I need help repairing a Sony WM-F601. This is my first attempt at a Walkman repair. I´ve replaced the belt and cleaned it off but when I put in a tape and press play It plays distorted music for a while and then gets stuck, thinking it´s at the end of the tape it changes direction (It´s an auto reverse player) it plays distorted music for a while gets stuck and repeats. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Thank you. More information: When I press fast forward it works fine but when I press rewind it makes a loud whining sound. No matter what I do I can´t get the left pulley to turn. The radio works fine. It eats the tape and leaves multiple sharp creases in it. I´ve tried adjusting the speed, but it doesn´t seem to help. Tell me if you want any pictures.
From your description it seems the supply reel is stuck and cannot rotate freely. Does the unit run differently in reverse ? I'm not familiar with the mechanism so putting some pictures with both the cassette compartment and the back side (PCB removed) would be helpful (as there aren't any available on the web for this particular model).
These are pictures showing a little yellow gear inside the walkman. It's able to move when you fast forward but when you try to rewind it doesn't move the spinning gear rubbing against this is what made the whining sound (That's only if you press down on the rewind button a little bit if you push it all the way down neither of the gears are able to move). I'm able to get it to move a little bit by turning the left pulley by hand. I don't know how I'd remove the PCB, I've tried unscrewing the metal panel around the pulleys but It's still held on by a metal circle that looks like it's connected to a gear.
So by what you describe, I understand that the mechanism does not engage correctly, it gets somewhere in between the modes, blocking both table reels from rotating (in rewind mode). For taking out the PCB, you would first need to remove the black tape holding the wires onto the PCB. Then after removing its screws, it might just tilt to the flywheels side. Or you may need to desolder a couple of the wires. On the schematic I see that the mechanism uses a solenoid to switch between different modes. Do you hear the solenoid engaging (you should hear a pretty distinct click) when putting the unit in play ? Or when it's reversing ? Part of the mechanism is underneath that plate, so removing it is necessary to see what's there. You need to remove the black split washer, but be VERY careful: it can fly out very easily. I recommend keeping one finger over it firmly, while with the other hand pry out the wahser with a pair of tweezers. Another even safer option is to put the entire walkman in a large transparent plastic bag, so if the washer were to fly, it would still be inside the bag. EDIT: I found some additional info and think the problem with your walkman is hardened grease on some gears that are located below that plate. Someone also said about the leaf switches needing a clean, so that's something else to be checked. https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/sony-walkman-wm-101-fix-advise.5583/ https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/help-with-my-sony-wm-501-or-wm-102.5532/ SONY 猿のビンテージウォークマン WM-501（内部説明編） - YouTube
From what I´ve seen examining the Walkman I agree that it could be hardened grease on the gears. What would you suggest using to clean of the grease and then what would I want to replace it with?
Cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol to clean and oil/white lithium grease for lubricating. Oil is the better option, because it's much lighter and won't dry over time, meaning you'll likely never have this problem again in the future. The lubricant used must be compatible with plastics, although most modern ones are, including engine oil. The best option is watch oil, which is worth buying if you will be servicing walkmans in the future. As a reference, a complete service of a walkman/cassette recorder usually requires cleaning and relubricating of most/all rotating parts, the most important being the capstan bearings (in your case that middle flywheel as well), the table reels and the motor (in some cases like this WM-F601 this is very hard/impossible to do, due to very limited space between pulley and motor).
