How To Repair/Restore A Walkman That Doesn't Play Tapes

These days it's hard to beat the convenience of streaming music, having any song available near instantly, and the ability to discover new music. However, like vinyl, cassettes offer the warmth of analog and can add to the experience of listening, along with all the moving parts working together to create the experience (like driving a manual transmission vehicle.) However those parts are likely to fail over time which renders a walkman more or less useless. In this video I go over some common issues, how they can be improved, and most importantly were to find the rubber belt that runs the tape player which is usually the main reason why a walkman can't play a tape. There are many other adjustments, especially for higher end walkmans, that can/should be done but with a newer and more simplified model like this, a new belt should get it up and running to a satisfactory position.
0:00 Intro
0:58 Common Issues
2:38 How to Locate & Replace Belt
7:30 Finished Product
#Walkman #WalkmanRepair #HowToRestoreAWalkman #SonyWalkman #HowToRepairAWalkman #WalkmanBelt

[@nothankspete]

Thank you so much for this video I thought when it stopped playing tapes it was done for so I started looking for a new one that was an older style but still worked. But I questioned if I could fix it myself and your video was the first I clicked on and it works! 4 months without my Walkman and all that was wrong was the band fell off, because its old of course but I just put it back on for the time being and I'm going to buy a new one. Again thank you it sparked so much joy to hear my cassettes again.

[@Mr.Everything]

I'm glad the video helped. Unfortunately, at this point most Walkmans, even new old stock, probably will have issues playing tapes just because those rubber bands degrade over time. You can buy modern Walkmans on amazon that are designed for converting cassettes to mp3s but they can be used to play tapes too but they don't have Dolby or the nostalgia that the old models do. I've considered buying a vintage direct drive walkman but the prices are insane for those old high end units. Although, for those reasons I think it's definitely worth keeping our existing Walkmans and repairing them if possible as they're only going to get harder to come by and more expensive.

[@aronkaspar6369]

I bought a used Sony sports walkman for 3.00 at a Goodwill back in 2011. Did a few of your suggestions in this video and the thing still works to this day 3-17-23. Amazing walkman built like a tank.

[@MrThejimmy0009]

I'm going to have to try and fix mine now. Thank you for this video, it looks a little less daunting now

[@lindaloftus8780]

Thank you for posting video. Wasn't aware you could repair cassette on walkman. Found it very hard to get into but when I did found the belt was basically non existent. Looked as if it had melted. Found belt for it on E-Bay for 12.99 for model I have. Was just before throwing it away.

[@RetroRepair]

The one I'm looking at seems to have a very similar transport. The belt definitely needs replacing but the motor won't move at all no matter the direction, ff, rew etc. It says play on the front but does seem to think the ff button always on?

[@bobtom7422]

hi i’ve just gotten a walkman and it doesn’t play at all, the belts are all good maybe a bit loose but even if i try to manually spin the head, i don’t see any movement inside, but when i spin the other head and i can see the gears moving

[@RetroPCUser]

I got a WM-FX401 that had a bad belt, and when I replaced it, it tries to play a tape and the directory switch keeps flipping back and forth.

[@markcompston9430]

I have a similar Walkman, FX20 with digital radio and cassette. There is power, radio works but pressing play there is no mechanical noise or movement at all, is this likely the belt issue? Thanks

[@Mr.Everything]

I think even without a belt you should hear some movement of the drive gear itself but you'd probably have to open the back and see if you can see if the belt is stretched of broken.

[@TERRORBOGARD77]

What is the measurement of the belt when you stretch and fold it? And what is the thickness? cm x mm?

[@kevcodm23]

Hi I have a Sony tcm-47 but I have this flutter and wows how can I fix it?

[@SixPalms]

Thanks for the walkthrough! Just put a new belt on mine, but after playing a tape it sounds slightly slower in tempo and lower in pitch. Any ideas? Thanks!

[@Mr.Everything]

There should be an adjustment screw somewhere to be able to adjust the playback speed. Depending on the model, you might be able to find info on it or in a forum. Otherwise the speed adjustment screw is usually larger and a different color than the other screws so it stands out and it might have a label on the board like “adj” for adjustment.

[@sixpalms842]

@@Mr.Everything Thank you so much! Managed to find the screw and it worked a treat; was quite fun listening to stuff back super slow and super fast whilst finding the sweet spot haha. Thanks!

[@Mr.Everything]

@@sixpalms842 It's always a fun experience to get one up and running properly again. It's a lot more work than listening to something digital but it's rewarding.

[@GroovyyAlexx]

i have a problem where only the right spool spins but i dont know how to fix that and i dont know what is causing it, do you know what i should do

[@bdiddy742]

Apologies if I missed it, but what model Walkman is this you are reconditioning? Thanks!

[@Mr.Everything]

WM-FX45

[@KN1GHTM4R3S]

I got a walkman FM/AM for Christmas and it plays just fine until I put a tape it it, I tried to oil it up but it still didn't work, when I press play tape or not it makes a loud buzzing noise, I was wondering if you could help?

[@Mr.Everything]

If the gears that are supposed to move the tape are moving then it could mean the tape head that reads the tape is either dirty or bad. If the gears aren’t moving but you hear that noise then it could be that the belt is broken so the drive gear is moving but nothing else is connected and the belt would need replaced.

[@KN1GHTM4R3S]

@@Mr.Everything that's the thing, I hear the noise when there is no tape and when there is a tape. But it's works fine with out the tape. But when I put the tape in, no matter what tape I use it's like it's not strong enough to move it.

[@Mr.Everything]

@@KN1GHTM4R3S That sounds like a stretched belt which would need to be replaced. If it’s a Sony you should be able to find a belt for the model number. If it’s a different brand you’ll either have to see if you can find out what size belt it uses or buy a variety pack and find one that is the closest to the existing one.

[@KN1GHTM4R3S]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your kind help

[@breadsticksrule173]

so i got a sony walkman for my birthday and it is radio and tape player one. but the tape player circle things inside do not spin at all they make noise but don’t spin. is there any way that you could help me?

[@Mr.Everything]

I think all the ones that are a radio and tape combo use a belt to drive the gears that move the cassette spools. So you'd likely have to unscrew or pry open the back and see if the belt is broken. Most Sony models are easy to find a replacement belt for but if you have to you could either research what generic belt would fit it or buy a pack of ones that have all different sizes.

[@breadsticksrule173]

@@Mr.Everything thank you! i will try it and report back!

[@Chuncy566]

Could you tell me how I could get a few pages from factory service manual faxes to me my mod# is tcm 131 sony Walkman port. Cassette tape player tape player ,I need pages for rec.,f fdw.,eject, rev. If I get a answer I can send you the fax # tax for your help

[@BanjoDemon]

Vinegar and toothbrush/qtip clears up battery corrosion minimal effort