Tape refuses to load

Hello, Kelly -

If you wish to try to remove the video tape yourself:

1. Unplug the machine from the electrical outlet and unattach the wiring/cable from the TV and any other electrical units (like a cable or satellite dish receiver.)

2. Unscrew the screws attaching the unit top to the rest of the machine. Note: There will probably be printing on the tape player combo warning about opening the player.

3. Remove the top. You will probably see the stuck video tape in the machine and may be able to carefully pry the tape cartridge out. Note: The video tape may be mangled in the rollers through which the tape runs. You may up ending damaging the video tape and/or the tape cartridge.

If you choose not to try to get the tape cartridge out yourself, find a TV repair business near where you reside, take the player there an let an authorized repair person extract the stuck tape cartridge and pay the repair price.

Note: Years ago, when I made my home "toddler proof" for a visit from my niece and her toddler son, after they left, I found I could not insert a video tape into my player. After taking the player to a repair service and paying the fee, the person at the business handed me my player and a plastic electric outlet cover which my grand nephew must have pulled out of an electrical outlet and stuck into the opening for the tape cartridge. After that, whenever I encountered problems with the video player, I took it upon myself to open the unit up. :)

Best wishes.

Check this link it has some solutions that you can try in removing the tape inside the VCR http://www.fixer.com/no-eject.html

Hope that helps...........

Hi what has happened is when you pressed play the tape head that reads the tape has come up as normal this locks the door as you cant open it when its playing but instead of the tape head releasing and going back down into start possition it has become jammed in the tape itself.
You have two options turn off at mains and give it a gentle bang a couple of times this might free the tape and let the head go back to start possition its upto you how hard you tap it but doing this usually works and will allow you to get the tape out failing this then its going to be a case of stripping it down till you can get access to the tape head and be able to free it from the tape allowing door to open let me know how you get on ok and if you need further assistance

You can usually apply a couple of drops on the tape itself as it will not harm. The tape itself might have a hole located on the cassette itself close to the see through cover. We normal tell people to drop a couple of drops into the tape area

It could be a couple of different issues. These things could help.
(1) Power OFF the camera, remove battery then replace the battery, power up the cam and try to eject tape again. Nothing? try...
(2) Gently press inward on the tape cover with both thumbs a few times. Then, while pressing gently inward with one hand, press the release/eject-tape function until you hear a click or release sound. Then, if it doesn't open automatically, gently "help" open the hatch.

If it remains stuck, after follwing these steps a few times it would be my guess that perhaps the camera has been dropped in a way that jammed the mechanism controlling the eject function.

TIPS that may prevent having eject problems: When loading tape, be sure to insert the tape correctly and slowly, makeing sure the tape is placed properly. Gently press on the specific location indicated to close the tape holder, and wait for the tape to "seat" properly before closing any other part of the tape cover or hatch mechanism. Taking a few extra seconds when loading the tape can save extended frustration later.

This is often a frustrating problem but if you feel you can handle it go ahead with the following, otherwise get professional electronics help. If you have tried to eject the tape and tried other obvious ways to extract the tape and nothing has worked then you can remove the top cover and manually remove the tape. It is not that hard to do most of the time. First unplug the power cord from the wall outlet. You do not want to get a short or get shocked or zapped. Just unscrew the screws holding the cover in place and set the cover aside. Look at the tape to see where it is hung up. If you need to push the tape around so you get it off the posts or otherwise free up the tape, then gently do so until you free the tape from the tape transport. Sometimes this is all you need to do to extract the tape. You may be able to push out the tape from the VCR at this point. If you can get all the magnetic video tape back into the cassette but the tape simply will not come out then place the cover back onto the VCR, plug the VCR into the wall outlet, power on and try to eject the tape now. Sometimes this works. If all else fails, take the VCR into a electronics repair shop and have them remove the tape for you. They may tell you the VCR needs repairs also so this does not happen again.

most likely problem is defective loading motor. p/n VEM0427.

Try a different tape in case the take up isn't working in the previous tape.

Clean the tape heads with a tape cleaner in case there is buildup on the pinch rollers causing the tape to jam or slip.

If those solutions don't work, you should take it into a repair shop to have a closeup view as to what the problem is unless you see something obvious like a spring broken or loose or a bent piece or foriegn objects in the deck.

Remove the cover again and move the tape carriage all the way towards the front (the carriage is not fully in the locked position). Once that is done you should be able to load a cassette again.

With the set unplugged remove the back and extract the main board. You'll find a metal cover over the tape housing area that is easily removed by removing some screws holding it to the board area and manipulating some wired over it... You should then be able to see the tape and what's hanging it up. If you need to unwrap tape from the pinch roller or around the guides do so carefully. When it all looks free you can either manually crank the load motor assembly to eject the tape or put it back together enough to plug it in and press eject. If you do the later be VERY careful... Good Luck! Bill