# Problems with my cassette deck



## VincentTape (Jun 29, 2011)

I have a 99' Corolla and it has a cassette player. To play my iPod music in my car, I bought a cassette adapter. It had worked well for about 6 months. After that, I found the player could not play the adapter any more. When I insert the adapter, it seems that the player first starts playing for less than one second Then it stops and makes some sounds like tape side flipping, but the panel shows it is still on the same side. After 5 or 6 times of this playing-and-"flipping", the adapter is rejected.

I have tried the following to try to locate the problem:

1. I borrowed another adapter from my friend which was working properly in his car. It could not work in my car. So I guess it is not the problem of my adapter.

2. Most of the adapter has a flipping-prevention, meaning that the adapter is set to be played only on one side. I removed that prevention part and found that the reverse side can be played without a problem.

So I think my cassette player has a problem that makes it fail to play one side. Has anyone met this problem before? Or does someone have any manual or direction on how to fix this kind of problems?

Thanks.

(I really want to fix my player rather than replace it with a new CD/MP3 player. Please restrain those replacing suggestions. Thanks.)


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## wizzi001 (Apr 29, 2011)

You can find new stereos with aux input for about $100. Some even have usb inputs. It would probably end up cheaper than trying to fix your radio.


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## VincentTape (Jun 29, 2011)

Thanks. But I really want to fix it myself. I think the player is good since it can play one side. I guess a small tweak of the wheels would suffice to solve the problem. I just don't know how to locate the problem and how to dissemble the player once I take it out of my car.


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## antikryst (Feb 26, 2011)

just change your head unit... or get an FM transmitter. both the casette adapter and FM transmitter are not really ideal to get good music out of your speakers but they do work if you just want to get music off your ipod.


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## shnitz (Jun 13, 2011)

Is it the factory cassette player? You will be better off buying a replacement cassette player than trying to get that one repaired. eBay has people selling them for $15-$50. Look for your generation Corolla, so search terms should be: 1998-2002, 1998, 98-02, etc.

I know you don't want to be told to get a new stereo, but hear us out. Your sound quality will improve exponentially. In one of my cars, a 1998 Accord, my factory CD player stopped working. I bought a mid-level Pioneer head unit, and it sounds so much better. First off, an aftermarket quality headunit has a much more powerful built-in amplifier, so it drives my Accord speakers to their fullest. People don't believe me until I show them that I have the factory paper speakers, instead of something like Polk or Kicker components. 

Second, you will get FAR superior (and I can't stress the word far enough) by connecting your ipod to your stereo more "correctly." Even an AUX cable to your headphone jack will give you a quality boost, but there is nothing like a unit with a USB/ipod cable so that you can bypass the ipod's internal amplifier. Plus, it will charge your ipod while you play music, instead of draining the battery or having to use up your cigarette lighter.

Last, having at least some form of audio control/equalizer in your car will help a lot. Being able to adjust sound settings, even if it's as simple as pre-set equalizer maps (Dance, Rock, Jazz, etc) will help your music sound better. You can absolutely get solid sound without breaking the bank. The Clarion CZ300 is currently $75 at Amazon, which is a steal for someone on a decently strict budget. Buy a $10 harness adapter for your car at Walmart, some butt connectors (or solder and heatshrink if you prefer) and you can get a many-times-over boost to your sound system for very cheap. You can also eventually add Bluetooth for your cell phone, I think the adapter is currently selling for like $40 online.

What Texas city are you in? I grew up in DFW, went to school in Houston, and now live in Austin.


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## jester (Jun 1, 2011)

Yo man! Try running a head cleaner through the tape deck. I had that before many years ago. After I cleaned the heads seemed to work with out an issue until i replaced it.


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