Right heres whats happened the machine was ok and working great until it started to chew tapes.Yes it's a new box for me so i'm gonna repair it .first off I know what the problem is it's the rubber tyre behind the pitch wheel see pic

it's gone to jelly..so what do I need to give this a complete rebuild and where do I get that rubber bit from.I have replaced the square belts but need to replace the flat one main has anybody got the size before I remove it.also is there anyother tyres which will need replacing as I'm having to take the thing completely to bits..any advice or help on this job would be most welcome thanks mark

I had the exact same issue with mine, you just have to pull it apart and replace the part needed.

I made mine, there was this thick drinking straw type thing which was the right size, just cut a bit off and plonked it on, worked perfectly.

all i can suggest is to take photos of it when you pull it apart, as the tape mech is made of millions of little plastic arms and cogs which all need to come off to get to that bit. its difficult to get it all back in place when you dont know for certain where its meant to go. took forever to get it back to how it should be.

I'm gonna have to find something to use like you did Billy thanks for the advice

This has been well documented on the forum over the years. Not quite as bad as it seems, and fixable without too much hardship.
Silicone tubing as used for fuel pipe on hobby models works wonders, I can vouch for that first hand.
Others have had success using plastic insulation stripped from a piece of wire.
The belts / rubber tyres are usually ok in regard to this issue, the culprit is that capstan rubber drive.

yer I know looked everywhere but didn't find any referents to what people use!!!! thanks for that I'll see what i can do i may use fishing rubber the stuff for swing tips it looks the part and is silicone..thanks again 2steppa

i did my gf 555 idler spindle with the pvc sheath from household grey 4mm wire....get it from your local electrical supplies shop....works a treat

sorted it out now !!I can't believe how differecult it is to get the old rubber off!!!in the end i used some safe lex to remove it.It's not perfect repair,but I'm going to take it all apart again soon anyhow when the belts arrive and give it a good clean.

i have seen a thread here where silicon tubing for remote control car fuel lines was used to replace the rubber. The threads around somewhere here, believe under sharp GF capstan problem or something like that.

whoops didn't see 2steppas post....

Silicone tubing is the best solution. But, in a pinch you can go to home depot and get some screening spline. You don't even need to buy the stuff. Just take a pair of scissors with you and snip off an inch or two. They sell that stuff in huge packages. I even had an HD person standing right there as I did it. He was cool about it.

If you do use screening spline, you can cut off the ribbing with a razor blade to smooth out the surface. As far as I remember, that mechanism only turns the counter belt during PLAY, anyway.