1999 P117 Radio Problems

[Totalled]

I recently purchased my first car/Subaru. It is a lovely 5-speed 1999 Subaru Outback Legacy Unlimited.

 

It has the P117 radio in it:

 

 

I bought one of the cassette to mp3 (3.5mm jack) devices so that I can listen to music off of my beloved iPod while driving.

 

However, when I push the cassette in, it only goes in 90% of the way. When I push the TAPE button on the stereo, it does absolutely nothing.

 

I'm sort of at a loss because I don't know what to do. It is 13F outside right now so maybe the cassette carriage is frozen?

 

I don't want to replace the stereo with a different one because I really like the Weather Band feature and I just like the looks of the stereo (plus, I don't have the money to replace the stereo.)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

EDIT:

 

So I took two pictures of both cassette adapters I have not going in.

 

 

And then funnily enough, there one was in the glove compartment that I didn't catch.

 

 

Neither one of them will go in!

Edited February 22, 2015 by Totalled

[gbhrps]

totalled,

 

Years ago I had a similar problem with a car cassette deck, the transport system refused to load or eject the cassette.

 

I'm not shy at tearing things apart, within reason, and have had experience at digging into all kinds of electronics as a kid.

Conequently I pulled the radio unit from the car and opened up the case. Lots of tiny screws and ribbon cables from this

circuit board to that circuit board. While not particularly difficult, it is not for someone without a sense of how things logically

would come apart.

 

Cassette transport systems frequently are driven by pulleys and small rubber bands. I suspect that you have one rubber band

that has broken from old age. Simply replacing it should cure your problem. Take the old one in to an audio repair shop so it

can be matched in length and size for a new one.

 

While the drive band will be cheap to buy, the labour rate for an audio tech to do the job may be sizeable. If you're so inclined

to DIY it'll be a cheap fix, if indeed this is the issue.

 

Then again, another P117 from a junk yard may be a cheap alternative at $50 or so. Good Luck!

[Fairtax4me]

You could get an FM transmitter. They're usually fairly cheap and can be hidden elsewhere in the car. Just set the radio to the FM station that matches and you have iPod music with no wires hanging out of the stereo.

[gbhrps]

totalled,

 

Fairtax4me is correct. Years ago I had a 6 pack CD player that could be moved from vehicle to vehicle. It came with a small box that you plugged the radio's antenna cable into, and then plugged a short similar cable into the antenna port on the back of the radio.

 

All that was required at that point was to turn the car radio on and tune the FM to 89.1 (I believe) and the CD's played just like it was off air. Simple and great sounding.

 

Go to a car audio install place and tell them what you want to do, and they'll point you in the right direction with the correct product you need. Shouldn't cost a great deal of money. Good Luck!