Worried About Tape Head When Rewinding

[commonman]

I have an Otari 4 track. I've noticed that when fast rewinding, I can hear that "squiggly sound" - which in my mind, means the head is in contact with the tape when rewinding. This, in turn, also means more wear on the heads. My question is - is this normal? I would think that something would lift the tape away from the heads when fast rewinding. For a while, every time I did a fast, long rewind, I would pull down on some bars that are located on either side of the heads which moves the tape away from the heads. I guess Im wondering why these bars don't automatically engage when fast rewinding.

[docb]

They are called tape lifters, and they may need some adjustment.

[commonman]

OK - Is this a big operation to make this adjustment?  I wonder if I can do it myself.

[docb]

I'm pretty sure that if you locate a service manual it would have instructions for the adjustment.

[ironbut]

The lifters are supposed to be "lifting" when the machine is in stop.
Lay your machine on it's back and see if there is space between the tape and the head when stopped. If there is, put it in rewind/fast forward and watch to see if the lifters go down. If not, the sound you're hearing is just because the tape is close enough to the repro head for a little playback.
Some machines turn the playback amp off during rewind and fast forward others don't.
As long as the lifters are working, the sound isn't a problem.