Hi! Been an avid guest of this site, and thought now that I'm experiencing some issues regarding my recently bought WM-EX633, I would create an account and seek out some advice. I acquired the walkman from a seller who had stated the belt had been replaced with a belt (specified from FixYourAudio), and most things have been good with this device! Unfortunately, there are two main issues persisting. The first is that it appears as though there is some exaggerated flutter when playing the B side of tapes, which involves the left capstan to drag tape through. Although this issue also persists a little on Side A, just less so. I observed this when playing some tapes I had freshly recorded on my tape deck (Luxman K-111), and it felt as though any minor movement would accentuate the flutter from mild-strong to very noticeable. These issues were somewhat present when feeding tape audio in WFGUI. The second issue is that the device seems to eating up the tape when rewinding, although I've only tested this on side A. These issues present a clear issue relating to primarily the capstan or pinch roller, as perhaps an inconsistent playback and contact between those two parts is emphasising both issues. The belt may contribute to this, but since it has been replaced, it may be some residue on the pulley system from a previous belt that would be primarily contributing. Attached are 4 photos of the outside capstans and pinch rollers for reference. I don't have photos of the internals as it is a bit late for me and will most likely tinker around more tomorrow. Right Capstan rough surface is coating I presume. Left Capstan Right Pinch Roller Left Pinch Roller (I did clean the insides after these photos, sorry for the dust and some particles on the rollers) Now, what I'm asking in this thread is two/three main questions, with one minor question: Would a lubrication of the capstan bearings provide a good start to troubleshooting this issue? If so: 1.a. After I do so, during the cleaning phase whereby I need to get rid of any excess oil on the capstan itself, how would I go about doing this? Ideally I would run the machine with FF to turn the capstans, but what part or latch in the WM-EX633 would be responsible for tricking the machine into thinking there is a loaded tape to do so? If that makes sense of course. Here is a link to the service manual I found on the walkman-land website for reference: https://walkman.land/document/203/Sony_WM-EX633_-_Service_Manualpdf Ignore that it says 1. for this question, but if that does not work, I have read that these walkman models tend to come with poor lubrication on the motor. I would be willing to do this, but I do not have access to a soldering machine to access or remove the motor to add lubrication, if I were to follow the steps provided in Valentin's thread regarding lubrication of EX models. Is there a way I can lubricate these motors without soldering, therefore being unable to remove the motor itself, but still accessing the areas I need to access to apply oil? Finally, would the pinch rollers themselves have an issue regarding how much contact they have against the capstan? This could be a factor considering it seems like the issues stem from that contact spot. For example, when I rewinded a tape (luckily it was a spare tape I had for test purposes) within the machine, it seemed to stutter and chewed it up, rolling the tape into the pinch roller, or otherwise, the battery LED flickering. If so, what would I need to do to lessen or alleviate this factor? Hopefully this all makes sense, I am quite tired at the moment after a whole day of research and tinkering, so I deeply apologise if this is lengthy or messy. Thank you in advance for any help or advice given, and I'll be happy to respond to any questions if I can
Hi, sorry for the bump, but after doing the lubrication process, it seems as though it helped! Which is great... Except. When I go to play a tape on Side A, I can hear the constant ticking of a gear multiple times a second. I have no words right now to express the absolute gut-wrenching feeling I've experienced when after (almost) having a panic attack over the lubrication process in the first place, I start hearing this sound. I presume, going by Valentin's guide at /https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/wm-ex-series-tac-tac-sound-repair.7108/, this is a cracked gear on the flywheel. It doesn't make that sound when I play Side B, however, which is most puzzling too. Step-by-step process of what I did for the lubrication process, as reference: Disassembled the chassis, taking off the washers to get to the capstans. Took out the wheels and cleaned the capstans. Applied oil to the bearings and waited. Reinserted the wheels. Reassembled the back panel, and FF'd and RW'd the machine to clean the capstans of any oil Almost went insane over losing a screw, as well as locking up the machine somehow during the rebelting process, but that is the most important things that happened. Could this gear have become cracked during the FF-ing process to clean the capstans??? This sound was not present before I lubricated, for clarification. If my suspicions are true (which they most likely are) is this cracked gear issue worth immediately fixing? It's a truly debilitating and demoralising experience to try and get into a hobby and be met with so many problems, so I apologise if my emotions have come through in this post too negatively. Seems like 2026 is against me, just like any other year haha Much thanks
Ok, so first of all it's unclear what you mean by side A. It's better to reffer as FWD/REV, as a cassette can be inserted with face B up, so just saying side A doesn't tell much. The drivetrain is driven by FWD flywheel, which would correspond to side A if tape has side A facing up. However in your first post it's stated the other way round. It's unclear which has the higher W&F, FWD or REV ? Regarding potential problems causing W&F there are many: - cracked clutch gear; - worn drive gear; - warped intermediate gear; - worn capstan bearings; - worn motor; - pinch rollers; - non-uniform belt (even if it's new); Not to mention more than one problem can exist at the same time. Lubrication is rarely a problem in and of itself, but should be done as maintenance. Don't see how oiling the bearings could have damaged the drive gear on the flywheel. It's also interesting how the noise is only on FWD play. What could have happened is dirt got between teeth. It's also possible it's not the gear, but the washer or retainer making that noise. Note that problem with this gear is worn teeth, not that it cracks. Usually only visible under a magnifying glass. That's understandable, but you have to be patient. Restoring these walkmans isn't as simple as swapping a belt in most cases and may even require parts from donor units in worst case scenaarios. Hope you didn't pay a lot on a unit that was sold as fully restored only to realise the flutter problem. Do you have a WFGUI reading ?
