Amazing. I opened up my RCA from circa 1993 and followed your instructions and it worked perfectly. First time the heads were cleaned. This is very easily done, don’t be intimidated.
Never put iopropyl alcohol on rubber parts like the pinch rollers. It will degrade the rubber, dry it out, and then you're screwed. Maybe just a moist cotton swab, and allow to thoroughly dry. As all rubber eventually deterioriates, this is something to consider.
Learned the hard way on cleaning printer rubber rollers’ ipa actually dries out rubber’ they make a special rubber roller rejuvenate for like $6 on Amazon printer roller cleaner
I tried to set up my Fathers old VCR and tapes (more than 20 years old) - tried running and got zero picture - on occasions "no signal" or some lines - totally despondent. Followed the video instructions and it worked!!! Fantastically. Thanks so much
This worked. I looked at the head and it looked clean. I did a very quick cleaning and it was just about 100%. There was a very tiny amount of black on the paper almost not notice able
Very handy. As someone who has old family videos on VHS tapes this is a good key too keep a VCR running when youre too stubborn to convert them to digital like me. Plus I love the nostalgia.
You definitely should convert them to digital. Definitely keep the original old family videos on VHS because their the masters, but the reason you should digitise them is because those tapes have a chance of being eaten or getting mouldy, if you digitise them that won’t happen.
I ended up cleaning my vcr in the clothes washer. Just remember to put it on gentle cycle with cool/warm water. Made watching my under water films much easier!
Hello Everyone 10 minutes ago (edited) I am a consumer electronics tech, now first of all the type of paper to use is new coffee filters and drip isopropyl alcohol on to the coffee filter, fold the filter in half place it flat with finger slite pusher against the video head cylinder and with another hand rotate the drum, then clean the audio and control head and pinch roller and capstan with cotton swabs soaked with alcohol, for now, leave the top cover off connect VCR to a monitor for test play.
I cleaned the drum head with paper and 99% rubbing alcohol but the paper continually is dirty and the dirt is not diminishing. I don't know if this is a good or bad sign or what I should do.
IT WORKED, my Hitachi camcorder used to work but then I used cotton swabs to clean the head and it never worked after that, tried this and the paper was dirty and it showed video!!
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Seems like a pain to do this every time. Head cleaning tapes often do the trick, but for the more stubborn funk, I taped four Q-Tips to the end of a pencil, drip the alcohol on the tips, and get in through the tape door and keep turning the heads while cleaning them up n' down - - - like brushing teeth. Then let it dry, and that usually works. Been doing that for years. I guess as a last resort I would pull the cover and really clean the heads with tissue or Q-Tips and 91% alc.
I had some problems with my VCR the other day and when I tried to put the tape in it has some static lines on the VCR. It would be the VCR Head is dirty
I have two vhs jvc version HR-D721EN and both play with sound but black image, I already cleaned the heads and it's still the same, if I fast-forward there you can see the rain but then it's black with the play logo. any idea how to repair it or a circuit that is wrong. Thank you
Use 90% isopropyl alcohol. Not ethanol. Dont use paper or towels with lint that can be deposited on the video heads. Now if there was a way to safely clean mold off the actual tapes, that'd be awesome. Ivr had to throw out dozens of VHS tapes due to mold growing on the tape itself.
Don't use alcohol to clean the rubber. This will dry it out eventually. There is special rubber cleaner for tape decks that is available, not specifically for VCRs but for analog open reel audio decks, this should work fine.
already clean the head few times,but when put tape for play it will play few seconds and then no more picture only showing- problem head status-,what to do?
Yes, this is VERY important. Medical grade alcohol or ethanol. Do NOT ever use Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) to clean video heads. IPA contains substances that will leave a residue on your heads after the liquid evaporates, and this will damage the tapes you play. Also never, ever use cotton buds/q-tips. Lint free swabs only.
im pretty sure you want to use isopropyl . you might be confusing it with rubbing alcohol which contains impurity's. iso is only distilled water and alcohol
@@angelsmyre4647 there are head cleaning kits you can buy and just like a tape you stick in you machine and as it plays through it cleans the heads on the vcr. i'm not sure if they are still easy to come by though. I don't think its as thorough but it might do the trick
@@foxkocreates Yeah this is the best way for my little people to look at things without scratching DVDS. Maybe I can get some of those long stick Q-tips and try and clean it. I'm scared to buy a VHS. cleaner online and it doesn't work. Waste of money. Thanks 👍
QUESTION: I cleaned the VCR heads similar to what is done in this video. I used paper and the 91% rubbing alcohol. The tapes played with improved video and audio. Everything seemed fine. But then I put the cover back on the VCR and the video problems and audio problems returned. I then cleaned the heads again. This time when I put the cover on the VCR the video problems no longer existed, but there was still a slight "static" hiss type of noise. This happens EVERY TIME. I have tried this over a dozen times and the moment I place the cover onto the VCR while a tape is playing, the static "hiss" starts to be there. What is causing this and how can it be corrected?
@@kajamalanuruthiralingam5643 , so you are saying that a "static" audio sound being heard when the VCR cover is placed on top of the unit has to do with the tracking? ... The VCR actually has Auto Tracking. I tried resetting the Auto Tracking and that did not solve the audio problem.
my problem is the viceo will not ply and the audio is fine. i switched wires and vcrs and the new one worked fine and old one no video, any suggestions? cleaning?
Might be more than a head cleaning issue. Cleaning the head is just for getting rid of video noise. If you don't have any video, the VCR might have an electrical issue.
I’ve never had a problem using them. Majority of people say not to but I don’t really get where there coming from. The liquid is not actually rubbing alcohol. It’s a mix of rubbing alcohol and trichlorotrifluooethane.
