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    Cassette Player Poppin

    I was going to embrace the factory cassette but when I put in an old macarena tape there was loud poppin, almost like static coming from the speakers. I thought maybe the tape had gotten hot at some point or damaged, but when my new EasyE came in the mail and it made the same noises I know somethings up. Any thoughts? An old guy at my work suggested a sticking a magnet in it. WTF?
    1991 Mercury Grand Marquis LE SOLD

    1972 Ford F100 Custom - 5.9 - Stock

    2011 Ford Fusion SE - 2.5 - Stock

    2018 Toyota Highlander XLE


    #2
    Could be a dirty head causing trouble. I’d try a cassette cleaning kit to see if it helps remedy it.


    My Cars:
    -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
    -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
    -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
    -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

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      #3
      I'd try cd's, lol. Was kinda stoked when i got my box with a cassette player. Dug one out and tried it, didn't work at all. Straight to the stereo shop it went. Cathartic really.

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        #4
        If this one doesn't work, that's the end of it. I'm going to try this head cleaning first.
        1991 Mercury Grand Marquis LE SOLD

        1972 Ford F100 Custom - 5.9 - Stock

        2011 Ford Fusion SE - 2.5 - Stock

        2018 Toyota Highlander XLE

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          #5
          The magnet suggestion was presumably for degaussing/demagnetizing. Not only do the head and other parts get dirty from the tape particles (you could just try a Q-tip with alcohol for that), but the head can apparently also become magnetized. Not sure what the best way to degauss would be. The first device I had was a cassette shell with some electronics and a battery. It presumably 'zapped' the head to demagnetize it. The second device I had was a cassette shell with a rotating magnet driven by a belt. The magnet would spin fast while being directed across the head. NFC how well they worked.

          2000 Grand Marquis LS HPP, a hand-me-down in 2008 with 128,000 km; 175,000 km as of July 2014
          mods: air filter box 'tuba', headlight relay harness, J-mod (around 186,350 km), 70mm throttle body, KYB Gas-A-Just shocks, aluminum driveshaft, ARA3 PCM

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            #6
            Any of you guys happen to know what causes some tapes to play as if they're muffled but others to play fine? I've got an old Denon tape deck and that's what I get out of it from time to time. Cleaning it with alcohol works with some tapes but not for others. And for some, it only works for a couple seconds of play and then it's back to muffled.
            1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
            1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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              #7
              HOME cassette player i have was driven by a rubber band that broke
              Scars are tatoos of the fearless

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                #8
                Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                Any of you guys happen to know what causes some tapes to play as if they're muffled but others to play fine? I've got an old Denon tape deck and that's what I get out of it from time to time. Cleaning it with alcohol works with some tapes but not for others. And for some, it only works for a couple seconds of play and then it's back to muffled.
                chrome vs non-chrome tape maybe. If its not set for the type of tape you're using it will sound funny.


                Most tape deck problems are dirty heads and bad drive belts. The other problem is worn out pinch rollers. They aren't hard to service really but car ones are a PITA to take apart sometimes. Once you're in there its pretty obvious what to do. Get the sticky gunk that used to be a belt out of there, put a new one in, clean the head, capstan (the small round silver post thing next to the head), the pinch roller (the round rubber thing that touches the capstan) and they usually go. If the pinch roller is falling apart or petrified it won't feed the tape properly. You can get them rebuilt if needed, its not that horribly expensive.

                I kinda hate tapes, mostly from years of having lived with really shitty ones that ate my music but its a pretty simple technology really. I have an MP3 player in the mail that goes straight into the tape deck and will let me play music off an SD card. If this works out it should be a nice clean solution to having no inputs on the 84 Conti and soon the 91 Mark VII. The Mark is getting a factory tape deck right shortly to replace the POS Sony in there now.
                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                Originally posted by phayzer5
                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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                  #9
                  Sometimes it is bad conections or oil fouled engine electrical like alternator, yes been there done that.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                    chrome vs non-chrome tape maybe. If its not set for the type of tape you're using it will sound funny.

                    Most tape deck problems are dirty heads and bad drive belts. The other problem is worn out pinch rollers...
                    Hmm, these are chrome tapes and the unit has a vacuum florescent light which pops on to display "Chrome" so I'm assuming it "knows" it's got a chrome tape in it. As soon as I take the tape out, that light turns off. I've put non chrome tapes in and the light stays off.. That tape deck was supposedly a big deal in 1981 or 1983. I got it for 5 or 10 bucks. How does it detect what type of tape is in it? Anyway, I've tried cleaning the head multiple times to resolve the issue. Most tapes play just peachy but every now and again I get that muffled noise. Can the head wear out? Do I need to try a better cleaning method? Or is the tape just junk? Funny thing is, I cleaned the head, popped the tape back in to get more muffled magic. Ashley got home & distracted me so I left that tape in for awhile. When I came back down stairs after some time it was playing just fine.
                    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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                      #11
                      Sounds like it uses a different preamp circuit for playing chrome tapes. Could be some weak capacitor issues.

                      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                      rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                      Originally posted by gadget73
                      ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                      Originally posted by dmccaig
                      Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

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                        #12
                        Boy this is bringing back some memories. Chrome tapes, lol. I mean, i own 8-tracks but i don't actively fuck with them. Ditto records and of course some cassettes. Just never thought of them as a worthy pursuit for regular usage at this point. This from the guy who still uses a flip phone!

                        Far as muffled sounds go, i had some tapes that would do that derek, and others would be fine. Not much to be done about it. I had some that were worn out and squealed when played so i experimented with different tape players to improve sound quality. Not as much an option these days since they're not exactly in abundance, especially in car stereos.

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                          #13
                          Yeah I'm not sure what this thing's deal is. If I had another tape deck that was known to be good I could try it to rule mine out. Like you said Khead it is THAT specific tape or area of the tape. If I pop a tape in and it plays fine, it'll always play fine. If I pop a tape in that sucks, it'll always suck. Just trying to figure out what causes that.

                          I like my turntable much, much more. Tapes are convenient so when we have friends over and need BGM they're cool as I don't have to get up every 15 minutes.. Digital stuff is even more convenient but where's the fun in that? Not sure I'll ever own an 8 track deck. I've got too much shit as it is and they're both tape type media so one is enough, right?
                          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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                            #14
                            I've got a GE portable radio with an 8-track player and boxes of 8-tracks I got from my great aunt. I'm always worried about playing them from time to time since the little piece that joins the two ends of the tape usually comes apart with age, so you'll get a tape going, then the sound gets weird and stops, but the tape is still running. Then you come to find a mile of tape just hanging out inside. I've fixed a few by opening up the cartridge and rejoining the bridge. Only thing that might stop working is the next track advance.

                            I've got cassette and CD changer in the car, but I need to swap the head unit I got. The tape player was working strong, then it didn't want to eject tapes well, then it got to the point it wouldn't fast forwards or search, so I haven't put a tape in it for a while. I'd rather not lose my stuff to the head unit. Luckily getting a replacement unit isn't hard, I just need to get one from a JBL equipped car with the CD Changer. Upper end Explorers and Town Cars are usually my best bet.


                            My Cars:
                            -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                            -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                            -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                            -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

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                              #15
                              Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to order one of those cleaning tapes on amazon and see if it helps. If not, I may take it a part and try to clean it before I scrap it all together. Not in a horrible rush because the AM FM works fine.
                              1991 Mercury Grand Marquis LE SOLD

                              1972 Ford F100 Custom - 5.9 - Stock

                              2011 Ford Fusion SE - 2.5 - Stock

                              2018 Toyota Highlander XLE

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