Hi Valentin, thank you for your reply. I apologise for the lack of sensibility in my previous reply regarding my issue, I was quite emotional to say the least, and I thank you for your great reply. That completely makes sense regarding FWD and REV, so my original issue about W&F would be referring to REV, and I apologise for the lack of clarity there. I do not believe the clutch gear is cracked at the moment, as I do not hear a lower clicking sound, nor did I hear anything when I manually rotated the flywheel. As for the other issues provided, I am unsure at the moment, as I am unable to unsolder the PCB required to look at the individual gears or motor. I did reseat the belt, and payed as close attention to make sure any unwanted rotations in the belt weren't made, and also cleaned the belt path as best as I could. The pinch rollers seem okay, but definitely worth a closer look and maintenance. That's exactly what I'm saying haha. Seems like an odd problem for such a normal maintenance task. This could definitely be a possibility. Although I did try my best to clean everything to my best ability, this may be contributing. How best could I clean the teeth on the gears in this instance, if that is okay to ask? That also is a probable cause. When removing the washer from the machine, I have accidentally snapped it. I know how silly of me that is to disregard, but I digress. I did try and fit that back onto the machine to my best ability, but that could be the reason behind the ticking, or at least contribute to any further W&F. I will attempt to replace it. Ah right right, that makes sense! When I take a closer look at the system, I'll look at any of the teeth to check. Thank you for your reassurance, I am feeling much better now, so again I apologise for any negative language in my previous reply in this thread. Thankfully, I paid a reasonable price for this Walkman, so it isn't all terrible! As for WFGUI results, I must admit they will not be exceptional, as I have no test tape from a reputable source like FixYourAudio to match the machine against, so I had to make one from a personal tape deck. Expect some compounding issues and speed issues as a result. I apologise in advance. You may find them attached. Conclusively, I would like to again thank you for your response, and I will try to respond as soon as possible when you reply.
Ah, I forgot to mention. Those WFGUI results were before I lubricated the bearings, and the second image lacks a deviation graph for an unknown reason. Here are links to the log files. https://pastebin.com/LA2NGB6E - REV Results https://pastebin.com/tRdiqRyn - FWD Results
Looking at the W&F measurements, they actually don't look that bad. I expected to see something like 0.5-0.6% WRMS given the description. Average values are a bit above 0.3% WRMS with some peaks close to 0.4%. How much it lowered after the lubrication ? Tape speed has only a 7Hz difference FWD/REV which is well within spec, while W&F figures are about the same for both sides, expected REV to be much higher. Given the similarity between FWD/REV, this figure is likely not caused by the geartrain, rather something common to both sides (motor, belt). When the drive gear is worn, you would see way higher figures on FWD, like 0.45% on FWD and 0.2% on REV. Also, you need to set your expectations right. This mechanism is not going to obtain 0.1% WRMS figures, no matter what you do. On this mech actually a figure of 0.25-0.30% isn't that bad, but of course that will depend a lot on the type of music you're listening to as on some types even 0.2% will be very audible. Regarding the 3kHz you made yourself, that's more than good enough for this test as a deck will have W&F < 0.1%, while here you're measuring figures 3x that. The tape will only be a limitation when you measure units that obtain figures close to the deck it was recorded on, which is only the case for DDs.
Hi Valentin! Thank you for your reply. I also expected a value around this range, as the listening experience postulated. I think the W&F experienced was a compounding issue of human error and the machine being inconsistent perhaps. Here are links to pastebins with each log for W&F after lubrication. https://pastebin.com/72snvF3b - FWD https://pastebin.com/t61MnNLQ - REV It seems regardless of my issues at the moment, the lubrication definitely helped. Sorry for the silly assumption if wrong, but the REV numbers being lower seems like a good sign. I completely understand, and that was not my intention. As mentioned before, this whole issue began as a result of auditory experiences, but it seems my experiences did not translate to actual data, so that is my fault. As I'm newer to this space, I was also unsure if the readings provided by WFGUI had any issues I could not read, if that makes sense. I apologise for such confusion regarding my troubles Otherwise, I do have more information that has solidified the issue of the washer or debris in the gear, and that is the ticking sound seems to stop when the machine is played with the controls face up. I feel as though this indicates the washer being unstable, and being able to move slightly freely, therefore presenting issues depending on the orientation of the device. Correct me if any of that is wrong. I have planned to get new washers for the capstans now to rule out this possibility regardless. I will also clean the flywheel gear during my next operation on the system to rule out any dirt or grime, and inspect for damage. Ultimately, seeing as the W&F levels have stabilised, and the machine's ticking issue has been hopefully narrowed down, I am quite satisfied with it's condition. If I encounter any more issues after further maintenance, I will reply in this thread if that is okay. And of course, thank you again for taking your time to help me.
