TEAC A-4010S Problem

[awhile]

Hello all,

Reel to reel newbie here. Just ordered and received an untested TEAC A-4010S on eBay for a pretty good price. Great shape, not a mark on it.

I got it home today, hooked it up to my speakers, and wound a tape through it. When I tapped the play button, the reels began to spin fast, and the pinch roller would engage all for just a second, before quitting, almost as if auto stopping. If I hold the play button down it just repeats this process over and over until I let go, all while the reels spin up to FF/RW speeds. I recorded a very short video of what it is doing. It’s linked below. I didn’t wind the tape through the machine for the video since it just jitters and throws the tape out of the take up reel. I just taped the arm into place so that the reels would spin.

Does anyone have a clue what might be going on? I opened it all up and checked the belts, the capstan belt had rolled and gotten stuck in the back of the reel it rides on, so I rolled it back up to where it was meant to be, however the stopping problem persists. Counter works and the belt appears fine. New belts for the counter and capstan are on their way, but the ones inside seem to be alright despite the age of the deck.

I appreciate any help you all might have.



Thanks again,


Aaron

 

[stoN_Cold]

I appreciate any help you all might have.

It's logical that it does not work properly because there is no tape.

 

[awhile]

It's logical that it does not work properly because there is no tape.

I've run tape through the deck, but the constant "on/off" clicking still occurs. No tape in the video because it just tosses it off and makes a bit of a mess. Something I might be doing wrong? I've posted about this in a few different places and someone mentioned solenoid linkages might need cleaned and greased?

Sorry I'm a little bit of a newbie...

Aaron

Edit: Here is a video of the deck trying to engage from the inside.

 

[dhnash]

The tape must threaded so it activates the automatic shutoff lever to maintain the deck in play mode (this also applies to FF and REW modes). If you have not already done so, you should download the instruction/owners manual from HiFi Engine (https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/teac/a-4010s.shtml) which you can do for free after registering with them. Review the notes on pages 5 and 6 of the manual.

 

[awhile]

The tape must threaded so it activates the automatic shutoff lever to maintain the deck in play mode (this also applies to FF and REW modes). If you have not already done so, you should download the instruction/owners manual from HiFi Engine (https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/teac/a-4010s.shtml) which you can do for free after registering with them. Review the notes on pages 5 and 6 of the manual.

Hi dhnash,

I just wound a tape through as the manual described. I made sure that I was winding the tape correctly as to make sure the shutoff switch was pulled into the playing position. My problem with the on/off persists... On my deck if the shutoff switch isn't engaged, nothing moves when I press play, I just hear a quiet hum.

Thank you all for your time and help.

Aaron

 

[dhnash]

It is possible that the automatic shutoff switch is making poor or intermittent contact. This would be the case even if you are moving it to its activated position manually or by threading tape. There is a troubleshooting chart on page 26 of the service manual that is also available for download from HiFi Engine. There is a section on troubleshooting the malfunction of the pinch roller failing to contact the capstan in play mode which may be applicable to your situation.

 

[rollcentre]

Look close at the auto stop lever and switch, I had one on my bench and there is some adjustments that can be made after the spring ages and looses tension. You can rotate the collar clockwise to increase spring tension. Iirc it is possible to over clock the collar and have the switch always depressed, or possibly in your case partially depressed