Tape "was" stuck and now it's worse

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.

The mechanism of a VCR is very complex. The incorrect removal of a tape will not only have caused the tape arms to be out of sequence, but also caused the electronics to be confused. Inside the VCR is a device called the Mode Switch. This tells the electronics which position the VCR is in. This Switch rotates with every movement of the VCR. When parts of the VCR mechanism are moved out of sequence to the rest, the mode switch will be in the wrong position. So the VCR electronics might think it's in the eject mode when parts of the mechanism are still in play mode.
If the mechanism was working normally the arms would have been retracted as soon as the VCR was powered up. So it's now out of sequence. Pushing a tape into the holder might cause the mechanism to reset, but I suspect that what will happen is that the VCR will either show a fault code or just power off. It does that to prevent the motors causing any damage when it gets stuck.
The only way to solve this problem is to have the mechanism set up in the correct way. This can only be done if you have performed the operation on several VCR's of the same type or have the service manual. The reason you need the manual is because it tells you how the different cogs, wheels and the mode switch need to be positioned. They often have holes are marks on them to aid in the set up. To make matters worse VCR's are rarely set up in the eject mode. Without knowledge of how to set up the video or the manual you will never get it to work properly.
One further thing you will need to check that the removal didn't damage any plastic parts. Plus clean the tape head and any surface that the tape touches.

You can try this: Connect your DirecTv to VCR with Red/White/Yellow cables. Then the VCR to your TV with the same type of cables. Make sure the VCR is set to the video input, not the tuner. Turn your TV to the correct video input. Get the program ready on the DVR as if you were going to watch it. Press record on the VCR and then play on the DVR. At the end of the program, press stop on both. You may have a problem with the video recording properly. Some stations broadcast with copyright protection.

You might be able to unbolt the two halves of the VCR to remove the tape, but it depends on the VCR type and how it's stuck. You might end up having to get it serviced, or just getting a new VCR, as I can almost guarantee the tape is probably damaged beyond recovery, unfortunately.

It sounds like the tape is jammed in the vcr, remove the top cover of the machine this will expose the tape. If the tape is spewed in the mechanical section and around the video head, get a pair of scissors and start cutting the tape and carefully remove all tape particles, when all tape debris has been removed, plug in vcr turn on and eject. If the tape looks good, you may have a loading basket problem, bad idler ***. or broken drive belt. "Lets hope for the best"

If the tape is that important, you need someone who is familiar with vcr's and how they work, or technician. There is no easy way to explain what must be done to get the tape out in one piece.

If the vcr is running the tape, your video head is probably dirty, try using a cleaning tape if you have one. The second option is use a brand new blank tape T120 and set the the machine to sp speed (2hr running time) and let the tape run the full course. The third option is to remove the lid of the vcr and carefully clean the video head with a swab dipped in rubbing alcohol rotating the head by hand as you proceed allowing several minutes to dry before loading your tape.

Hi, Suggest call a local tv repair shop. Thanks.

Unplug the VCR, take the cover off, find the motor (probably on the right side of the mechanism) and turn its shaft with your fingers until you have run the tape back out. Now plug it back in and try it again with a scarificial tape. If it continues to fail, replace all the rubber belts in the mechanism.
Hope ya fix it!

clean the heads and retime the gears.