AKAI 4000 DS MK 2 / Squeak and stop issues!

[musicman334578]

Hello everyone

Hope you are all keeping very well.

Please help me as this has driven me mad LOL!

So I select PLAY and the machine runs perfectly, until both spools are about half full on each. Then you get a kind of MOUSE squeaking noise and tape stops running. When I hand turn the left spool, you can feel a kind of resistance and then it suddenly frees up, will run for a few seconds and stops again.

What I have done so far.
* Lubricated all links, wheels and the two spool units on tape machine.
* Cleaned the capstan, heads and rubber wheels with a grease free spirit to remove any residue or tape oxide.
* Previous owner assures me a new belt was fitted to main motor and it looks like a good tension is there.

The little counter belt is slightly loose but still functioning and is clean.

Any ideas please as it is driving me mad as I just cannot think what is causing this to happen.

Thank you very much.

Best wishes
Gary

[DMcMahon]

Gary does fast wind in both directions work OK ?

In Play when it stops does the capstan shaft stop rotating ?

Have you tried other tapes ?

David

[Michael Maurice]

I wonder if its the tapes that you are using which is suffering from Sticky Shed Syndrome.

[Vicboduk]

I agree with Michael, my GX-4000DB machine does exactly the same with tapes that are shedding.
You will find that most of the shedding (80%) occurs on the erase head (this is where the “squeaking” is being generated) and on the input and tape tensioner guides, clean these thoroughly.
If the tapes are important to you I would stop trying to play them and consider having them baked, then transferred.

Vic

[Ted Kendall]

Yup. Sticky shed. Akais run at quite high tension, which doesn't help. If the stuff is valuable. don't attempt to play the affected tapes until they have been baked,

[musicman334578]

Thank you very much. Never heard of this but makes a lot of sense. It was driving me mad LOL!!! Thank you all so much.
Best wishes Gary

[DMcMahon]

Even though I knew about SSS/Sticky Shed Syndrome, I only first experienced it less than 2 years ago and was surprised how serious it can be in terms of impairing the tape transport, particularly in my experience fast winding, that is why I asked at Post 2 if you could fast wind OK.

From visual inspection of the tape I find it is not easy to detect, the tape can look in real good condition, you may see some bits of dark tape sticky debris every now and again, but it can really coat up the various tape guides and heads. By holding the tape spool vertical then slowly leaning the spool over sideways you can sometimes tell if the tape is sticky by the fact that the tape will not swing outwards under gravity away from the wound tape but this is subjective. Also I think the stickiness can vary (if present) along the length of the tape.

David