TC 366 needs cleaning, I think. Advice?

Tonya · Aug 27, 2004

Hi!
My Father-in-law gave me his Sony TC-366 reel-to-reel player. He kept
it in great condition, just had it on a shelf for years. I tried to
play a tape on it, but couldn't get it to move. It would start a
bit, then stop. When I tried to rewind, it also gave a bit of a jump,
then stopped. It seemed as if the rotating parts might be gummed up.
I'm tempted to start taking it apart to see if there is anything
obviously in need of a cleaning, but I'd be working completely in the
dark. How valuable would it be to spend $25 on a service manual (would
it be any help)? How easy of a repair could this be? Could anyone
give me advice on where to begin?
Thanks!!!
A complete newbie...

Tonya

Wayne Tiffany · Aug 27, 2004

Personally, I would head into it. Most likely you would be able to tell if
things are mechanically stuck because of gunk. Or you might find belts that
no longer have sufficient tension. (I have an old vcr running with a rubber
band.) Have some fun!

WT

Sam Goldwasser · Aug 28, 2004

Wayne Tiffany said:
Personally, I would head into it. Most likely you would be able to tell if
things are mechanically stuck because of gunk. Or you might find belts that
no longer have sufficient tension. (I have an old vcr running with a rubber
band.) Have some fun!

My guess would be belts that have decayed if not into a gooey mess, stretched
to the point of being useless, and rubber wheels with no traction. In many
cases, replacements will be available from places like MCM Electronics but
some custom parts may be a problem.

There could also be gummed up grease but start by checking the rubber parts.

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G. Louie · Aug 28, 2004

I have a TC-366 I bought new in 1972 (I think), and it has developed
several problems over the years. The worst one, that may be like yours, is
that the big 1.5uF 250V MP capacitor for the AC motor gave out, and I had
to build up a substitute from big mylar block caps. The symptom was that
the motor ran very weakly and slow.

Of course, you could also have a lot of loose belts and rubber wheels, and
lube problems. I also had trouble with lube and adjustment on the
auto-shutoff mechanism, which is troublesome to work on, but not much
problem with general lubrication. With some familiarity of tape
mechanisms, you can figure out pretty quickly upon inspection if your
problem is just lube. The manual won't be that helpful here.

The manual is helpful to see how to disassemble and adjust things and fix
the electronics, but you will have a lot of trouble trying to find any
parts shown in the manual. Mostly, one has to find substitute belts and
fabricate things such as leather brake pads and such.

Lastly, many reel tapes from the 70s-90s were made with a binder that is
chemically decomposing, turning waxy. Playing such a tape results in waxy
tape deposits on the guides and heads very quickly, then the tape often
jams and stops. This could be your problem, too. There is a procedure that
involves heating the tapes that can restore them to playability
temporarily.

Tonya · Sep 7, 2004

Thanks everyone for the advice!!! I'll give it a shot on my own. If
I run into trouble I can always get a manual later and try to rebuild
it.

Thanks very much!!!
Tonya