Work on it in a room with no windows open to light and only a fluorescent light. Daylight or incandescent will stop many from working by messing with the optical sensors.

>When I took out the deck mechanism I noticed both brakes on the reel were engaged
thats the way they are supposed to be when there is no taped loaded.

>won't play or fast forward
thats a problem with part 33. the rubber band that is wrapped around the section that engages the reels to the drive shaft is no good. you'll need to replace the whole assembly (can't just replace the band).

>>939340
>thats the way they are supposed to be when there is no taped loaded.
By spinning the capstan motor I can engage the backward reel, hence why the rewind feature works.
I assumed that both backward and forward reels are supposed to be able to engage one at a time when you spin the capstan one way or the other.
https://youtu.be/JInq2EP91kA?t=1m10s

>thats a problem with part 33. the rubber band that is wrapped around the section that engages the reels to the drive shaft is no good.
The idler seems to work, belt is tight enough and if I disengage both brakes with some hand acrobatics the forward reel spins nicely.
It seems to me there is a problem with disengaging the brakes.

Here is the service manual I got the images from:
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/692246/Lg-Ec290w.html

It's not the model I own (mine is a vcr dvd combo) but I noticed some similarities in the deck mechanism and I couldn't find a manual for my device.