Flashing "3" on VR330 front panel

Hi,
most likely a mechanical issue , look inside for anything laying inside the VCR section.
a piece of a label or a toy etc. if all looks well it could be a bad sensor , bad (dirty)mode switch
or sinply a jammed gear or arm.
a good way to check the VCR section is to turn the loading motor and see that it moves correctly
hope this helps

try this unplug and then keep finger on eject and plug back in keeping hold of eject if not work then
UNPLUG and take top off video and you will see were the tape is stuck THERE WILL BE A RUBBER BELT ON ONE SIDE OF MECHANISM TURN COGS THAT BELT ARE ON ( USELY ANT-CLOCK ) takes time you will see parts move towards front of video ( IF NOT CHANGE THE DIRECTION TURNING ) the tape will come out when finished
THEN PLUG IN SO VIDEO CAN RESET MECHANISM

Unplug the VCR.
Take the cover off by taking out the small screws on the sides and on the back that hold the cover on.
With the cover off you should be able to gently move the tape back out.
Things could be damaged......after the tape is out, you should try it first with a tape that could possibly be damaged during testing and do not touch anything inside while plugged in to power during testing with the cover off!
Now......if it is not a working VCR anymore......you are in luck.
There are garage sales every weekend...and almost every one has a VCR for almost nothing....some like new.....and boxes and boxes of tapes/movies for very little money too.

with the unit unplugged take the case off and look on both sides of where the front of the tape would set, you will see two towers, one is a light and the other a receiver,check to see they are plugged in and not obstructed.Also there is a switch that the tape pushes when its all the way in which might be stuck,click it a couple times with your finger.This might help, there are other more complicated things which could cause this problem but mechanical problems are more likely.

Check all belts. clean the all moving parts

The most likely culprits here are belts. This unit has belts and a rubber idler. Replace all of the rubber parts and you should be OK. This is a normal maintenance procedure for VCRs.
Dan

I'm not sure if this is a solution, but it cleared up the problem for me. It turned out there was a loose paper label for the cassette that got stuck inside the VCR with the cassette.

I had to take off the top of the VCR by removing the three screws. I then removed the jammed loose paper and then was able to get the cassette out. The flashing number 2 (whatever that means) went away. The machine seems to be working fine now.

More likley it's not the little white thingy but the belt that drives it. Take the bottom off and get that broken belt out and runn down to the VCR / Tv repair shop and see if they have a new belt

unplug it for 30 minutes and retry...any luck?

It may need to be cleaned. Mechanical problems are one of the big problems with VCRs they use alot of mechanical moving parts and play for so long they fail. Plastic parts dont help much either. The pinch roller takes up the slack and is usualy the part that fails first because it constantly runs along the tape and builds a coating on the rubber so it doesnt grip the tape and pull it back into the cassette. If its not pulling the tape back in then it hangs up inside and you cant get the tape out. Fastforward uses the reels to pull the tape not so much the roller. Try and stop 2 times then fast forward then eject the tape. Try and eject the tape while its fastforwarding so it doesnt do anything else. Sometimes machines will unload after its been in fastforwad a while then it will eject. You will hear a change in the sound when it unloads, you can hear the mechanical arms move the tape in and out of the cassette. Thats when you eject it. You cant really clean it till you get the tape out. YOu can clean the pinch roller with fingernail polish or paint remover. It is a wheel inside it looks like a black tire. It pinches the tape against the capstan arm this is why it developes a film or a shine on the rubber making it slip.