i changed my belts finally on my 25 year sharp we had since the 80s...they both rewind and forward beautifully...but when i press the play button on either the tape mechanism doesn't go up play on both all i hear is the a motor spinning without a tape inside...its been like this even before the belt change for years but without the motor spinning...what could it be? im guessing mechanical? any help would appreciated...restoring it little by little...almost there...

Does the play button stay engaged or does it pop back out? If you put a tape in and press play, does the tape spin even though the heads don't raise?

hey FD...With a tape in... the play button stays put doesn't pop out its just the tape heads dont go up..i just hear the motor running same on both..no tape spinning on play...only on rewind and forward perfectly

Hmmm... sounds to me like the idler wheels are really dirty or even completely shot. Did you check / clean the idler wheels underneath each flywheel?

yeah i cleaned them with "rubber renue" to rejuvinate them...perhaps they're shot.tho they didnt seem worn...if so you know if they got replacements?

Well, the flywheels definitely drive the tape heads. I know I had gotten the play heads stuck in the "up" position and had to manually trip them by turning the flywheels.

There are plastic rings on the underside of the flywheels, which should turn the idler wheels when engaged. It's also good to clean them.



Can you check to see if those rings even get close to the rubber? You might have to engage the idlers by hand unless you can hook up the power.

i did do some internal cleaning debris etc...but those rings you speak of are on the fly wheel it self? or connect to the flywheel with teeth?i guess ima hafta break it apart again....

The plastic ring/wheel (like in the above picture) is attached to the flywheel itself. When I was cleaning my GF-777, the outer edge where the idler wheels contact, was filthy.

oh..k...i see..i will crack it open again to clean it some more plus those rubber wheels again....hopefully that will help...thanks anyway...tho

problem solved!!!....i just kept playing with the rew and forward buttons by (tapping them) many times and all of the sudden it engages into play by itself and starts playing!!!...it hasn't played for decades...its funny this 777 has been in our family since we bought it in the 80s and anytime something would go wrong with it, it would magically repair itself somehow, like it would have its own immune system... like robocop or terminator when they finds an alternate power source to save itself... thanks FD for your help as well...

Glad that it's working again!