Ok, so as the title suggests I'm having trouble with my lower deck on my C100.

Prior to changing the belts:
- Door wouldn't open unless hold eject down and tease it open
- Heads wouldn't engage at all on pressing Play
- FF / REW not working
- Rotating lights not moving

After changing the belts:
- Play only engages when you press Pause, then Play, and then it plays way too fast
- FF works, REW doesn't
- Tape door still won't open unless I hold down eject

Any ideas?

as far as the tape door....do you have the 2 springs at the bottom of the tape door in the middle or are they missing? They are used to push the door open...so to speak...

Cali - yep, they have gone, so that's the door issue.

Ewen , how you getting on with the bottom deck.

Mine is practically the same . .my springs were gone, but I have fashioned some from a gf 909 door spring, works a treat . .

As for the deck , mine only records , when you press record , the tape plays in record mode.

Nothing else works . . . . .

I think I may have a spring somewhere from something - I'll have a go.

The deck is doing my head in as I can't work it out. I don't think I've tried record yet so I'll give it a whirl and see if we hve similar symptoms.

maybe a seized part of the deck , grease dried out ?

It sound a bit strange.
As it's a soft touch deck this kind of issues are expected ...
In a Toshi I serviced, play didn't engange.
Even with fresh belts ... the function gearwheel keep enganging, and stoping.
This kinds of mecha had a piece wich locks heads once they reach the playback position.
And happpened that this piece uses an spring that was missing .

Search the piece that locks the heads.
That need some attention. Don't use the motor.
Take the mecha apart and perfom the fucntion rotating the flywheel by hand (IN THE RIGTH DIRECTION, OR YOU WOULD DAMAGE THE MECHA). Once heads reach position (the function gearwheel won't move since it doens't has teeth at the lock position), try to find the piece and see if there is missing spring, dry grease etc.

Speed looks like an ajust problem. As worst as change motor, that for me is the best option whne you can buy a good one.

many tape deck problems come from re assembly ,you have to get the black support frame lined up perfectly with the front case from the inside or the tape door and the buttons just act the fool and it doesnt work as good as it could ,i had one conion apart 10 times and the alignment of the inner frame with the front case was the problem.

thanks guys

with royal. Thanks for your input folks.