Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

u118075 · 7th Jan 2020, 12:13 pm

The cassette player doesn't work. I've taken the top lid off in the hopes if may be just a broken belt but can't see one! All the gubbins are hidden away underneath. I can't see how to get the bottom casing off to see if it's belt driven. Anybody had dealings with this model.

Longshot I know but any advice appreciated. Thanks.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 7th Jan 2020, 4:50 pm

The cassette player will be belt-driven, and, in the case of most Clarion Car Stereos, the bottom is not removable, but the cassette mech. can be removed, usually by undoing 4 screws in the bottom, and de-soldering several connecting wires, three to the radio/tape c/o switch, the screened lead connecting the play head, two wires connected to the motor, plus, if the PE9020D is auto-reverse, two leads which go to the direction indicator LEDs. This is easier to do than describe, but, as long as either a clear photo showing the connections, or a careful note of which wire goes where is made, not difficult. Unlike some manufacturers, Clarion seldom, if ever, used plug & socket connections between different parts , though they did use a type of ribbon cable which is clamped into connectors. Releasing these is by gently lifting a locking lever at the top of the connector and gently pulling out the ribbon cable.

duncanlowe · 7th Jan 2020, 8:21 pm

Could I suggest checking the model number again. I seem to remember they start PU rather than PE, and that this might indicate that it's an OEM specific one.

I'd agree with livewire, in my experience of them in the early nineties, the deck lifts out after removing a few screws. But make sure you use a screwdriver that fits really well, the screws are tight and have locking fluid on them, but are also made from cheese.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 7th Jan 2020, 10:14 pm

Reading your post, Duncan, AFAIK, you are correct in that OEM specific stereos are/were numbered in the PE series, whilst Clarion's 'own range', to coin a phrase, were numbered in the PU series. I have quite a number of original Clarion Service Manuals, so, when next in my workshop, I'll see if they include one for a PE9020D. Approximately how old is your stereo, U118075? The manuals I have date from the late 80s to mid 90s.

u118075 · 8th Jan 2020, 6:43 pm

Livewire/duncanlowe,

Many thanks for the info. and advice. I'll take another look and maybe get the soldering iron out if the screws undo easily. Will I need to desolder just to replace the belt?

The radio/cassette has a clear legible label with PE9020D on it followed by 286-5821-00 and serial no. 0082140.

It's out of my '65 Ford Mustang so I guess cannot be original but fits (without the dash having been chopped about.) Looks the part with a Mustang logo'd bezel. Just be nice to get the cassette bit working.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 8th Jan 2020, 11:22 pm

That Clarion Stereo is at least 20 years younger than a'65 Mustang, which would have had a U.S. Ford Radio, possibly AM only, as original equipment. To answer your question, in order to remove the cassette mechanism, yes, you will have to unsolder the wires I mentioned, remove the mech., and almost certainbly remove a bottom plate from the cassette mech. in order to change the belt or belts. Original belts will no longer be available, but suitable substitutes are available from eBay and other sources.

u118075 · 9th Jan 2020, 11:57 am

Thanks again LIVEWIRE. If memory serves I think car cassette players came about in the early/mid seventies, rapidly replacing 8 track players.
Rgds u118075

'LIVEWIRE?' · 9th Jan 2020, 1:33 pm

You're right, u118075, although, IIRC, Clarion didn't enter the UK market until the 80s. The firm for whom I worked at the time, who had been Blaupunkt, Radiomobile, Motorola and Philips dealers, added Clarion, whose UK HQ was in Swindon, to their portfolio sometime around 1980/81, and continued to be Clarion dealers until mid 1995. I remember servicing and repairing 8-track players during the first 10 years or so I worked for Malins in Oxford between late 71 & mid 81 approximately.

u118075 · 6th Feb 2020, 12:40 pm

Quick update incase it ever helps someone in the future.

There was enough "slack" in the wiring, having unscrewed the cassette mech. to replace the drive belt (sourced off ebay) without having to de-solder any wires. Cleaned up the gooey pulleys, cleaned the pickup and bench tested the motor. All good.

Refitted the player to the dash and reconnected the wiring to the speakers etc. Radio
still fine but nothing from the cassette deck. Fast fwd/back working and tape being driven but nothing out of the speakers. Tried two or three different cassettes but still nothing.

Oh well, I've given up. Just have to stick with the radio I guess.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 6th Feb 2020, 5:52 pm

Have you checked that the tape playback head is OK? From memory it should have a DC resistance of between 200-300 ohms per channel. Also check that the radio/tape switch is changing over when a tape is inserted, and that the connection between the deck and amplifier is OK. If these are in order, it's most likely a fault in the tape player preamplifier circuit, since the rest of the audio circuitry is common to both radio and cassette operation. Checks with an AF generator would pinpoint the cause of the fault, or, failing that, the 'buzz' test,working back from the volume control to the tape head connections.

