How to Replace the Belts on a Sony TC-WR535 Dual Cassette Deck

If you own a TC-WR535 which cassette decks won't open anymore, it's probably because the belts of the motor are in bad shape. I'm now gonna show you how to replace them.

Step 1: Tools You Will Need

These are the tools you will need:
a container for the screws so you don't lose them
screwdrivers
replacement belts (2 for each deck, so a whole replacement set contains 4 belts, 2 small ones and 2 larger ones)

Step 2: Unscrew Part 1

Unscrew the 5 screws shown on the picture

Step 3: Unscrew Part 2

Unscrew the 5 screws on the bottom of the WR535

Step 4: Inside the TC-WR535

Now remove top part of the case and you'll see the guts of your cassette deck.
Remove the four flat cables (one on each deck, one small and one big in the middle)

Step 5: Pull Off the Front

Now gently pull of the front

Step 6: The Belts

These are the two belts we want to replace

Step 7: Unscrew the 2 Tiny Screws

Unscrew the 2 tiny screws on the deck on which you like to replace the belts

Step 8: Final Step

Now remove the top part of the deck, replace the belts and then reassemble.

Comments

[RonC140]

Confused to take old belts off it shows 3 spots to pull off old belt with the red arrows but where's the fourth arrow???

[MikeS731]

Did this this morning on my TC-WR535 -- great write up, the only thing I want to add is that there are "3" screws that need to be removed to get the while nylon portion of the deck off, the 3rd screw is the gold colored one in the middle of the circuit board. Thanks a bunch for posting this up, without it I would have never done this and this deck would probably be in the landfill.....but now it has a new life!

[Doug Brunelle]

Very nice, clear instructable - thanks! My google search for a solution to this problem turned up your fix, and it was the first time I had heard of the instructables site. FYI, I performed this fix on a Sony TC-WE835S cassette deck, which is a dual cassette deck with very similar construction to the TC-WR535. I haven't yet obtained a replacement belt set for this deck, so I just replaced the main belt (on both transports) with a rubber band of similar size. I did not replace the smaller belt. This is a temporary fix, obviously, but it does solve the problems of cassettes not playing and becoming stuck in the machine.

I would add one step to clarify the installation of the main belt. One of the more tedious steps is getting the main (larger) belt around both main pulleys while at the same time juggling both halves of the transport to get them close enough together to wrap the belt around the motor pulley. I discovered that there are two small plastic posts on the bottom half of the transport, near the motor pulley's position (when the transport is assembled). I found it to be a big help to position the belt around these two posts, after getting it around the two main pulleys. It's much simpler then to get the two transport halves close together and transfer the belt from these two posts to the motor pulley.  I'll betcha that Sony put those two posts there for this very reason.

Hope this additional information helps those who are performing this repair.

--Doug

[GlenZ1]

Yes, that's what the posts are for, also the smaller pully has 2 posts for that reason.

[J.B2]

I confirm about the mount posts - referred as 'claws' on the disassembly schematic.

I found the transfer of the belt, from the claw, to small white plastic pulley to occur pretty naturally as halves snapped back together. The smaller, I think it's the capstan belt, took a little bit of manual assistance on my part - aided by the flat blade of a millimeter size tech screwdriver, (hint: have a set handy) to get it seated on it's small plastic pulley. Overall, straight forward operation. Took approximately an hour. The decks back to working like it did when I first bought it twenty odd years ago. Only set me back twenty five bucks for a set of replacement belts. I'm happy.

[DLR1]

I can confirm those 'helper posts' as well! great instructable and great comments!!

[markepowell]

Nice heads up on the additional positioning posts for installing the belts.

[bmsyachts]

I have a TC WR510 and the insides are very different. Does anyone know how to replace belts on this one? I've taken out the red screws but cannot get the unit out of the case to reach the pullys.

[J.B2]

If it's similar in construct to a Sony tc wr565 you'll have four small Phillips head screws in each rear corner of tape transport - you'll need a small screw driver for this - as well as removing - on the tc wr565 any way - three Phillips head screws that affix the transport halves together. I jumped ahead of myself. Prior to backing out the four corner screws, have the transport cassette door open with the front door panel removed - probably slides up. This will allow you to back the transport assembly door and all out the backend of the tape well mount hole. Of course make sure to first disconnect any cables that attach to the circuit board from the transport assembly. Probably flat prong plug cables or harness type. Take your time.

[bmsyachts]

Thank you very much, that did the trick!

[J.B2]

Good deal. I had a similar situation with finding a wr 565 cassette deck service manual posted on-line. All I found was a pdf file for I think it was the wr 535 and 545 models. Thankfully, it seems the Sony 500 series of dual cassette decks are all constructed similarly. It would make economic sense that the models might share the same specs. in a assembly line pragmatic sense.

[DLR1]

This procedure was of great help pictorially in order to replace the belts on my SONY TC-WE825S Dual Cassette deck. I found replacement belts from a seller retroparts_sk on Ebay. They fit perfectly. The tricky part for me was presetting the gears that connect to the smaller belt. I wish i could describe it well, but they can be passively wound to a stop in two directions. Once they were preset - it all fell together. I also think someone has mentioned the larger belt that runs the flywheels - there are 3 handy little black plastic posts to preload the belt onto. Once you re-attach the cassette mechanism halves back together, then its a matter of gently lifting the wider capstan / flywheel belt off of those posts - the belt naturally then wants to sit on the motor pulley. A very handy procedure here and i wanted to thank the poster as it helped me save a really nice deck from the scrapyard. Thanks.

[LarryKing]

My wide belt was stretched out, replaced it with a #64 rubber band. So far so good. Deck is fully functional for the time being.

[J.B2]

I bought some #64 rubber bands at the local office supply. It didn't work for my Sony tc wr565 cassette deck. It might of worked - possibly with a smaller size rubber band. I ended up just buying a replacement drive belt kit for twenty five bucks. That solved the problem. An unseen benefit, however - I now have enough #64 rubber bands to last me, probably, about five life-times.

[JohnK34]

I have TC-RW565 and replaced the belts. It solved the tapes being trapped in the deck, but I have the same problem that Dennyls has where decks no longer play in reverse. They seem to try playing in reverse and then just stop after about 2 seconds. It's odd that it's the case for both decks. I thought I must have reassembled them incorrectly, but after several times disassembling and reassembling the problem persists. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

[thumbsore]

[markepowell]

I did this repair on a Sony TD-WR645S Dual Cassette Deck, very similar. Very clear instructions. Great help. On each of the decks, there are 3 tiny screws, rather than 2 that need to be removed. I also discovered the plastic posts that Doug Brunelle mentions in previous post. I had ordered the replacement belts from 2 different sources, found by searching for them. Straight forward repair and it is back to working like new. I replaced both the large and small belts, one each on each of the dual decks. The old belts had simply aged and tired out.

[dennyls]

Hi, I did this, but now the autostop/autoreverse is not working, and the tape decks only play in one direction. What did i do wrong?>?

[weird_monkey]

Did you replace both belts per deck? Or perhaps the motor is slipping somewhere (I hope you know what I mean, perhaps the belt is too slippery somewhere and therefore doesn't stop) You checked all the connections (especially the 4 flat cables?

[checkin1]

Do you know where you bought the belt kit? [e-mail]
Thanks Bob