Cassette player eating!

Safety and Preparation Serious injury can occur if the engine or mower blades accidentally start while you are working with lawn tractors. To prevent this, drive the Murray lawn tractor onto a flat work surface and disengage the mowing deck cutting blades. Engage the parking brake to keep the mower from moving; chock the wheels with a wooden block or brick. Adjust the mowing deck to the lowest position. Turn off the engine and remove the key from the ignition. While not necessary, you may even wish to disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug. Mowing Deck Removal You must remove the mowing deck on a Murray lawn tractor to gain access to the belts. Remove the adjustment rod hairpins, followed by the adjustment rod pins from the front left and right sides of the mowing deck. At the rear on the left and right sides, pull out the retaining hairpins and slide the mowing deck suspension links from the adjuster plates to separate the rear mowing deck from the frame. Remove the blade control rod stud, including the hairpin and washer, from the top of the blade control lever shift linkage at the left rear of the deck. Remove the front hanger rod, including the hairpin and flat washer that hold the rod in place. Loosen the belt guide retaining bolts with a socket wrench and remove the engine stack pulley belt so you can slide the mower deck out from under the tractor Transmission Drive Belt Installation Slide the new transmission drive belt between the engine stack pulley belt guides, over the belt guide plate and under the engine stack pulley. Fit the transmission drive belt around the top engine stack pulley. Push the free end of the transmission drive belt up through the transmission shifter hole in the lawn tractor floorboard. Slip the transmission drive belt loop over the transmission shifter. Pull the transmission drive belt down through the transmission shifter hole. Fit the transmission drive belt around the transmission drive pulley and tighten the transmission drive pulley belt guide retaining bolts to hold it in place. Fit the transmission drive belt flat side around the idler pulley. Slide the idler pulley onto the idler pulley stud while holding the belt in place. Tighten the transmission idler pulley retaining nut with a socket wrench to secure the idler pulley to the idler pulley stud. Mowing Deck Drive Belt Installation Pull back on the right side mowing deck mandrel pulley spring-tensioned belt retainer. Guide the new mowing deck drive belt around the right side mandrel pulley and release the belt retainer. Pull the drive belt spring-tensioned retainer away from the mowing deck idler pulley, guiding the deck drive belt around the idler pulley. Fit the mowing deck drive belt around the left side mandrel pulley and under the rear mowing deck cross link rod between the right and left side mandrel pulley. Slide the mowing deck under the right side lawn tractor frame, reconnecting the deck to the frame in reverse order of removal. Engage and disengage the mower deck while driving the mower to test the belt for proper operation.

Reel motor drive or Idlers need changing

The unit has a bad transport mechanism--it among other things moves the tape in play etc and when ejected winds the tape back into the cassette.

Could be bad belt/s or a bad idler made of rubber that does this type of function.

If a old unit may be better to replace if you can find one new.

Anything that eats tapes means the take-up torque is low of stopping due to bad belts or a bad Idler system or even cracked tires. The transport have to be taken out and those parts replaced and then it will work again.

Good day!!!

Most common problems

• VCR refuses to FF or REW and shuts off.
• VCR shuts off entering PLAY or REC or at random during PLAY or REC.
• VCR eats tapes.
• VCR doesn't accept tapes or ejects them without cause.
• Sound is wavery, fluctuating, or muddy.

The cause for all of these is very often a bad idler tire or other dirty, worn, or tired rubber parts

I assume you mean the cassette flap has broken off. This should not prevent the tape from coming in & out. The spring is to close the flap over when a tape is inserted & is an easy fix providing that the lug on the cassette flap to retain the spring has not broken.

