VCR Eats Tapes. The Most Common Causes Part 1 of 2 

thank god vcr repair stuff was immortalized on RU-vid, it takes forever to find a working vcr these days

Thank you for the video. I had one "eating tapes" that my son uses to watch some old movies. After seeing this video I was able to locate the mode switch and clean it. Without any fancy brushes I used the next best thing. A dried out ole permanent marker. That polished up the brass real nice. Then a shop towel to clean any residue left over. Works like a charm now.

I've been looking for a working VCR for a while and found one in my father in law's basement while cleaning his house out after he passed away. The thing worked pretty well - decent picture and sound - but when I tried to eject a tape it always got tangled up inside. He was also a heavy smoker so the VCR smelled like cigarettes and was filthy inside. This video gave me the courage to take the VCR apart and find the mode switch - it was much smaller than the one in the video and located in a different place, but I found it, took it apart, shined it up with a toothbrush (I don't have the cleaning tool shown in this video) and re-lubricated it with a tiny dab of WD40, then cleaned the tape head and rollers with alcohol and a soft cloth, put the whole thing back together and now it works good as new. I never thought I'd be able to repair a VCR, but this video showed me everything I needed to know.

So glad I found this video! I found a VCR/DVD recorder for $10, but the VCR was eating tapes. After cleaning the mode switch like you show here it's working perfectly! Thank you!

This helped me fix my tape-eating Emerson VCR. Just needed to clean the mode switcher with a Q-tip...it was quite dirty and oxidized. Never thought I could fix a VCR, lol. Thanks!

Thank you for this. I bought a Sony hi-if vcr SLV-N50 at the Salvation Army but turns out was eating tapes. I followed your instructions and so far seems fixed! The switch was mounted on the circuit board with the gear facing up so made removing the gear easy. The gear has a small nub that protrudes upwards and fits into the big gear on the chassis to keep things in time. Thanks again! 👍👍👍

Mode switches in combo VCR/DVD recorders - HOLY DOODLE - you're right - they are IMPOSSIBLE to get at. Those machines must be put together from scratch by tiny people in factories in Lilliput land of Gulliver's Travels, but apparently deliberately designed so you can't get back in to repair things.

Just fixed my DVD/VHS combo using your video! Thank you so much!

@7:06 you likely saved me a lot of trouble. I'm having problems with a dual VHS/DVD eating tapes and sounds like a waste of time for me to bother with it. Still watched the rest of your video and found it very informative. Thanks for the post.

Reminds me of my days in vcr service. I was very surprise while found your videos, really thought those days are gone.

That was completely educational and got me excited to go get that stuff that I once used to design a Flip-Flop Multivibrator PWB, at my local electronics store, and clean that wheel and its contacts. I wish I had seen a tutorial like this back in the day when these machines were relevant. I used to get lots of VCRs from people I knew who were throwing them out and knew that I could get them working. Eating tapes were mostly the reason, and all I did was keep the cover off and nurse the tape through and run it that way until so much dirt got in that it would affect the electronic elements and something would short out. Once the problem is digital, into the dumpster. I got through the whole 90s on free junk VCRs that lasted a year or two.

Brillian trip down memory lane. I remember mode switches, as a new engineer back in the day, I spent hours chasing a fault. I have 2 Panasonics next door for repair. 1 is a Nicam VDC and the the is a Combo DVD + VCR

it was fun to watch you work! love those brushes.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge! I enjoy your videos and the fascinating ingenuity of the past. There was a JVC model that had a mode switch with optics instead of contact switches - that one never went bad. I used to spray Deoxit on mode switches and never had a single recall.

TYVM kind sir! Kids today will never know the struggle of ur fav tapes getting ate! Will do soon as I get home!

I thought my old VCR was a goner but now it's good as new, thanks.

Loved the video! The brush is a fiberglass scratch brush. I went and looked it up so I could try this out on my vcr. Thanks!

Thanks! Repaired a VCR yesterday and your video was very helpful!

Thanks for the informative video. I found a great old beast of a VCR that works well. I just want to clean it up and make sure the important parts aren't in disrepair before I put too many tapes in it.

Very helpful video, thanks. I like how you cleaned up that circle of contacts.

Well I want to thank you, for making this video, keep then coming. I like the old VCR machine.

Wish me luck on fixing my Sanyo ! glad this info is out there for the public

That was awesome. I'm very much an amateur at electronics, buy I think I could handle this. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I grew up in what I can now see was the very beginning of the throw-away consumer product age, e.g. mid-70s through late-80s. As time goes on it's interesting how many things I used back when I was a kid and young adult are things I go back looking for specifically nowadays, from mechanical (but for basic metering and some AE function) film cameras to (as now) 80's era early Hi-fi VCRs. Everything made past the early 90s and into today are throw-away... Or, *worse* even if now some hardware seems better manufactured but so much of it is tied to firmware and software that it become obsoleted and useless. I think the IoT craze is about to undergo at least a mild awakening and perhaps a revolt. Enough rant. :) Thanks for this video.

