JVC TD-V541 Cassette Deck Making Noise

I picked up a cool deck at an estate sale and I wonder if any of you have ever seen this particular model having the problem I am seeing.

When I turn it on, I hear the sound of a motor slowly coming up to speed; it sounds a little like a car in first gear begging to be shifted into second gear. The box also vibrates a little—almost a slight shaking. When I turn it off, it’s just the opposite—a slow wind-down.

I was able to fill one cassette before this problem began. It all worked fine at first.

I hope to get it working again. Any thoughts on this problem or any other aspect of this model would be welcome!

 

Seems like the top of the list for most cassette deck issues is that the belts need replacing. I'm not saying that's your issue, just that it could be. Perhaps a motor is winding up because a belt is becoming slack. Then again, it could the motor itself or any other number of issues. Looks like a nice deck, so good luck!

 

I've had this problem with several old cassette decks. Usually - not always - it's what's often referred to as a "dry bearing". The cure is most always getting some lubricant into the bearing of the capstan motor, which may not be too easy depending on the deck's design. It will certainly require some amount of disassembly. I use a teflon-infused (PTFE) lube that Radio Shack used to sell in a little tube that ended in a needle tip - part number 64-2301A. It may still be available from them, or possibly other sources.

 

Interesting, thank you.

I have read that a common problem with this deck is a certain capacitor going bad which causes the tape to play at 2 1/2 times the normal speed; and after I made my first tape successfully, I did hear a speed issue happening simultaneously with the other sudden problem I described (the tape was pulled from the shell, too).

It’ll be interesting to see if the solution to the noisiness also corrects the speed in this case.

 

Tape being pulled from the shell suggests a problem with the take-up spindle. That's usually belt-related, but could be another bearing seizure (especially if this is a one-motor or two-motor deck).