances. Just an opinion.
 
Last edited:
I have Willy Hermann out of California and am waiting on a ticket number so I can send it in. It is a tape deck, so I will not miss it much if it is gone for a few months. I will just pack it without the window and hope for the best. Maybe I will get a Christmas gift from Cali this year.
 
You say it doesn't play. Do you mean you don't see the meters move or hear sound? Does the tape move? You can have FF/REW without tape movement if the capstan isn't moving. No tape movement could be a bad capstan or stuck in a pause or edit mode.
 
You say it doesn't play. Do you mean you don't see the meters move or hear sound? Does the tape move? You can have FF/REW without tape movement if the capstan isn't moving. No tape movement could be a bad capstan or stuck in a pause or edit mode.
I am going to replace the main belt first, and if that does not solve the problem I will work on the capstans. I just really want to avoid tearing apart that transport, but everyone who repairs decks is booked out forever.
 
Cam belt could be slipping not allowing headblock to rise fully and capstans wont engage pinch rollers... You should replace all belts not including flip mechanism belt since thats working. Idler tire as well will cause these issues. If you have not bad motor skills you can do this yourself.
 
Last edited:
I am going to replace the main belt first, and if that does not solve the problem I will work on the capstans. I just really want to avoid tearing apart that transport, but everyone who repairs decks is booked out forever.

We use the MR-1 for archiving tricky tapes which either don't have a pressure pad or would otherwise benefit from Nakamichi's tape pad lifter. It's a dual capstan. I've taken this transport apart so many times I could do it in my sleep. I'm not sure how much more challenging the RX-303 bi-directional player would be. The Nakamichis are a nightmare anyway with their congested point to point wiring. I had a friend who took their BX-100 apart then couldn't get it back together. They were trying to repair a bad capstan. She ended up selling it to me for spare parts. I thought about repairing it, but we needed the parts for MR-1 more.
 
The RX 303 has the Nak classic transport.
To change belts it has to be removed and split - not a job for the faint of heart.
New control cam belt, new capstan belt - make sure they are from Marrs Communications, or your deck will not be in spec any more.
If the deck has been out of use for a while, the grease on the pinch roller arm pivots may also have hardened.
They must be carefully removed, cleaned and relubricated.
If that is the case, tapes guides must also be reset and head height and azimuth reset.
This is a job for a pro.
Do not try this at home.
 
Back
Top Bottom