Nice and informative video. I own a dual Phillips VCR/DVD player that I purchased new about 12-14 years ago, only used it about 10 times or so. When I insert a VHS tape in it, the machine turns it self on, when I power it up again it ejects the tape. Can you offer some advice if this could be what I am going through? What state are you in?

Smashing job :-D, i used to repair a lot of vcr's in the past and mode switches just sent the machine into madness lol, a machine would be playing a tape and suddenly on its own it would rewind it ha ha, they looked posessed :-D. Dirty heads,pinch rollers, guides and belts/jocky wheels were common to all machines, and once in a blue moon i would see the reel brakes fail so the tape spooled out if you hit stop on a forward fast mode. The older machines were much nicer than the "plastic fantastic" cheap types, well i thought so. Ive never seen a cleaning pen, i had a rubber/abrasive block that worked well :-)

I wish I had fixed my Mom's old VCR instead of giving it away. Back in the day it cost almost $550 and was top of the line. 30 years later the only reason it didn't work was the motor wouldn't pull the tape all the way in. I donated it to a thrift store for someone to find and fix and got a newer machine. First thing the new machine did was eat my tape. My old machine never ate tapes. I miss it.

You can splice the tape and remove the bad portion of the tape, but it generally means part of the tape will be missing.

Grant does a sharp vcr from the year 2000 and newer have a mode switch? I took most of it apart and cant find one. The machine plays but sometimes it stops on its own or wont stop rewinding when i push stop then powers off on its own.

I'm sad that I'm the 290th comment - but this absolutely worked on my rare and versatile LG RC199H DVD/VCR combo unit, a machine made even better by having HDMI out for both tape and disk playback. I bought it used a few days ago for a Hamilton, ugly and eating tapes and now it's 100%!

Nice! I’ve been troubleshooting a lot of VCR’s recently. I normally just swap out a broken VCR for a new (to me) VCR but the supply of good quality VCR’s is drying up lately. Now I’m going back and replacing belts and recapping some of the better VCR’s I own. I have a few of the old top loading VCR’s that are built like tanks. The only downside is the picture is not very good on those compared to the Super VHS types. My prized piece that I use at least weekly is a Sharp TV/VHS combo. VHS looks good on a smaller 4:3 screen.

Thanks for the video fellow Oregonian! I am trying to convert my family's old VHS tapes to DVD and the first tape I put in, the VCR ate it! I was able to carefully get it out, respool it, and then watch it eat the tape again. I'm done with that VCR! It was a freebie from a friend and seemed to work in tests until I tried to convert videos that might actually matter. While I like to think I could fix whatever is going wrong, I might try one from Goodwill and roll the dice.

this worked for me to my surprise! usually youtube videos never solve my problems

Very well done video, clear and well explained, thanks.

I need help with repairing my VCR player. I've been trying to figure out what's wrong but I'm a little nervous with playing with it too much

I always thought it was cheapo dielectric grease in those mode switches. good points on removing and cleaning/repairing. I used to repair a lot of VCRs then everyone bought DVD players, and gave their old VCRs to me, so i had hundreds of them. lol

Thank you. This fixed my vcr. Thank you again.

I used this advice to clean the mode switch in my upscaling VCR/DVD combo. What a pain in the neck. He was right when he said they didn't make those things to be repaired...

Dave, I used to use the eraser on a pencil, i would shape the rubber with a razor and found it will take off the carbon or oxidation off the metal just as well, then clean the area with alcohol and put the grease back on with a work quality Q tip...esentially what you have done, just different materials to achieve the same results..... Was definately a great repair in our day money wise..!! I also found the biz hard to walk away from after 35 yrs....but, unfourtunately I was forced to as i'm sure you are aware of the service industry is almost non-exsistant....too bad tho..!!

do you have any videos that show how to repair emerson 19" tv/vhs combo? the whole cassette is stuck inside the machine and will not eject.

I was really excited to watch an old VHS tape that I had, the last one too. My grandparents had VCR/DVD player in their RV and the DVD side worked fine. Unfortunately the VCR side ate my tape and kept making a bunch of strange noises. My grandfather took it apart, apparently having fixed such machines in the past. We still have NO IDEA what's wrong with it.

Hey I have a question. I finally pulled out my vcr player after like 5 years of it being stored. It was working fine until my dad decided to watch some really old tapes. When i play a tape now it will pull the tape out of the vhs and eject it. I pull the the tape out and there is a few inches of tape still out of the cassette. It will play the tape for like 4 seconds and then immediately do this behavior. Do I just have to clean the vcr or is it something more serious? If you have any idea of what it could be please let me know

Do you know of a way to clean and then gold-plate the mode switch so it never corrodes again?

