"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
04/07/2014 at 17:07 • Filed to: None
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"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
04/07/2014 at 17:07 • Filed to: None | 1
| 16 |
Got my $30 new-old stock Blaupunkt installed in the GTV6 finally and it works beautifully. Using in series with an old, spare 120w amp installed under the passenger seat with a low-level input for my iPhone, which is the primary source of audio in the car. Got a pair of pretty decent factory refurbished Kenwood 6.5" speakers for about 1/3 retail. Nice. Actually sounds really good, especially for such a patchwork job. The head unit is mostly for completeness, although I do enjoy the local Austin music station. I also have a box of 80s hair metal tapes that seem perfectly appropriate jams for the car.
So this was a brand new, sealed package Blaupunkt from the late 80s/early 90s, designed for the Merc E-class. Sometimes it'll play a tape, but most of the time it'll either warble for a second then spit it out, or proceed to munch the tape until I eject it.
Having trouble finding good diagnosis and solutions. I assume it could either be crustified lubricant jamming the takeup reel, or a dry-rotted belt slipping? The fact that it works perfectly sometimes makes me think it's not a terminal problem, or even something significant like a dead or dying motor.
Any old school car electronics buffs have any ideas? I'm going to have to pull it back out of the car anyway, to fabricate a better mounting bracket.
deekster_caddy
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:10 |
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Use a cassette -> headphone adapter and leave it in there. Don't ever put an actual cassette tape in anything. It will only be eaten to the point where you can't eject the tape anymore, and there is tape tangled in all the wheels and you have to throw it (the broken tape) out the window, leaving 1/2 mile of tape flapping behind your car. Don't ask me how I know this.
lone_liberal
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:13 |
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The rubber pinch roller could be dried up and not functioning correctly.
JEM
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:13 |
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IIRC - this is basically just how tape decks in the 80s worked. They just ate tapes. All. The. Fucking. Time.
I was so, so happy to move to CDs in 1991.
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:15 |
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Alas I have no idea at all how tape players work. When I get home I'll ask my dad though. He's done things like make an oscilloscope and a record player from scratch, so he knows his way around old electronics.
On a side-note, have you decided what to do with the GTV6? I know you were having second thoughts about keeping it a while ago. Have you just decided to wing it?
Bird
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:23 |
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???
(Sorry I can't be of any real help.)
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Chairman Kaga
> lone_liberal
04/07/2014 at 17:41 |
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I figure it's something to that effect. Either a rubber bit or congealed, dried up lubricant. I'll probably just disassemble and inspect/clean every moving part in the thing. Luckily most Blaupunkt internals are pretty interchangeable and also easy to find.
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Chairman Kaga
> deekster_caddy
04/07/2014 at 17:43 |
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I didn't have a CD player in my car until 1998. In fact, my first car had an 8-track deck.
The tape deck isn't essential, but in all honesty the only way to listen to Out of the Cellar or Girls, Girls, Girls is on cassette.
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lone_liberal
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 17:44 |
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Yeah, you should be able to replace the pinch roller without too much trouble. You could try hitting it with some isopropyl on a swab and see if that works temporarily.
desertdog5051
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 18:03 |
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Most likely the pinch roller. Sometimes the older tapes lose some flexibility and do not thread properly. Also, many of the old 90 and 120 tapes were so thin they struggled with even a new deck.
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Chairman Kaga
> desertdog5051
04/07/2014 at 18:12 |
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Pinch roller seems to be the general consensus. Thanks!
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Chairman Kaga
> lone_liberal
04/07/2014 at 18:12 |
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Pinch roller seems to be the general consensus. Thanks!
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Bird
04/07/2014 at 19:02 |
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came here to post this.
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deekster_caddy
> Chairman Kaga
04/07/2014 at 20:13 |
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oh I know. The first head unit I had with a cassette deck had ff and eject so you could flip it over! It's surprising how good you could get at repeating one song, knowing to pop the tape out, flip it, ff for just enough time, flip it back and hit the gap in between songs!
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Chairman Kaga
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
04/08/2014 at 13:44 |
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I'm keeping it until I come up with a better plan. I've actually been driving it pretty regularly. Both kids were sick and at home, so I didn't have to tote them to daycare for several days. Slogging a car like a GTV6 in heavy urban traffic is a highly efficient way to frazzle your nerves.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Chairman Kaga
04/08/2014 at 14:24 |
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Glad to hear it :) it is a marvellous machine, although I can't see it being much fun double-clutching through traffic...
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Chairman Kaga
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
04/08/2014 at 15:15 |
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No. No it's not. It's challenging, for sure, but now a whole lot of fun. Although I found that if I overinflate the rear tires to 36 psi, and the fronts to about 32, it becomes a drifting machine to rival anything from a cartoon. I mean, 25 MPH, full opposite lock, banging the rev limiter in second. It does get even more exciting when it hooks up with all those revs, too. I just wish I had the time and money to rebuild and install my spare transaxle. Maybe next year.