Left front speaker "comes and goes"...

[83 380 SEL]

My original Becker AM/FM Cassette will be replaced at some point. Now, the radio plays ok but when playing tapes, the left front speaker will fade in and out...sometimes it will stay "on" for an entire song but most times it fades out after a minute or two then it may come back. It doesn't snap or crack on or off but rather rises and falls higher or lower. Does anyone have a similar experience with this problem with their tape player? Is it a loose connection or fader problems? Thanks.

[tecqboy]

Classic symptoms of dirty capstans and soft worn out pinch rollers. You can clean the crud off the capstans, but if the rubber rollers are worn out ( soft and mushy ) you'll probably need professional service. www.beckerautosound.com can probably help. Maybe it's time to consider a new head unit. Tod

[83 380 SEL]

I've cleaned other cassette units with this combination and had good results.

I should have tried this before I posted but thank you for the reminder. Be well.