Hi I have an Emerson ewv404 VCR player. I’ve watched a lot of your videos on VCR repair but I can’t seem to locate the mode switch on this model to clean it. I’ve cleaned the heads etc and it’s still eating my tapes and ejecting them. I’ve had multiple of this model with no issues, this one I got recently I can’t seem to fix.

Can a chewed up video tape be repaired to the way it was before it got chewed? What I mean is back to the way it was before a certain part got chewed?

Really nice of you to inform on this subject. One question though! The dielectric tune up grease, I've been finding info on it as I've never used it before, and it seems that it is an insulator and doesn't conduct? What are your thoughts on that, please. Thanks for your tips.

Good job ... I watched - got "stuff" - followed your video - yaaaaaa - works as good as "NEW" .. thank you thank you👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thanks for the video. New subscriber!

This Sony VCR I have would eject the tape then shut itself off when I try to pull the tape out and get all tangled up if I push it back in and chew it up, sometime itd be okay if I turn it back on and push it in then ejected it real fast. But I like this parituclar VCR since it dub DVDs very well.

We need to know this stuff because. We might have to go backwards before we can go forward again. I come from the year 2029! Thank you so much! In my time all that's out there is AI video's that just tell you how to destroy stuff, but we don't know that we are messing it up! And it's so hard to tell the real videos from the AI. So glad I found this, and it was real! Thank You!

I have two DVD recorder/VCR combos and both are similarly afflicted. No cassette tapes can be played, recorded or anything because both VCR's spit the tapes (PE-TOUHY!) right back out! That is to say... I push a tape in. It goes in and drops down onto the _spindles_ or _hubs_ and then it pops right back up and out... The actual tape gets caught on the clips that pull the tape around the head drum and so you have to take the top cover off and lift the tape free to get it out of the door of the machine. One failed first and then the other soon followed and they've been this way for years. I hold onto them because they have DIGITAL TUNERS built in and both still record and play DVD's. I bought both machines at the same time, but I noticed today that one has a sticker that says it was manufactured in 2008. Could this mode switch problem be what's causing this? *And now I have just heard the portion of the program where **_"...those things just aren't made to be worked on..."_* So, I should just wait for them to totally die and then start anew, correct?

May I ask a question? I have 2 brand new VHS dubbing decks. If I don't use them for a year maybe 2, just keep them in the box, will they go bad from non use? Thanks in advance for your help.

I got a goalddstar from the 90s I would gues. model m250 ghv-1705m amung 5 other VCRs I got for free from cl. I just replaced the belt yesterday and it no longer eats tapes but the belt has more tention then the original one and fast rew/ffw works fine but normal is weak and It kinda sounds like the tape begins to slack or spill a little bit and I lose signal. If I eject and reinsert the tape it resets the problem sometimes and I wont have a lost signal with that weird noise that kinda sounds like tape spill/tape-eating. The idler seems to have suficient tork even with the new belt.

I have a. G E. VG4011 4 head Vcr it R/w and F/f fine but when playing it will drag or stop. I cleaned it taking the top off and still doing same thing any ideas

I have a Toshiba vcr/dvd combo model number D-KVR20. Can tell me how to do this on mine if you happen to know?

I have a Mitsubishi HD-2000U VCR that seems to have developed tracking issues. It was in storage for several months and when I hooked it up and put in a tape, the tracking noise wouldn't go away. I tried to adjust it manually with the manual directions. It would get better and then a line of noise appears at the top of the picture covering about 10% of the screen. I've tried different tapes and it is the same. It has always worked flawlessly for years. I cleaned the head and various tape guide areas. That didn't help. You mentioned in a video you might be willing to have people send you their sets to repair.

I'm having an issue with my vcr. It's a cheap one but it's so hard to find them in general these days I'm hoping I can get it back on it's feet. How much would a repair like the mode switch generally cost if I sent it to you?

I had a vcr/dvd combo once that ate tapes and the issue with it was the power supply. A capacitor and a bunch of resistors went bad and was causing the vcr side to not receive power to run correctly and then it quit working altogether and when I pulled it apart, some of the circuit board traces were burnt and I had to throw it out because I couldn't save it :(

Is it possible to do that kind of repair to a VCR that's built into a CRT TV or does it require removing the CRT and stuff before making that kind of repair? Whenever my TV VCR combo eats the tape, the tape itself is usually damaged so barely to the point it's not noticeable, but it does force me to wiggle the tape a bit and by the time I finally get it out, I usually will have to turn one of the tape reel to get the loose tape back in.

