99 Sable LS Duratec: Cassette adapter problem - Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum

RicOct0811 · 01-10-2013, 09:31 AM

All,

As my Sable has no CD player and I'm a little tired of listening to news on the radio, I bought a cassette adapter to listen to music from my phone during my commute. I plugged it in for the first time this morning. All was well for about two minutes, and then the music was intermittent:

Music... silence and grinding from the tape deck... music... silence and grinding from the tape deck... music... silence and grinding from the tape deck.

Thoroughly miffed, I tried to eject the adapter, and the deck would suck it back in after popping it out. I eventually got it out: I had to grab it fast and pull, but not without the deck trying hard to take the adapter back in. The display also didn't say "TAPE," it was mangled into "TPOJ" or something like that.

So, is it the deck or the adapter? The deck could be dirty; the car came to me in March '12 after the original owner, my grandmother, passed away, and I'd bet she rarely ever used the stereo. Any other ideas?

Thanks!

the_intimidator_02 · 01-10-2013, 02:36 PM

Those adapters (at least any I've had) only turn one way. What may have been happening is the auto reversing was swiching from side A to side B and then back to side A. The cassette player is thinking the tape is at the end. Tape the adapter and flip it over and put it back in. It will probably work. The wire usually has a channel that you can route it the other way so it will come out of the player.

RicOct0811 · 01-11-2013, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_intimidator_02

Those adapters (at least any I've had) only turn one way. What may have been happening is the auto reversing was swiching from side A to side B and then back to side A. The cassette player is thinking the tape is at the end. Tape the adapter and flip it over and put it back in. It will probably work. The wire usually has a channel that you can route it the other way so it will come out of the player.

Thanks for the reply! I'll see if I can move the wire so that I can put the tape in another way. Can you clarify what you mean by "tape the adapter"?

Mystery101 · 01-11-2013, 10:15 AM

There is a gearset inside the adapter that might be jammed, explains the grinding and intermittent play. Flipping the tape is a great idea, Or you could simply mess with the side button until it cooperates.

the_intimidator_02 · 01-11-2013, 02:40 PM

Sorry that was a typo, I meant TAKE...lol

Mattb2e · 01-11-2013, 04:49 PM

While my vehicle is a 96, I doubt the tape deck is too different between my Taurus and your Sable. I have tried all together 4 different tape adapters, none of which worked. What would happen is I would get sound, it would switch to side 2, get no sound, switch to side 1, get sound again, and then spit out the tape and give me an error message.

I eventually gave in and bought a dash kit and head unit and installed them so I could listen to something other than the radio.

I have read a few threads were people have had modified their adapters to work. Im guessing your running into the "auto-reversal" mode which makes the tape switch side due to drag in the gears. If the drag is too great the tape deck thinks the tape is over and switches sides. I guess changing the gear configuration inside the adapter has worked for some, you could try your luck with that.

Automender12345 · 01-11-2013, 06:37 PM

The other options I have found was to hard wiring an input to the tape head and an adaptor that connects to the amplifier in the trunk. Both you can Google and find out more infomation. I looked up both options because my daughter did not want the cassette. She decide to go with a CD changeout. $40 on ebay.

RicOct0811 · 01-14-2013, 11:12 AM

Ugh. Thanks, guys. It sounds like I could save myself a lot of grief by eating the $8 I spent on the adapter and then springing more for an adapter that works on frequency modulation instead.

mjhpadi · 01-14-2013, 11:36 AM

Be careful getting the adapter out we had the same problem with one getting stuck and then the player would run constantly and ended up draining the battery. We had to replace the complete radio/climate unit to fix the problem...I really don't recommend using an adapter in the cassette deck. BTW, this happened in our 99 Sable.

Breeves002 · 01-14-2013, 12:05 PM

I would replace the entire unit. Shouldn't be too expensive at a pull your parts yard.

Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com App

01-10-2013, 09:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
RicOct0811 Junior Member Member Number: 45840 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Prince William County, VA Chapter: Southeast Drives: '99 Mercury Sable LS Visit: My Garage Posts: 35 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 0	99 Sable LS Duratec: Cassette adapter problem All, As my Sable has no CD player and I'm a little tired of listening to news on the radio, I bought a cassette adapter to listen to music from my phone during my commute. I plugged it in for the first time this morning. All was well for about two minutes, and then the music was intermittent: Music... silence and grinding from the tape deck... music... silence and grinding from the tape deck... music... silence and grinding from the tape deck. Thoroughly miffed, I tried to eject the adapter, and the deck would suck it back in after popping it out. I eventually got it out: I had to grab it fast and pull, but not without the deck trying hard to take the adapter back in. The display also didn't say "TAPE," it was mangled into "TPOJ" or something like that. So, is it the deck or the adapter? The deck could be dirty; the car came to me in March '12 after the original owner, my grandmother, passed away, and I'd bet she rarely ever used the stereo. Any other ideas? Thanks! __________________ Current: 2009 Ford Flex Limited FWD, platinum tri-coat on black leather \| 1999 Mercury Sable LS, Silver on gray leather \| 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 Past: 1999 Cadillac Catera (worst.car.ever.) \| 2003 Nissan Murano \| 1997 Nissan Maxima \| 1990 Volvo 240DL \| 1987 Audi 5000S wagon \| 1981 Volvo DL wagon Dream: 2012+ Nissan GT-R Black Edition \| 1972 Chevrolet Suburban 4x4 w/ crate motor \| 1964 Buick Riviera \| 1964 Imperial LeBaron \| 1960 Lincoln Continental

01-10-2013, 02:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
the_intimidator_02 Crazy Devoted Member Member Number: 5295 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Miramichi, New Brunswick Drives: 2005 Taurus SE 3.0L Vulcan Bought with 111,432KM in October of 2012 Visit: My Garage Posts: 5,416 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 16	Those adapters (at least any I've had) only turn one way. What may have been happening is the auto reversing was swiching from side A to side B and then back to side A. The cassette player is thinking the tape is at the end. Tape the adapter and flip it over and put it back in. It will probably work. The wire usually has a channel that you can route it the other way so it will come out of the player. __________________ Life is a hard teacher, it gives you the test before it teaches you the lesson. The Human race is governed by it's own imagination. Please don't steal, the government can't stand the competition.