I had sorta the same problem and I just fixed it. Mine was making clicking noises and jerking the tape causing speed variations and pitch changes, Uggghh. The FF, Rew, and take up functions are not belt driven like most decks. There is a little idler wheel between the motor and the take up axle. Take the whole transport assembly loose from the front of the deck...slide it back 3 inches . Take off the ground wire screw, and 3 screws holding the transport mechanism in place :...1 screw on top, 2 on bottom. Take the black front faceplate off of the drive...2 little screws. This exposes everything.The little idler wheel has a press on tiny,tiny piece of clear plastic holding it onto its little axle. Be hella careful. Use a tiny eyeglass screwdriver to pry it up and off. Dont lose it. Pull the idler wheel off. The rubber has hardened and slips. Pry the rubber rim off of the white plastic pulley using the tiny screwdriver. Put on an O ring that just fits. Scruff up the perimeter of the O ring with 220 sandpaper, Easy does it. Idler wheel goes back in, press on the little plastic retainer, put the black metal plate back on( 2 screws at top), slide the transport mechanism back into the front panel, secure with 3 screws, ground strap, replace cover. Clean heads, demagnetise, badda bing, badda boom.

When a VCR eats a tape, it can be cause by a couple things.

1. There is a rubber wheel called a "pincher wheel" that compresses the tape against the "capstan". The capstan is a shiny metal spindle connected to a motor. The pincher wheel can become worn and/or dirty (slick) from the oxide coating off of the tape. You can try cleaning the pincher wheel and capstan with alcohol or try using a re-grip solution on the pincher wheel. Last thing to do is replace the pincher wheel. Look to see that the pincher wheel is doing its job by pulling the tape through.

2. There is a small tire wheel called an idler tire. This tire pivots between the sending and pickup reels of the player. Its also used during fast forward & rewind as well as play. If the tire is worn, the tape won't be wound up as fast on the take-up reel as the sending reel during play. This means more tape is coming out of the cassette than can be wound up on the takeup reel. You can try using a re-grip solution on the idler tire or replace it.

Let me know if you need more information as to where to purchase these parts.

Good luck!
- Jim

When a VCR eats a tape, it can be cause by a couple things.

1. There is a rubber wheel called a "pincher wheel" that compresses the tape against the "capstan". The capstan is a shiny metal spindle connected to a motor. The pincher wheel can become worn and/or dirty (slick) from the oxide coating off of the tape. You can try cleaning the pincher wheel and capstan with alcohol or try using a re-grip solution on the pincher wheel. Last thing to do is replace the pincher wheel. Look to see that the pincher wheel is doing its job by pulling the tape through.

2. There is a small tire wheel called an idler tire. This tire pivots between the sending and pickup reels of the player. Its also used during fast forward & rewind as well as play. If the tire is worn, the tape won't be wound up as fast on the take-up reel as the sending reel during play. This means more tape is coming out of the cassette than can be wound up on the takeup reel. You can try using a re-grip solution on the idler tire or replace it.

Let me know if you need more information as to where to purchase these parts.
Yes - There are cassettes available that are made out of clear plastic that allow you see what's happening. You can also trick the player into thinking there is a tape. There are sensors (mechanical & infrared sensors) that you can bypass.

Good luck!
- Jim

When a VCR eats a tape, it can be cause by a couple things.

1. There is a rubber wheel called a "pincher wheel" that compresses the tape against the "capstan". The capstan is a shiny metal spindle connected to a motor. The pincher wheel can become worn and/or dirty (slick) from the oxide coating off of the tape. You can try cleaning the pincher wheel and capstan with alcohol or try using a re-grip solution on the pincher wheel. Last thing to do is replace the pincher wheel. Look to see that the pincher wheel is doing its job by pulling the tape through. The pincher wheel & capstan are not used during a fast forward or fast rewind, so if your tape is getting caught during the FF or RW and not Play, it's probably not related to capstan & pincher wheel.

2. There is a small tire wheel called an idler tire. This tire pivots between the sending and pickup reels of the player. Its also used during fast forward & rewind as well as play. If the tire is worn, the tape won't be wound up as fast on the take-up reel as the sending reel during play. This means more tape is coming out of the cassette than can be wound up on the takeup reel. You can try using a re-grip solution on the idler tire or replace it.
3. You didn't say if the unit played ok. There's also a brake pad that is designed to grab and stop the tape wheels from spinning when you hit stop. If those pads are worn, the wheels will not stop fast enough and the tape will continue to feed (spool) out of the cassette and not be taken up by the other wheel.

So when when you hit eject, the excess tape that should have been wound up tight in the cassette before the eject sequence, is getting caught inside the player.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

Good luck!
- Jim