I listen to tapes in the Fiero almost daily and yesterday while I was playing a tape, the sound basically began to blast from the driver-side speakers with alot of static. It's doing this with any tape I use. I ran a cleaner/demagnetizer tape through it and that did nothing. It's only doing it when the tape deck is in use, the radio sound is fine.

Any ideas what might be causing this? Factory speakers are still installed (non-Performance Sound), but I am planning on replacing all of the speakers this month, will this fix it? Is my tape deck shot?

NOTE: I do not want a CD player. If I replace the stereo it will be the same Delco model in the car right now.

------------------

| Fiero Blog | CarDomain Page | Member: NIFE, Mis-Shifts |

"There's Nothing Worse than a Smartass Automobile" -- KITT

[This message has been edited by ShockWave (edited 08-02-2009).]

What's a tape deck?

Your probably whipping a dead horse. You might consider upgrading to the Delco Monsoon radio. Has CD player , no tape but its pretty easy to transfer your tapes to cd.

I just replaced my stock radio with tape for the Delco new style.


Spoon

------------------
Two yeast spent their entire life "about 2 days" discussing what the purpose of life could be and not once did they even come close to the fact that they were making champagne. Quoted by: Unknown

Thanks but I do not want a CD player.

[This message has been edited by ShockWave (edited 08-01-2009).]

Using a bright flashlight, you might try looking at the tape head to see if it's still dirty. Those tape deck cleaners don't always work too well, sometimes Q-Tips and rubbing alcohol is the only way to get it clean.

Mike

quote Originally posted by Spoon: Your probably whipping a dead horse. You might consider upgrading to the Delco Monsoon radio. Has CD player , no tape but its pretty easy to transfer your tapes to cd. I just replaced my stock radio with tape for the Delco new style. Spoon

You can get an radio that looks exactly like this one, except it has a tape deck. It does look a lot more modern and goes better with a stock interior in my opinion.
This is my radio.

It's not your speakers, because you would hear the static no matter what you were playing. Either the head does have some dirt on one side and the tape isn't being 'read' right, or the deck is on it's way out. I would personally lean more towards the latter, but from the looks and sounds of it I'm guessing you're really wanting to keep this Formula as original as possible. You can try cleaning the heads again with alcohol, but if you use the deck daily it's probably on it's way out.

------------------

1988 Fiero Formula - Mostly stock. Poly all around. Weee....

I was just digging around and I found 2 tape players for the fiero. I can see if it works and if you cover shipping you can have it.

^Cool. If you have one matches the one in the car right now and it works I'll take it. Tried the rubbing alcohol/Q-tip and nothing improved.

Check on Rodney's site, because I believe he has a tape repair system.
I think I have one of the ones you pictured, if the other member can't find one.
b

One thing that can be said about keeping the cassette player is that they are a heck of a lot easier to configure for an mp3 player. The cassette adapters that are still on the market with a 1/8" inch stereo plug on them sound a hell of a lot better than FM modulators and you do not need to swap to a more modern head unit with aux inputs. Not a perfect solution but the price is sure right.

[This message has been edited by infinitewill (edited 08-02-2009).]

I have to go to my dads and borrow a tape. When I get back I will test it out.

quote Originally posted by 87antuzzi: I have to go to my dads and borrow a tape.

Oh man. How times have changed when you have to 'borrow' a cassette tape...

I have a few tapes left over from the '90s when I was a kid...

For the more modern (circa 2000) CD/Tape deck design there is a 9 pin plug on the back for adding an auxilary deck. I have a CD/Equilizer deck in my Buick and I was going to add the tape deck somewhere but never got around to it. Looks like I'll pick up another CD deck and find a place for the tapes in my '86. Its an option if ever decide to "upgrade" to CD's.

When I bought my Fiero ~ ten years ago the tape deck was not working properly and the display was not working at all.

I was restoring the car to stock so, like you, I wanted the original radio & tape deck.
I took the radio to a Custom Auto Radio shop. They found that the solder joints had broken on the display. They resoldered all the connections, installed a new drive belt on the tape player, cleaned and tested the unit, and charged me $65.00

Made me happy!

www.replacementradios.com may be of help.

quote Originally posted by 87antuzzi: I have to go to my dads and borrow a tape. When I get back I will test it out.

Any luck?

quote Originally posted by ShockWave: Thanks but I do not want a CD player.

