Sony SLV-676UC VCR has stuck half-load arm?
 

I have a Sony SLV-676UC that has a stuck half-load arm. It doesn't move on its own and me manually pushing it back and forth requires a moderate amount of force to get it to move.

I've fixed another VCR of the exact same brand that had a half-load arm that was stick-y but not stuck. Unscrew the nut keeping it in place, remove it, clean it with isopropyl, give it a bit of grease, and stick it back on and screw it back in, ez pz. This particular VCR though is in much worse condition, the broken one is almost spotless inside and out, which is why I want to get it fixed so badly.

Trouble is, the broken VCR's half-load arm won't come off after unscrewing the nut. At all. No matter how hard I pull on it with pliers it won't come off (there's a plastic lip that holds it in place unless you swing it all the way back, doesn't make a difference). I tried dabbing a q-tip with WD-40 and pressing it to the top of the pin that the arm sits on, hoping it would seep into it and loosen it, but no luck.

My assumption is the old grease has solidified, but that doesn't explain why I can rotate it. I'm not sure if this is a "grease" question or a VCR repair question but I'm really stumped as to how to get it off. Turning it over and trying to remove it from behind doesn't work, there's a snug circuitboard underneath when you remove the bottom of the case.

Thank you very much!

Since this is not a suggested VCR, I have to ask why you're even using it? Old VHS VCRs like this are not worth the effort, aside from some museum/nostalgia factor. Not for use, not for capture, not even for casual playback.

WD-40 is a de-rusting agent, not a lube, regardless of what marketing materials insist. Never use it in a VCR. Silicon grease and comparable only.

When parts can move, but don't, it's often a rubber band issue. Did you check all those?

Thank you for the response!

Forgive me for being ignorant, but what do you mean by "suggested VCR?" For the record, I'm only trying to play my VHS tapes, not capture them to a different medium or the like.

I had heard something similar about WD-40 and was using it to trying to loosen the part to get it off - for the second VCR that had a similar but less extreme version of the same problem (I happen to have two copies of this same VCR), I used bulb grease to lubricate the part instead of WD-40 when I reattached it (the difference was it wasn't stuck quite as hard and eventually I could coax it off).

The part in question shouldn't have any bands or belts attached to it. I know when I removed the same part from the second VCR it came off without any bands attached. It's a plastic L-shaped part that sits on a metal pin, screwed onto the pin, and moves freely on its own, held in place by a small coiled spring.

If you have a better VCR you would suggest for casual home viewing, I would not mind at all hearing it. I've got these two VCR's here as a sort of pet project/museum piece but wouldn't be against a modern upgrade. I'm just not aware of any modern VCR's being made.

In 2020 I had the same problem on mine. I think there is dried grease at the top of the post that makes it hard to remove. Also the arm has to be rotated to the proper position to clear the little nylon arm on the chassis to remove it. Make sure you carefully note the position of the spring and any washers on the post. It went back on and rotated easily after cleaning the post and hole in the arm and lubing it with synthetic grease.

On mine when it was just a few years old the grease thickened on the post that the pinch roller assembly moves up and down on and that had to be cleaned and re-lubed.

It's still a great working VCR with flying erase heads for editing, general use and converting tapes to digital. I unplug it when not needed for a while to keep the display from getting dim like so many fluorescent display are.

The clock calendar only goes up to 2005 so I set it to a year with the same days such as 1993 for 2021.

A thread from the dead - but this issue affects all Sony machines in the end, whether 'recommended' or not, they're practically all mechanically interchangeable in this series.

I have a small (and limited) stock of parts for this transport including the dreaded 'blue gear' if anybody this side of the pond is stuck.

It's a five minute fix, it's not a big deal, requires 2/5 for mechanical knowledge to resolve.

Funnily enough, taken taken in one of these (well a 775) as a customer donation - usual issue the tension guide is stuck fast.

Five-minute fix, otherwise great low-mileage machine - these are great for "casual playback", with an external TBC they're probably a good modest capture deck too.

All of these machines in this series are practically the same less some extra features (and a TBC) - the transport is solid and easy to repair and the heads have a long service life compared to Panasonic in my experience. Most of the electronics are interchangeable too.