Pioneer CT-F9191 won't play properly

[avguytx]

First off, I did go thru all the threads on this problem to see if there was something I could work with before doing this. My CT-F9191 has been acting up lately and I wanted some advice. I picked this deck up about a year ago from an older couple who's son had died some 17 years earlier. I never really got to cleaning it out other than dusting. Long story short. When you hit play, it rolls the tape either inside the cassette itself or it drops it out below the tape below the capstan. It's like the receiver reel (?) isnt pulling the slack. That may be the worst description of the problem but let's start there. Thanks for any and all help as always!

 

[pustelniakr]

Belts and idler tires baby. :yes:

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[Artie]

It's like the receiver reel (?) isnt pulling the slack. That may be the worst description of the problem but let's start there.

Thats a perfect description of the problem, and one of the most common that afflicts cassette decks. As Rich said, you need new belts. One warning though, this is the deck that I tossed in a dumpster about a decade ago because there were so many wheels and belts inside that thing. You can do it . . . but its a bear.

 

[avguytx]

Sounds like it's time to get a service manual and some belts...and some beer! haha. Thanks for the input!

 

[tankdonovan]

I own one of these machines and everything works perfectly but I have heard horror stories about the belts and idler wheels. When it works properly it is a thing of beauty. One of the best looking deck ever made. It is a beast. But if mine stopped working properly I`m not sure if I would repair it or not. I guess if you are really into cassettes then the CT-F9191 is the one to have. Just my 2 cents.

TankDonovan

 

[markthefixer]

Three belts
1) capstan drive from motor *** partial disassembly to change ****
2) takeup reel to tape motion sensor * easy to change, no disassembly *
3) tape motion sensor to tape counter * VERY easy to change, no disassembly *

one idler tire for takeup driven off of the capstan shaft *** partial disassembly to change ****
this is probably your problem, but check the springs and pivots

one idler tire and one drive wheel for FF / REW *** partial disassembly to change ****

ebay for the manual but not listed now (quag west) (PM me)

ebay for the belt and tire kit with instructions $12.99 $2.50 s/h here
ebay fot the drive wheel $11.99 $2.00 s/h here

THis is one of the simpler decks to work on as opposed to rich's (pustelniakr) blow by blow stuff elsewhere on AK for other decks that sounded a lot nastier.

 

[avguytx]

I'm not really into cassettes as much as I am into vinyl and CD's but this thing is almost too beautiful to part with. I guess if I did sell it, it would buy more music! haha. I'll get a service manual and those parts for it and work on it in spare time. Thanks guys!

 

[avguytx]

Updated info...

Well, after some more indepth cleaning, I found it was the take-up reel rubber idler tire not making good contact with the clutch assembly. After some cleaning, etc, she WORKS again! Sounds really nice, too, being that my tape selection is older stuff and nothing recorded. That's really all I use it for is finding cassettes at garage sales, thrift stores, etc...as long as they look decent. Thanks for your help, Mark. I'm still going to do the belts, etc.

Does this deck have any sort of azimuth control to make sure the head is in alignment?

 

[avguytx]

Spoke too soon. It plays but after a little bit (a minute maybe), the meters start freaking out and there are odd high pitch sounds coming primarily out of the right channel. Oh well. I still have my cd's and records!

 

[pustelniakr]

What you have is a 2-head deck. Therefore, you have to switch many connections to go from using the REC/PLY head as a playback head to a record head, and vice-versa. The switches that do all that switching are dirty/corroded, and can be restored to proper operation with some DeOxit. To verify that this is the case, you can temporarily clear up the condition by taking the bonnet off, and locating the switches. They are operated by a solenoid, located behind the meters. Manually actuate this solenoid 25-50 times. then try to play or record. If the problem cleared up, you need to get some DeOxit, and go after the switches.

Don't give up. This is a relatively easy problem to find and fix.

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[avguytx]

Thanks for the reply, Rich. It figures it would do that after I get it all hooked up and back in the rack! And I'm out of Deoxit so it will be on the trip list for this weekend it looks like. Can't believe I'm out again.

 

[pustelniakr]

You do not have to open it. It is just simpler. You simply need to press pause, play and record, with no tape in it. Then actuate the record tab detector (upper left of the cassette well). You should see the record light come on, and here a clunk inside. Repeatedly actuate that detector, between 25 and 50 times. You shoudl find that you are OK until you can get some DeOxit and make the fix permanent.

Playing should be safe till DeOxit, but don't record anything important.

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[markthefixer]

When you are ready with the de-oxit, here's a thread that talks about what is involved in getting to and de-oxiting the switch that Rich is talking about.

It is an old thread, BUT I re-posted the pictures after the great database crash.

It may LOOK intimidating, but it isn't.

The access to the switch is through the bottom of the deck.

The part you will be interested in starts at about the 25 th post.

edit: for klunking that solenoid a lot, you can also put a cassette in the well, and start the record, and repeatedly actuate the pause switch. That's what i did until i could get my fingers at that cassette presence switch.

 

[avguytx]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I remember reading thru that thread thinking I would most likely need to do that. I did the "clucnking" thing without the tape because I dont have a blank cassette! I'm not ever going to record anything on it. I just want it for playback. Was it supposed to move the meters in any way when actuating that switch? The left one would move but not the right, typically. The right barely moved where as the left got into the red a little with some scratchy noises. I take it that means it's pretty dirty down in there, huh? It didn't do it every time you pressed the switch..just every few times. But it does play now. You guys are just the bomb!

So that area controls how it sounds too, huh? There's no such thing as an azimuth adjustment on this unit?

 

[Artie]

There's no such thing as an azimuth adjustment on this unit?

The azimuth adjustment on just about all casstte decks is the same. Look at the head closely. You'll see one mounting screw appears solid. The other will have a coil spring behind it. Obviously, if you screw the spring mounted one in and out, the head will tilt on its axis. Thats the azimuth adjustment. Use small adjustments only. If you don't own an alignment tape and a scope, it could be tricky. You can do it by ear, but then it will only be aligned to whichever tape you used.