Hitachi TRK-8600E cassette recorder not working

[Julian67]

Greetings,

Just bought an Hitachi TRK-8600E cassette / radio recorder but the cassette recorder does not work. All I get when I press PLAY / FAST/Back is a sharp whiring sound. When I press RECORD + PLAY, the RECORD button will not press in.

I open the cassette case and tried to move the black wheel up (looking in), on the right. Does not move.

Then I tried to remove the back by loosening the screws: 4 top
2 (above the electric cord)
2 at the bottom

but unable to remove the back plastic case. Bottom is lose but not the top.

Would anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong in trying to remove the brown back case ?

And, when I remove the back, what to check to get the cassette recorder working?

Or, what the problem is?

Many thanks

[paulsherwin]

The belts are probably knackered.

[Andrew2]

Paul is almost certainly correct. After many years of resting, the belts often turn to black 'goo' and fall off and/or stick to the pulleys etc.
The record key refusing to press probably means that the cassette has had the 'record protect' tab removed. Is the tape a commercial pre-recorded music cassette? If it is, then that's the cause. They were protected against erasure by having no tab.
The back may simply be stuck after so long. Quite often the mating edges had a fabric strip glued along them to stop the case rattling when the music is turned up loud. After so long, the glue can end up stopping the case being taken apart.
Gentle brute force may be in order, but not before checking for hidden screws or perhaps the batteries getting in the way?

[paulsherwin]

Check for a screw in the battery compartment.

[ben]

Have you removed any knobs on the sides? maybe also the antenna.

Your whirring almost certainly means the rubber drive belt has snapped. Usual procedure is thread a piece of string round its path to get a rough idea of length. Alteratively buy a mixed pack of belts off Ebay and hope there's one to suit!

[Julian67]

Greetings

Thank you friends for taking the time to reply sharing your suggestions. Much appreciated.

Keep well

[Julian67]

Hi

I removed the back cover and discovered the motor (part no: 5577082 - 10807-A) rubber belt has snapped. The motor just whirls, so I assume it's ok.

Would anyone have a pic of how to attach the belt to the cassette part?

Where could I source a new belt?

Based upon a snapped belt and whirring motor, do you think the motor is ok?

A photo + description on how to attach the belt would be great for this novice!

Many thanks

[toshiba tony]

You are only in with a chance if you post a pic of the deck, from the belt end of course.

[Chris55000]

Hi!

What little technical data there is appears to be "the-cough-up-for" variety, but I've managed to get this little collection from a Russian "Audio Bygone's" site - is it any help?

Chris Williams

[Julian67]

Greetings,

I removed the rear panel and traced the whirring sound to the motor (part no: 5577082 10807-A) where I discovered the motor belt was snapped.

QUESTIONS:

Would anyone know the correct belt size and where I could source one cheaply?

Steps on how to fit it + possibly a pic of the correct fitting?

Being a novice, I'm not sure where it feeds through from the motor to the cassette wheel underneath.

Many thanks in anticipation.

[crackle]

Why not take a photo of what you are seeing and post it in a thread here so we can see it, then we may be able to advise.

Mike

[Julian67]

Hitachi TRK8600-E pics attached