The capstan drive roller on my tape deck fell apart. Spindle is .0975" dia. Pinch roller is .862" dia. All other belts and rollers seem OK. Where can I find a replacement capstan roller? Thanks.

if you want to set your playback speed exactly right, you need a test tape with a test tone on it (3khz for example). now you hook a frequency counter to your tapedecks output and set the speed accordingly.

Belts are not the only things needed as this question points out. The capstan bearing needs oil, the motor bearings need oil, the Pinch Roller pressure needs to be right and the pinch roller clean. Capstan shaft has to have some grip and can not be glazed when it is suppose to be matte surface to start. What is the model number?

There are several things in a tape deck that move when it is playing or recording. There are wheels on the spindles that take up the tape and those wheels are run by rubber belts. The belts get old, break or stretch. The other thing is the capstan. The capstan is a pinch roller that presses against a metal post. That post is the drive motor for the tape. The capstan roller can be worn or cracked, the motor might also not be working,

The problem sound like a slipping belt but also the flywheels are expected to be oiled as in taken out and oiled then the Pinch Rollers too.

Without physically looking at the cassette deck myself, I cannot be 100% sure the tape is wrapped around the pinch roller and capstan. The capstan is the chrome rod which the rubber pinch roller pushes to regulate the speed of the tape moving across the head. However it is approximately a 90% chance the take up reel for the tape stopped working from a bad tape or a loose belt which drives the tape take up reel. The clicking sounds like it could be the auto reverse solenoid because it thinks the tape has reached the end of play. The fun part is to remove the tape which you may have to disassemble the front panel if you cannot gain access to the tape from the top or bottom. You will need to cut the tape and remove it from the capstan and pinch roller to open the cassette door. Sometimes you can remove the capstan to free the tape. Once you have cleaned all the tape out of the unit make sure the belt for the take-up is good. If it is glazed, cracked, loose or broken order a belt. Clean all the pulleys and capstan and replace the belt. Your unit should be functional after the above procedure.

It could be the take up spindle does not have enough torque causing the tape to bunch up after the capstan. If you open up the unit you will notice ether belts or rollers for the tape drive. If it has belts you can replace the belt after cleaning the pulleys. If it has rollers you may be able to clean them with a rubber cleaner (not alcohol which will dry the rubber and cause glazing). Make sure the capstan and the pinch roller is clean using a rubber revitalizing cleaner on the pinch roller. "Goof off" from a hardware store is great for the capstan if it has a lot of metal oxide on it.

Replade the capstan belt you can buy it @ partstore.com

Ensure the rubber pinch roller presses the tape against the capstan drive shaft....ensure the capstan drive motor is turning..and the belt to the flywheel is snug, and not slipping. the tape transport engage relay might be stuck...a relay maybe corroded ...may need cleaning. Without seeing it cant say clearly what may be the problem. also ensure the tape tension/shut-off arm is under tension by tape that is correctly installed.

most tape decks are designed so that the spindle will run when powered on. when you press play or record, the pinch roller elevates the tape to the spindle, tape starts to travel.

noise is basically from the mechanism, or deteriorated in time as yours is an used one. if you are lucky to find some good pinch roller rubbers of same diameter, replace them.

pc-cook