Sony Walkman Repair / Should I just get a new one?

[porterf88]

I have a sony walkman (wm-41) that needs repairing and I was wondering if there were any online sites or shops in the USA that I could send it to be repaired? Or is it not worth it? The only new ones of the wm-41 that i find are $250+ which seems crazy. Does anyone know of where I could find one besides amazon/ebay?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Mark_71]

Don't pay $250 for a Sony WM-41. Fix the one you have or wait and you'll find one for $20-50, but it probably won't work (even if the seller says it does).

The WM-41 was my college-era walkman. Not a high-end walkman, but reasonably reliable, and particularly nostalgic for me as I carried it all over the US and Europe. It survived rain, snow, and many a drop on concrete.

Replace Belts
The belts (there are two) will have lost their elasticity or will have melted and turned to goo. That's to be expected. Easily replaced. If it doesn't turn the tape when you engage the PLAY button, but you hear the motor, it's a good chance the belts are bad.

I got the belts here:
http://www.marrscommunications.com/sony-walkman-and-d-a-t-belts
(Search for "WM-41")
Note: Follow the directions for ordering on the site. You have to indicate "WM-41")

Remove the back panel, remove the old belts, clean everything with with isopropyl alcohol. Check out the grease and make sure it looks ok (there are a few sliding parts, you'll see them). I removed the original grease and replaced it with a tiny bit of lithium grease. Swap out the belts. Voila! Well, that fixed mine anyway.