This thread covers what I believe to be a potential common problem found in SONY WM-2 walkmans. It's more likely to be present on those with broken center gear (and metallic center disc), but I can't exclude it to be a potential problem on the ones with good center gear (full plastic). This issue can cause multiple problems, which at first glance may seem unrelated to the clutch itself: 1. Takeup reel slipping in certain positions, especially when the walkman is sitting upside down (with cassette door up). 2. Periodic gear noise in rewind, especially when the unit is sitting upside down. 3. Increased gear noise, despite the other 2 problems may be solved by bending the gear arm Problem 1 is caused by the magnetic part of the clutch having an up-down wobble, ceasing to make contact with the takeup reel gear in certain positions. Because the center gear may have some play, especially on units with increased wear, turning it upside down will exacerbate the wobble. Problem 2 is caused by the magnetic part of the clutch making periodic contact with the takeup reel gear because of the wobble, despite the center gear is lowered in REW. SOLUTION: 1. Take the riser plate out with a cutter. Slowly push between center gear disc and plate to cut through the glue. 2. After the plate has been separated, you need to sand it against a flat surface to eliminate the bump (can be seen in pictures). I used 800 grit sandpaper and 2000 at the end (not seen in pictures). The plate seen in pictures also had some rust on it, which was pretty deep and did not completely disappear even after sanding. But that's not an issue if the surface is flat. 3. Sand the other part of the disc, to flatten the glue. Also sand the glue on the center disc. You don't need to remove it completely. 4. Clean the center disc and plate with a brush, soap and water. Clean the parts with a paper towel from any remaining water. 5. Glue the plate back with super glue (I used gel version), paying attention so the plate is parallel to the center disc. Clearance between the 2 is about 0.6-0.8mm. This particular unit had the clutch washer missing, so I attach the inner dimensions of the washer. Outer diameter is not relevant.
