Help needed: Cassette Deck quits playing after several seconds (Kenwood KX-620)

[supervandy]

I just picked up a Kenwood KX-620 deck from craigslist for a cool $25. The guy said it works fine, I just got it home and put a tape in and it plays for several seconds then kicks the play switch back up. Same happens with fast forward and reverse. Any ideas? I'm willing to fix it if it's cheap/easy but otherwise the guy said I can return it to him.

Here's a video:

Thanks in advance for any help. You AK guys tend to be wizards with this stuff when I come in with questions.

 

[mgosdin]

Counter isn't moving, likely the belt leading to it is loose / broken. That causes the deck's logic to think that the end of the tape has been reached and it stops. You probably need new belts for a deck that age anyway, try Marrs Communications.

Mark Gosdin

 

[Bucky Badger]

I agree. Same thing happened to me with my Sui' cassette deck. Changed the belts and everything is good now.

 

[supervandy]

Counter isn't moving, likely the belt leading to it is loose / broken. That causes the deck's logic to think that the end of the tape has been reached and it stops. You probably need new belts for a deck that age anyway, try Marrs Communications.

Mark Gosdin

Thanks! I am completely new to the cassette world and wouldn't know which one to buy. Can you point me in the right direction? And are they relatively easy to replace?

 

[4-2-7]

A Cassette Deck can be very complex mechanically in the area of the belts. Before spending money on belts look inside and see if you are going to be able to get to all the belts without harming anything and having issues when reassembled.

 

[supervandy]

A Cassette Deck can be very complex mechanically in the area of the belts. Before spending money on belts look inside and see if you are going to be able to get to all the belts without harming anything and having issues when reassembled.

Ok, I'll take a look inside the cover and see if it seems doable. I was able to find a service manual online, that might help. If I decide to go about changing belts, how do I figure out which ones to buy? Are there generic ones that will fit or do I need belts specific to this model?

 

[DrumminDaddy]

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/kenwood-kx-1030-belt-replacement.304391/

Post #39 of this thread explains the auto stop function in the KX-1030, I suspect it may be similar in your deck. It's driven by the same belts that drive the counter.

And yes, as 4-2-7 stated, they are a bitch to change.

If the belt in the unit is still there and hasn't turned to goo, the best thing is to measure the existing belt. Usually an allowance for stretch is factored into the sizing.

Here is a good guide
http://www.turntableneedles.com/Belt-Measuring-Help_ep_65-1.html

 

[supervandy]

Thanks to a tip from someone at Tapeheads I ended up fiddling with the counter belt, moving it manually so it wasn't at 000, and now it plays great. I can't believe that's all it took. Thanks guys.