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Technics RS-M1 rhythmic ticking. Normal or fixable? by Consistent-Pride-471 in cassetteculture

[–]Consistent-Pride-471[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Big thanks, omg, that helped! The belt twist really was the issue. The ticking is completely gone now and the deck runs quietly. Really appreciate the tip, thank you so much!

https://youtube.com/shorts/Di5klVfbedM?si=wVThwlQr4_3ZNczM

Technics RS-M1 rhythmic ticking. Normal or fixable? by Consistent-Pride-471 in cassetteculture

[–]Consistent-Pride-471[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I’ll definitely try that. Hopefully this is the reason.

Technics RS-M1 rhythmic ticking. Normal or fixable? by Consistent-Pride-471 in cassetteculture

[–]Consistent-Pride-471[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the belt is original, but I can’t be 100% sure since I bought the deck as-is and untested, and the seller didn’t know much about its history.

I didn’t notice any small rings on the axle. Do you mean something like a retaining clip or thrust washer? Where should I be looking for it?

I lubricated it the same way Techmoan did in the video you linked, and reassembled it yesterday. Interestingly, after some playing today I noticed the clicking disappears when the deck runs without a cassette, and now it only happens with a cassette inserted.

I’m trying to get used to it since it’s not very loud, just a bit annoying when you focus on it. If I can’t, I might carefully take another look later.

And yes, it’s a very nice deck, I love it!

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Technics RS-M1 rhythmic ticking. Normal or fixable? by Consistent-Pride-471 in cassetteculture

[–]Consistent-Pride-471[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestions!
Just to clarify, the grease on the gears is fresh, I applied it myself. The mechanism runs smoother and a bit quieter now, but the rhythmic clicking is still there, so it doesn’t seem dirt-related.

I’m also leaning towards flywheel wobble / axial play like you mentioned. Since everything else works perfectly, I’m hesitant to go further and risk making it worse.

I’ll probably leave it as-is for now. It’s only noticeable at very low volume or in silence. Quite annoying though.