Cobaltblue · 6th Feb 2020, 7:19 pm

I bought My Clarion Radio from a Clarion specialist in Manor Rd Paignton around 1978/9 it could not have been much later since I fitted it to both my S and V reg Avengers I did not fit it to P reg Avenger It was possibly a PE685 a bit later ( a few months) I fitted the Clarion Graphic Equaliser 110EQB.

I think I still have them somewhere

Cheers

Mike T

duncanlowe · 9th Feb 2020, 3:33 pm

Clarion were indeed Swindon, and actually ran an assembly production line there for some OEM units back in the eighties / nineties (can't remember exactly when they started it). I visited a few times as they were making units for the car maker I worked for. They were also sponsors of Swindon FC.

I used to have service manuals for a couple of versions but not seen them in ages....

G6Tanuki · 9th Feb 2020, 3:50 pm

Clarion (UK) seem to have ceased trading - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01491983 - so I think getting replacement parts could prove tricky.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 9th Feb 2020, 6:14 pm

In the 80s & early to mid 90s, I worked for Malins of Oxford, who were Clarion dealers/service agents. As their ICE Service Engineer, I repaired quite a few then current and recent Clarion car stereos. I still have a lot of their service manuals, bu they are elsewhere, so cannot check which ones I have. I didn't know Clarion GB had ceased trading, but in any event spares for older models would be NLA by now. My own spares stock includes a small number of Clarion Parts, mainly motors, and other cassette mechanism bits.

duncanlowe · 9th Feb 2020, 7:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Clarion (UK) seem to have ceased trading - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01491983 - so I think getting replacement parts could prove tricky.

Things have changed massively in that arena now. Manufacturers haven't fitted 'car radios' for a very long time. If they ended up only supplying into aftermarket that is a small market that would probably supported direct from Japan (and China) like JVC, Kenwood and the likes.

The companies that have come to the fore in OEM support are specialising in parts of the system, such as touch screen displays, media modules, navigation and so on.

G6Tanuki · 9th Feb 2020, 8:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncanlowe

Things have changed massively in that arena now. Manufacturers haven't fitted 'car radios' for a very long time. If they ended up only supplying into aftermarket that is a small market that would probably supported direct from Japan (and China) like JVC, Kenwood and the likes.

The companies that have come to the fore in OEM support are specialising in parts of the system, such as touch screen displays, media modules, navigation and so on.

Indeed: even the cheapest of new cars come as standard with an 'infotainment' system including satnav, GPS, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay phone-integration as standard [including individual rear-seat screens supporting HD DVD-replay].

Middle-class cars have Bose or Harmann:Kardon 20-speaker 300-Watt systems from the factory.

Old-style 'accessory' car-audio manufacturers have essentially been crowded-out.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 9th Feb 2020, 11:40 pm

In my days as an ICE service Engineer (late '71 till April 95) the main brands were Radiomobile, Motorola, Blaupunkt, Philips, Pye, Ekco, and Blaupunkt, with Clarion arriving, IIRC, a few years later. Sharp (what happened to them?) also had a strong position in the lower to middle price ranges. OE fit car radios were the exception in the early part of that time range. In June and July each year our workshop would be full of new cars in which we fitted new radios & stereos ready for the August registration letter change. How times have changed!

7th Jan 2020, 12:13 pm	#1
u118075 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 4	Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D The cassette player doesn't work. I've taken the top lid off in the hopes if may be just a broken belt but can't see one! All the gubbins are hidden away underneath. I can't see how to get the bottom casing off to see if it's belt driven. Anybody had dealings with this model. Longshot I know but any advice appreciated. Thanks.

7th Jan 2020, 4:50 pm	#2
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D The cassette player will be belt-driven, and, in the case of most Clarion Car Stereos, the bottom is not removable, but the cassette mech. can be removed, usually by undoing 4 screws in the bottom, and de-soldering several connecting wires, three to the radio/tape c/o switch, the screened lead connecting the play head, two wires connected to the motor, plus, if the PE9020D is auto-reverse, two leads which go to the direction indicator LEDs. This is easier to do than describe, but, as long as either a clear photo showing the connections, or a careful note of which wire goes where is made, not difficult. Unlike some manufacturers, Clarion seldom, if ever, used plug & socket connections between different parts , though they did use a type of ribbon cable which is clamped into connectors. Releasing these is by gently lifting a locking lever at the top of the connector and gently pulling out the ribbon cable.

7th Jan 2020, 8:21 pm	#3
duncanlowe Nonode Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK. Posts: 2,531	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Could I suggest checking the model number again. I seem to remember they start PU rather than PE, and that this might indicate that it's an OEM specific one. I'd agree with livewire, in my experience of them in the early nineties, the deck lifts out after removing a few screws. But make sure you use a screwdriver that fits really well, the screws are tight and have locking fluid on them, but are also made from cheese.

7th Jan 2020, 10:14 pm	#4
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Reading your post, Duncan, AFAIK, you are correct in that OEM specific stereos are/were numbered in the PE series, whilst Clarion's 'own range', to coin a phrase, were numbered in the PU series. I have quite a number of original Clarion Service Manuals, so, when next in my workshop, I'll see if they include one for a PE9020D. Approximately how old is your stereo, U118075? The manuals I have date from the late 80s to mid 90s.

