WM-EX570 Wobbly and clicky

Hello all, I recently got a really nice WM-EX570 in a pack of 4 other cassette players. I went through the motions, replaced the belts and pinch rollers. However there still remains a wobbliness to the sound. I imagine it might also involve this slight clicking/ticking sound that follows along as it plays. I have a recording of that sound, it got somewhat quieter after applying some oil but still somewhat audible. Any idea on what's causing all this?

The sound is here

 

Oh yes also here's a picture of it

 

The problem you are having is a broken clutch gear. Very common on these units, you will need a donor to fix the problem.

More info on this thread I have created:
https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/wm-ex5-tac-tac-sound-repair-applies-to-other-ex-models.7108/

 

A

Ah Hurensohn! Danke, here I thought the DD11 would be the challenge. By chance it actually did come with a second WM-ex660 which is rather rusty but the gear seems fine in it. Hardest part is figuring out do I want to bother with all the de soldering

 

Well I replaced the gear and the new one fit perfectly, but now I have an even stranger problem. The belt seems to be slipping. When ever I press play it turns a bit then slips, yet by hand it turns fine. What's the deal with this?

 

Great, well it seems the "new" gear is making the same sound. So I guess it was a matter of time until it broke too. A rather annoying issue I'd definitely say.

 

It is an annoying problem, because a new redesigned gear is unfortunately not available. Given what you say, the old one was probably at the point of breaking too, so just using it a little got it cracked.

Regarding the problem with the belt, check that the mode switch is correctly engaged with the mechanism. The microcontroller needs to know in what position the mechanism is in to correctly synchronize the solenoid actuation with motor drive.

 

Very tempted to just throw it away since I'm likely not going to find a cheap donor anytime soon. Though where might this mode switch be?

 

Above the right flywheel, it's a hole cut into the PCB designed specifically to align the switch with the mech.