01-11-2013, 10:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mystery101 Member Member Number: 32282 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Daytona Beach, FL Chapter: Southeast Drives: 1998 Taurus SE 3.0L DOHC Duratec 24V Visit: My Garage Posts: 107 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 3	There is a gearset inside the adapter that might be jammed, explains the grinding and intermittent play. Flipping the tape is a great idea, Or you could simply mess with the side button until it cooperates. __________________

01-11-2013, 02:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
the_intimidator_02 Crazy Devoted Member Member Number: 5295 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Miramichi, New Brunswick Drives: 2005 Taurus SE 3.0L Vulcan Bought with 111,432KM in October of 2012 Visit: My Garage Posts: 5,416 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 16	Sorry that was a typo, I meant TAKE...lol __________________ Life is a hard teacher, it gives you the test before it teaches you the lesson. The Human race is governed by it's own imagination. Please don't steal, the government can't stand the competition.

01-14-2013, 11:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
RicOct0811 Junior Member Member Number: 45840 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Prince William County, VA Chapter: Southeast Drives: '99 Mercury Sable LS Visit: My Garage Posts: 35 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 0	Ugh. Thanks, guys. It sounds like I could save myself a lot of grief by eating the $8 I spent on the adapter and then springing more for an adapter that works on frequency modulation instead. __________________ Current: 2009 Ford Flex Limited FWD, platinum tri-coat on black leather \| 1999 Mercury Sable LS, Silver on gray leather \| 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 Past: 1999 Cadillac Catera (worst.car.ever.) \| 2003 Nissan Murano \| 1997 Nissan Maxima \| 1990 Volvo 240DL \| 1987 Audi 5000S wagon \| 1981 Volvo DL wagon Dream: 2012+ Nissan GT-R Black Edition \| 1972 Chevrolet Suburban 4x4 w/ crate motor \| 1964 Buick Riviera \| 1964 Imperial LeBaron \| 1960 Lincoln Continental

01-11-2013, 04:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
Mattb2e Junior Member Member Number: 48800 Join Date: Jul 2012 Chapter: Northeast Drives: 1996 Taurus GL 3.0l Vulcan/AX4S Visit: My Garage Posts: 33 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 0	While my vehicle is a 96, I doubt the tape deck is too different between my Taurus and your Sable. I have tried all together 4 different tape adapters, none of which worked. What would happen is I would get sound, it would switch to side 2, get no sound, switch to side 1, get sound again, and then spit out the tape and give me an error message. I eventually gave in and bought a dash kit and head unit and installed them so I could listen to something other than the radio. I have read a few threads were people have had modified their adapters to work. Im guessing your running into the "auto-reversal" mode which makes the tape switch side due to drag in the gears. If the drag is too great the tape deck thinks the tape is over and switches sides. I guess changing the gear configuration inside the adapter has worked for some, you could try your luck with that.

01-11-2013, 06:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
Automender12345 Senior Member Member Number: 25751 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: North Canton, Ohio Chapter: Northeast Drives: (2) 2001 Taurus and 2006 Taurus Visit: My Garage Posts: 538 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 4	The other options I have found was to hard wiring an input to the tape head and an adaptor that connects to the amplifier in the trunk. Both you can Google and find out more infomation. I looked up both options because my daughter did not want the cassette. She decide to go with a CD changeout. $40 on ebay.

01-14-2013, 11:36 AM	#9 (permalink)
mjhpadi Senior Member Member Number: 43818 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Central Pennsylvania Chapter: Northeast Drives: 2010 Taurus SHO Visit: My Garage Posts: 895 Trader Score: 0 reviews Rep Power: 2	Be careful getting the adapter out we had the same problem with one getting stuck and then the player would run constantly and ended up draining the battery. We had to replace the complete radio/climate unit to fix the problem...I really don't recommend using an adapter in the cassette deck. BTW, this happened in our 99 Sable. __________________ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO-Livernois 4+ Tune, Airaid CAI, Caliper Covers, Tinted Taillights, Tinted Headlights, LED Interior Lighting, LED Puddle Lamps and License Lights, SHO Hood Stripes, Rearranged Trunk Badging 2004 Ford Explorer Limited-Wife's Tow Vehicle 1999 Mercury Sable LS-Our "Beatermobile"

01-14-2013, 12:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
Breeves002 The Big Cheese Member Number: 49890 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: St. Louis, MO Chapter: Midwest Drives: 2008 Mercury Sable Premier Visit: My Garage Posts: 4,020 Trader Score: 6 reviews Rep Power: 10	I would replace the entire unit. Shouldn't be too expensive at a pull your parts yard. Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com App __________________ Sam 2008 Mercury Sable Premier 2012 Kia Soul Base AT 1.6GDI Moved On: 2000 Sable LS Premium Duratec View what I have for sale: HERE ENTER NOW FOR May's WAGON ONLY CAR OF THE MONTH!! *CLICK HERE*

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