8th Jan 2020, 6:43 pm	#5
u118075 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 4	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Livewire/duncanlowe, Many thanks for the info. and advice. I'll take another look and maybe get the soldering iron out if the screws undo easily. Will I need to desolder just to replace the belt? The radio/cassette has a clear legible label with PE9020D on it followed by 286-5821-00 and serial no. 0082140. It's out of my '65 Ford Mustang so I guess cannot be original but fits (without the dash having been chopped about.) Looks the part with a Mustang logo'd bezel. Just be nice to get the cassette bit working.

8th Jan 2020, 11:22 pm	#6
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D That Clarion Stereo is at least 20 years younger than a'65 Mustang, which would have had a U.S. Ford Radio, possibly AM only, as original equipment. To answer your question, in order to remove the cassette mechanism, yes, you will have to unsolder the wires I mentioned, remove the mech., and almost certainbly remove a bottom plate from the cassette mech. in order to change the belt or belts. Original belts will no longer be available, but suitable substitutes are available from eBay and other sources.

9th Jan 2020, 11:57 am	#7
u118075 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 4	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Thanks again LIVEWIRE. If memory serves I think car cassette players came about in the early/mid seventies, rapidly replacing 8 track players. Rgds u118075

9th Jan 2020, 1:33 pm	#8
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D You're right, u118075, although, IIRC, Clarion didn't enter the UK market until the 80s. The firm for whom I worked at the time, who had been Blaupunkt, Radiomobile, Motorola and Philips dealers, added Clarion, whose UK HQ was in Swindon, to their portfolio sometime around 1980/81, and continued to be Clarion dealers until mid 1995. I remember servicing and repairing 8-track players during the first 10 years or so I worked for Malins in Oxford between late 71 & mid 81 approximately.

6th Feb 2020, 12:40 pm	#9
u118075 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 4	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Quick update incase it ever helps someone in the future. There was enough "slack" in the wiring, having unscrewed the cassette mech. to replace the drive belt (sourced off ebay) without having to de-solder any wires. Cleaned up the gooey pulleys, cleaned the pickup and bench tested the motor. All good. Refitted the player to the dash and reconnected the wiring to the speakers etc. Radio still fine but nothing from the cassette deck. Fast fwd/back working and tape being driven but nothing out of the speakers. Tried two or three different cassettes but still nothing. Oh well, I've given up. Just have to stick with the radio I guess.

6th Feb 2020, 5:52 pm	#10
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Have you checked that the tape playback head is OK? From memory it should have a DC resistance of between 200-300 ohms per channel. Also check that the radio/tape switch is changing over when a tape is inserted, and that the connection between the deck and amplifier is OK. If these are in order, it's most likely a fault in the tape player preamplifier circuit, since the rest of the audio circuitry is common to both radio and cassette operation. Checks with an AF generator would pinpoint the cause of the fault, or, failing that, the 'buzz' test,working back from the volume control to the tape head connections.

6th Feb 2020, 7:19 pm	#11
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,859	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D I bought My Clarion Radio from a Clarion specialist in Manor Rd Paignton around 1978/9 it could not have been much later since I fitted it to both my S and V reg Avengers I did not fit it to P reg Avenger It was possibly a PE685 a bit later ( a few months) I fitted the Clarion Graphic Equaliser 110EQB. I think I still have them somewhere Cheers Mike T __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

9th Feb 2020, 3:33 pm	#12
duncanlowe Nonode Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK. Posts: 2,531	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Clarion were indeed Swindon, and actually ran an assembly production line there for some OEM units back in the eighties / nineties (can't remember exactly when they started it). I visited a few times as they were making units for the car maker I worked for. They were also sponsors of Swindon FC. I used to have service manuals for a couple of versions but not seen them in ages....

9th Feb 2020, 3:50 pm	#13
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 13,996	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D Clarion (UK) seem to have ceased trading - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01491983 - so I think getting replacement parts could prove tricky.

9th Feb 2020, 6:14 pm	#14
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D In the 80s & early to mid 90s, I worked for Malins of Oxford, who were Clarion dealers/service agents. As their ICE Service Engineer, I repaired quite a few then current and recent Clarion car stereos. I still have a lot of their service manuals, bu they are elsewhere, so cannot check which ones I have. I didn't know Clarion GB had ceased trading, but in any event spares for older models would be NLA by now. My own spares stock includes a small number of Clarion Parts, mainly motors, and other cassette mechanism bits.

9th Feb 2020, 11:40 pm	#17
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Clarion Radio/Cassette PE 9020D In my days as an ICE service Engineer (late '71 till April 95) the main brands were Radiomobile, Motorola, Blaupunkt, Philips, Pye, Ekco, and Blaupunkt, with Clarion arriving, IIRC, a few years later. Sharp (what happened to them?) also had a strong position in the lower to middle price ranges. OE fit car radios were the exception in the early part of that time range. In June and July each year our workshop would be full of new cars in which we fitted new radios & stereos ready for the August registration letter change. How times have changed!