My uncle gave me his broken wm-d3 about 20 years ago when I was a kid. It never worked for me but I was still obsessed with it. I pulled it out of the attic recently and it randomly started working. I even managed to record with it. Needless to say I was delighted. Sadly the joy didn't last long and through this forum I figured out it had a cracked centre gear. I managed to order a repair kit and replaced it along with the small reel gear which was also cracked but when I test it the mechanics are noisy and do nothing when a tape is in. I followed Marian Mihok's guide and think the problem may be a leaning centre gear axle. From what I can tell the guide suggests pushing the axle so it's not as tight against the other gears but I'm a little wary of bending the axle. I would really appreciate any help. I have a video of the noisy mechanics but am unsure of the best way of posting it. Also I apologise if I should have posted this in another subforum. Thanks
Welcome to forum @BahFrancie Your question is not very clear to me. Once you install the axle it should set to its spot appropriately. I guess if you post a video your question ca be answered correctly. a simple way to show your video is to post it on youtube and link it here.
Thanks for your reply @Boodokhan The video is here The repair guide states.. 'If the mechanics are very noisy, it is likely that the center gear pushes very tightly onto adjacent gears. Usually, this is caused by a leaning center gear axle.' Link to guide http://www.walkman-archive.com/articles/sony-dd-repair-guide_05.html
It looks like the center gear might be slipping a little? That might just be the top washer on the axle post. I'd put a dot on all of the gears and see if they're turning in unison.
the noise comes from the central gear. Pay attention to central gear blue dot (marked by Marian for installation guide) while rotating counter clock direction. From 3 to almost 10 you constantly hear this noise. Most probably this can happen due to bend gear against the axle. It must be aligned well, that's why during gear installation you should be careful with this part.
Hey guys, thanks for your input. From what you have both said I'm pretty sure the central gear is slipping because the axle is bent. If I apply a little pressure to move the axle towards the take-up reel while playing everything moves smoothly. In the guide it says this problem is 'very bad' but is it beyond repair? The guide suggests a leaning axle can be corrected by what looks like bending it back into position. It doesn't state this explicitly, it just has a picture with arrows extending from the axle so I'm not sure what this means exactly. I'm also apprehensive about messing up the axle more..
It sounds like the screech is just before the blue dot goes under the plastic gear. Maybe the ejection pin mark (the round spot) is rubbing on the plastic gear since it's higher due to the bent shaft. I'd put some of that blue marker on the metal gear to see if you see wear marks after it rotates a few times. This might help you determine which way to bend. Some of these motors have three mounting screws with rubber washers and you can fine tune the shaft angle from the other side. I have zero experience with your model so I don't know the internal workings..