Do you still use a telegraph, dial telephone, video tape, B&W TV and record player? Tape players have run their course. Like the carburetor they are old technology; obsolete, gone, dead with no support and no new products. You can't even buy blank cassettes any more and compared to a digital CD /DVD they sound like crap. If you want to live in the past thats fine but don't expect that many technicians will attempt a repair on an obsolete machine.

------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Do you still use a telegraph, dial telephone, video tape, B&W TV and record player? Tape players have run their course. Like the carburetor they are old technology; obsolete, gone, dead with no support and no new products. You can't even buy blank cassettes any more and compared to a digital CD /DVD they sound like crap. If you want to live in the past thats fine but don't expect that many technicians will attempt a repair on an obsolete machine.

Yea, like film

Comic Dave Attel once did a bit about seeing John Denver tapes on sale for $.99, He said blank tape were $2.50 so John Denver would have made more money if he would have just shut the hell up

quote Originally posted by Bruce: Check on Rodney's site, because I believe he has a tape repair system. I think I have one of the ones you pictured, if the other member can't find one. b

Does anyone know if Rodney still sells those? I'm looking for one to fix the tape deck in my pushbutton radio (even though I doubt I'd use it much). Still would be nice to have it working, oh well I got it for free from a friend anyway and the rest of it works fine!

------------------
James

RHD 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT

quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Do you still use a telegraph, dial telephone, video tape, B&W TV and record player? Tape players have run their course. Like the carburetor they are old technology; obsolete, gone, dead with no support and no new products. You can't even buy blank cassettes any more and compared to a digital CD /DVD they sound like crap. If you want to live in the past thats fine but don't expect that many technicians will attempt a repair on an obsolete machine.

If that's the case then why do we care so much for 20-25 year old cars when there are thousands of newer more advanced cars out there? Look at how many classic cars still have the original 8-track player in them, it's because the owners want to keep the car original, and that's the case with me.

If you're going to be an ass about something that's not that big of a deal then please don't bother, because I don't care. You have a neg.

[This message has been edited by ShockWave (edited 08-06-2009).]

as for the cassette portion of the radio you can pull it out of the radio and replace it with another unit. Most times on the cassette side the rubber band that is inside breaks. It is easy to replace you just will have to take your time. I have done this on about 10 radios. All with success. The problem you are seeing with the cassette hearing on one side and not the other probably has something to do with the left and right side bias after it picks up from the deck. I have a replacement radio like yours and you could swap the decks and reatin your origional radio front if you want. I have tested the cassette portion and it work fine and has a new rubber band in it. I am looking for $27 shipped paypal.

--matt

quote Originally posted by ShockWave: If you're going to be an ass about something that's not that big of a deal then please don't bother, because I don't care. You have a neg.

Now its my turn. Remember. Negs work bothways. You need the positives more than I do!!! If you enjoy living in the past that's your priviledge. If you are too cheap to upgrade thats your problem. However, responding in such a hostile manner shows that you are an extremely disturbed and troubled individual.

------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Now its my turn. Remember. Negs work bothways. You need the positives more than I do!!! If you enjoy living in the past that's your priviledge. If you are too cheap to upgrade thats your problem. However, responding in such a hostile manner shows that you are an extremely disturbed and troubled individual.

I would think, that having read the thread from the beginning, that it was made clear he didn't want a CD player. You post wasn't helpful, it came across as unnecessarliy sarcastic.

DON'T LISTEN TO THESE MODERN DAY TECHNO GEEKS!!!!!! i admire your tatse. i have a 84 fiero sport with the cassette player. check all the wires in the radio. mine had a similiar problem and after a 2 min. solder job perfect. im so tired of people and their thinking of it's old move on B.S. i have a spare player if you want it. you want the experience of fieros it is the sound of the motor, radio and all the other noises. it's like traveling in a time machine. why take something original and destroy it by updating. yes this hits a nerve with me!!!! say what you want, but cruising in my 84 with the Thompson Twins on cassette playing is what the experience is for me. if i want to listen to cds or my mp3 player i drive my 2003 cavalier. my hats off to you!! a real fiero fan pete

Bump, new speakers and new radio did not fix this. I installed a radio from a 91 Bonneville and the tape deck has the same problem with biasing all sound to the drivers side. Could this be a wiring issue with the car and not the radio?

[This message has been edited by ShockWave (edited 09-07-2009).]