When it rains, it pours......RCA VDT 350
 

I hope this is the right place for this. I don't see a forum for VCRs....

Okay, my RCA VDT350 has been working pretty nicely for quite some time now. The only issues I've had were dirty switches and the need for a little lube here and there. Today, however, she decided it was time to stop playing. After fixing my TV I decided to test it out with the VCR. Upon pressing play, the little guides retracted and pulled the tape around the head as usual. I then stopped playback to rewind, but when I pressed play again, nothing. The button goes down, I can hear a motor struggling and then the button pops back up after a few seconds. The retracting arms don't even twitch. Rewind and fast forward work. I have the servicing data book from Sams, but it doesn't go into troubleshooting. All the belts are in place and good condition.

So, any ideas where to start looking? I really like this unit and want to keep it, but here in L.A. there aren't many places left that know how to fix them and I'm sure that any places that still can will charge quite a bit.

I'm more than willing to take pics of the unit and its insides if needed.

Thanks in advance!

Well I found the problem. There is a plastic gear that opens and closes the tape guides that wrap the tape around the head. The gear is split from the center out to one edge so the shaft with a flat side just spins inside the gear. I seriously doubt I'll find a replacement gear, so it's up to my brother. He's going to crazy glue it shut, make a mold of it and then cast another. He does this with his model tank building, so I'm hopeful.

If anyone knows a source for plastic gears used in RCA VCRs of the late 70's early 80s, let me know.

Thanks

I think what you would need to do is find a service manual with a parts breakdown. Get a part number and you just might find it. I have a bunch of NOS RCA parts, but not many for VCR's. Moyers very well might have it. I know there are places that specialize in belts and such for old machines-maybe they would have it as well?

The closest I can get with my service manual is the "Loading Gear Assembly" with a part number of "144207" which points to the larger gear. That larger gear is on the other end of of the shaft that has the broken one. I'm assuming this means it is sold as a group and not individual parts? I've looked for a more detailed service manual, but have been unable to find one.

I've attached a pic from the service manual. The gear assembly is 65 in the picture. On the other end of that gear and shaft is the smaller one.

Well the problem fixed. My brother made me three fixes. The first one is the original gear repaired, a duplicate gear made out of plastic and a duplicate gear made of metal. For now I'm going to use the original and save the others just in case the epoxy doesn't hold the original together. I'm glad he's able to make molds and replacements. I sure would have hated to scrap the VCR over a single gear.

For a 30 year old VCR, the playback and recorded images are pretty nice.

Thanks for the assistance.

Good to hear that worked! I've been stuck by some bad gears a time or two. I have one of those "mod" RCA 5" tv/clock radios that they sold in the mid-70s. Uses a leaf-style digital clock. Little nylon gear the size of a pencil eraser has broken in two. Several attempts to glue it resulted in failure. I have a shoebox full of old gears but none close enough. Someday...