Wow and Flutter : A Short Story

[HBK42581]

Not really, just thought that would be an interesting title for my first post here. I have been having some minor issues with my Technics RS-615US cassette deck. I purchased it mid-last year and have been working on it on and off since then. First was the replacement of the lamps in the VU meters (that was fun.) Then came belt replacement after it stopped rewinding/fast forwarding. Next I moved on to the speed calibration which resulted in me getting a nice new motor from Pacific Stereo as the old motor was noisy and the pitch fluctuated frequently. Works like a dream. Now my main issue is some pretty audible wow and flutter. I have searched high and low for advice on how to approach this. There isn't really anything mentioned in the service manual. One thing I am pretty sure of is that the wow and flutter may not have been there before I removed the flywheel in order to replace the belt. I'm wondering if I may have jostled something loose? The heads and all of the spinning parts have been cleaned fairly thoroughly. I'm relatively new to repairing vintage electronics but have done pretty well with this unit so far. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SaSi]

Hello and welcome,
It is worth to make sure that the capstan shaft and the bearing are well cleaned and then, when replacing the capstan, you put a drop of light machine oil to the capstan's bearing.
Also, check if there is excessive or no play in the capstan front to back. There should be very little - perhaps a fraction of a mm.
Lastly, if the belt is wrong, weak and vibrates, that may cause flutter.