I would like to make this work again.I have cleaned the rollers with alcohol. When playing a tape the sound starts to warble as the speed varies, then the speed slows and it stops. It is plugged in. Is it the motors, the electronics, or just the age of the components? Is there any remedy?

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.

You may have some broken tape wrapped around the capstan. The capstan is the small silver post that rotates when the tape is playing. A rubber roller presses the tape against the capstan. This silver post needs to be just that - silver. If it has any brown tape or goop on it, clean off the tape or goop with a small knife. Then follow up with nail polish remover [acetone]. Don't use alcohol because that will harden the rubber roller over time.

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?

Problem with the tape transport mechanism; could be the rollers are not contacting the tape itself or it could be the springs in the transport. Sounds like an older model. Could clean the rollers with alcohol and swap and if you can open it a like observe what happens with the rollers when you place in playback. These are rather delicately adjusted machines. I would again 1) try cleaning as best you can and very light oil in moving joints/gears aferward. 2) check adjustment of springs when moving from stop to playback. Once you have that whipped the record mecanism may start working as well.

This condition, regardless of which way the tape is moving, is caused by the failure of a rubber pinch-roller to trap the tape between capstan and the passive roller.The speed is then caused by the part of the drive driven by a small belt and a clutch that should only keep a small amount of tension on the tape in ensure clean rewinding of the tape after it has passed the head.
Lubricant in part of the transport's moving parts or a dried-out rubber roller may be causing this.If you want to try to clean the pinch roller, don't use alcohol since this can further harden the robber.Use a clean fiber-free cloth or paper towel wetted with a LITTLE naphtha and turn the roller on the wetted area. If you get some dark smudging, the treatment is working.

Start by cleaning the capstan roller. The rubber roller and small steel rod just above it, control the tape speed. Just a little lint, build up or animal hair wrapped around this can cause the speed to vary. Clean with alcohol and a Q-tip.

Hi, the casette deck has a mechanical system (servo-driver) most of the problems that happen when in your case, plays song so fast is that you look at the pinch roller. The pinch roller is a rubberized free spinning wheel typically used to press magnetic tape against a capstan shaft in order to create friction necessary to drive the tape along the magnetic heads with a normal tape speed if the pinch roller brakes, get lost from his place or got dirty then you get this fast sounds play, check the pinch roller if still good in his place or clean his rubber with alcohol, then the problem should be fixed.

rss13506,
I'm not sure what you mean by jam but I bet you need to clean the head, roller and pin in each deck. Use rubbing alcohol and a q-tip to clean the:

1) Head (silver thing in the center bottom where the tape slides over; it produces the sound).

2) Roller (black wheel thing that keeps tension on the tape).

3) Pin (above the roller-works with the roller).

If any of these parts are dirty the deck will eat up the tapes. Clean them even if you do not see visible dirt on the q-tip as dust does not show as well as oils in the air typically from cooking will gum up the parts. Give them ample time to dry before trying a tape.

As any tape playing person knows from the 70's and 80's-try a tape you don't care about first, to make sure the deck will not eat up the ones you like!

-Chris

motor belts are cheap. try replacing the belt that drives the wheel. this become distorted specially when the unit has not been use for quit long time. if you think its not about belt, clean up the rubber that touches the tape when played, also the tape head with 70% alcohol. hope this help.

Is this a HiFi stereo vcr? When you cleaned the heads, did you only do the heads on the rotating cylinder or only the fixed tracking/audio heads between the cylinder and the pich roller?

Does a prerecorded tape ( not a self recorded from that machine play ok?

HiFi vcrs default to the audio head(s) on the tracking/audio head if the HiFi heads on the rotating cylinder are dirty or damaged.

If a prerecorded tap palys fine, then the erase head circuit has failed.

If sound is weak and warbles, worse on SLP than SP, a weak VCR power supply.