Bob M

I have the stock AM/FM Cass w/eq stereo. When I push a casette in to play it, it will switch sides about 4 or 5 times and eject the tape. Anyone know what is causing this? Is it easily fixable, or is it toast?

Thanks
Bob M.

Black86T/A

I have the exact same problem with my stock cassette player! It's so frusterating! Any help would be greatly appriciated!

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"T/A all the way"

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

The main cause of that problem is that it's a Delco radio. It will cost a minimum of $50-$100 to get that thing fixed, and it will just break again. Time to jump into the world of digital audio.

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GndPrx

Usually that is a sign that the motors inside have died or are dying. What happens is that it tries to turn the tape, it can't, so it thinks it's at the end of the tape and flips sides.

Eventually it will spit the tape back out.

GndPrx
http://www.caraudioresources.net

1984-Firebird-SC

This may sound extremely hick but....
What I did for mine was start shooting the inside with a lubricant (e.g. WD-40). However I use a car adapter for a CD player as opposed to a tape that could get wrecked so that may not be an option for you tape guys...but it is a frustrating problem, I can't wait to get my CD player soon....

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1984 Pontiac Firebird SC
2.8L V6
Camaro Z28 mag rims and stereo

"Oh I've seen better days
The pain of these memories I cannot drive away" - Econoline Crush "Nowhere Now"

Justins86bird

Taking the deck into a shop is an option, but now days, they charge you just to open it up and tell you whats wrong.

Take a look around some of the online auction sites. You can sometimes get a good delco deck for a 'song' Usually junk yards remove the radios so they dont get damaged by the weather, so they may have what you need. Never priced them at junk yards tho.

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-Justin-
T-Top '86 5.0L LG4 700R4 WS6 Now Bilstein equipped!
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There can be only one!!

GndPrx

Junk yards are on some serious drugs for what I've seen them asking for factory radio's. (Just to give you an idea, an online junk yard http://www.newellelectronics.com is selling stock delco am/fm/tape for anywhere from $100 - $225 each)

Check with local stereo shops to see if any of their customers are ditching their factory delco and see if you can get someone to sell you the original.

Good luck

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GndPrx
http://www.caraudioresources.net
EFNet #car-audio ; #caraudio

Bob M

Thanks for the advice!!!

Black86T/A

Yeah, thanks guys. I am definitally gonna get a new cd head unit, but I figured I could hook up my portable w/ the tape adapter in the mean time if I could fix the stock cassette player...oh well.

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"T/A all the way"

P J Moran

Mine did that, too. The problem lies in the rubber "belt". With age, they get hard and slick. The motor turns fine, but the belt slips (or might even be broken), and the player thinks you've reached the end of the tape.

I bought another player at a swap meet for $10, took it apart, and found that the belt was somewhat better than mine. So I swapped it out - problem fixed. I later found a place that sells new belts (MCM Electronics), so I bought a couple. I'm running a new belt, now.

Replacing the belt is not for the faint of heart. Getting the unit apart is tricky, and remembering how to put it back together is even trickier!

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'87 IROC 5.7l TPI - original owner!

myposcamaro

damn, all that and yet its still a delco, and it still sounds like crap, and it still wont compare to ANY head unit out there.

spare yourself the aggravation, get a cdplayer

P J Moran

... but if you bypass the internal amplifier and hook up some preamp outputs, like I did, you'll be surprised at what you can get. My system sounds quite good. I love my little five band equalizer, and until I find a reasonably priced 1.5DIN unit with one in it, I'll stick with my unit.

Yeah, it's alot of work, but I'm a detail freak, and take great pride in getting results out of special projects like this.

Sure would like to have a CD player, though



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'87 IROC 5.7l TPI - original owner!

Fire"Dutch"Bird

iTrader: (1)

Hey,PJ,
I need one or two of those belts as well for the original delco player that came with my car!
It's a 88 Firebird.
Do you have a part number for those belts?
And where did you buy them?
Greetings from The Netherlands!
P.Kruger@12move.nl

FrankieRider2

Bob, I've got two GTA stereos that do this..... well, one that does it and one that doesn't spit the tape back out at you; I guess it decided to keep it or something.

I took it into a Delco repair shop in Little Rock, AR and was told that the stereo's processor was bad..... which is a $150 part to replace in each unit.

Since you don't have the steering wheel radio controls to worry about losing, I'd say get a good quality aftermarket deck in there and be done with it. Just my opinion.....

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Frankie Rider, 2
The GTA Source Page
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D.DASTURDLEE

On my 86 I used to have to hold down the volume button to play a tape, but I changed it for a $100 clarion that sounds nice.

Chris Luongo

Bob, don't put any of that aftermarket junk in your car. You could get your radio repaired, but it wouldn't be worth it. If you search the you-pull-it junkyards, you shouldn't have to pay more than $20-30 for a used replacement.

But you'll probably have a tough time finding a proper Pontiac radio, with the grey ***** and red backlighting. If you're handy with small tools, another option is to just grab any working Delco tape radio, regardless of whether it has the EQ or correct backlighting, and simply swap the cassette decks around. You remove the 1/4" screws to take the bottom panel off the radio, and then a few more smaller screws hold the cassette player in place. And the wires simply unplug.

Chris