I have a Toshiba VCP B1E, it was sitting somewhere for years at my grandma and I picked it up, the first time it was turned on it almost didnt work at all, and then I replaced the rubbers inside with some jar rubbers, and applied some strong 90% alcohol, it worked for 2 movies and I think it just ate my tape, I mean it sucks but I made some progress. I will try applying alcohol everywhere where it is supposed to be put and lets see. 2019 VHS gang!

Great video, help me fix my Emerson VCR - it was the mode switch and cleaning it up fixed it. I plan to replace the drive belt as well.

Hi there interesting video...is this similar reason in a mini DV cam as I have a chew tape issue in that but it's tiny so don't know where to start.

Can a chewed video tape be rapid if it was a small section? what I mean is to be repaired to the way it was before the chew up

Ok I have a Magnavox VHS/DVD recorder Combo ZV45OMWS and it eats my tape soon as it hits the head wheel and automatically ejects ate tape. Any ideas on a fix I can try? I did clean head wheel like you showed in another video but the machine you were working on looks nothing like mine so I wanted to tell ya what I had. Hope you got some ideas I can try. I really don't want to buy another one :(

Just fixed a Sony SVO-2000 that was eating tapes by cleaning the mode switch, the outside contacts had turned black, had to scrape the corrosion off and scrub with Deoxit.

Like the stepper switches in pre 1980's Electromechanical Pinballs.

Good "tool" for removing 4 notch latches are thin-walled pipes (maybe some part from old ball-pen?). They will push all notches same time. you can widen a bit top of pipe if is from the brass or other soft material (I use scissors tops for this rotating inside opening). Have to be vary cautious during "operation" as plastic goes crispy in time.

I'm like 3/4 through. Do you ever explain how this switch causes it to eat tapes?

Nice video Dave. Thanks for the tips. I have a bunch of different grease, including some conductive carbon grease. My fiberglass pen works great also.

Hi how do i get the mechanism out of a JVC HR-S860 SVHS VCR, do i have to disconnect the circuit board to remove the mechanism, Please Reply, Thanks

Had a problem with a recent Hi8 camcorder that I got from eBay. It took me awhile to find out the problem, apparently the camcorder chews tapes when put into rewind. I tried another tape that hadn't been chewed and after I was done recording, I put the tape inside a Video8 camcorder to rewind it. (The Video8 has a dead image sensor, it's only good for playing and rewinding.) I then proceeded to put the tape back into the Hi8 to play it, the recording came out perfectly fine. So I think I need to find a tape rewinder to keep inside the Hi8 camcorder's bag. I am okay with rewinding in my Video8, as long it don't start chewing tapes. :P

I'll give it a whirl! Thanks for your video 👍

mine won't accept tapes at all. is there an easy fix to that? its a 1996 broksonic TV/VCR combo

Samsung DVD/VCR combo. Mode switch is a tiny thing that can't be removed but I managed to get it apart. Didn't look like I got much grunge out of it. I used a q-tip. I greased it with a film of Vaseline. Now it'll play the very tape it ate, even past the mangled part. I think I have it so thank you!

That's great about helping to prevent the VCR from eating tapes but the problem I'm having currently is that my Sony VCR (1999-ish) is molesting my tapes. Twice now I've woken up to go to the bathroom and my VCR was touching my tapes inappropriately. How do you handle an issue like that? Do they sell a solvent or something?

my vcr only rewinds and fast forwards in play mode,what is happening ? can i fix it,hope so. i need to transfer my favorite videos to dvd,while i can

is an sl500 betamax the same thing if a tape is chewed

Very good Video! THX ... please can you show me where the Mode select switch is from Panasonic NV-FS200 ? i can't find it ??? best Regards from Hamburg Germany

Oh how i wish you were my neighbour! I love old VCRs and kassett players (still refuse BlueRay, feels unnstural to watch) and half of em needs service. Have a pretty nice Philips one that been loyal but i think the motor os symtarting to go. It is haveing a hard time rewind and forward and play all tapes. Heard that some VHS kassett go bad so it gets to heavy to play, but i have other backup players that works with said tapes.

Could you recommend a used vcr player brand that is easiest to clean? Im looking on ebay, but ofcourse says nothing of the inside contents condition.

Can Only See Picture in Fast Forward or Rewind or Pause. I've cleaned the heads multiple time but that didn't fix it. Do you know what could be the problem? I fixed it by cleaning the stationary head on the right, which contains the control track.

Do you know how to fix the Sony slv-286EE?

I have a Symphonic SC313B combo TV/VCR. It plays a tape fine. If I stop the tape the TV shuts off about 5-10 seconds later. If I turn it on it runs for another 5-10 seconds and shuts off. If I turn it on and play a tape it plays the tape fine. Any tips or tricks I can do to make the TV work without shutting down? I don't care about using the VCR. Thanks,

I have Pal/NTSC vcr, AIWA... and it's eating tape too. Or may be it has more than one problem. You said you can help fixing vcr. Can you do it for me?

Good video.

vcr/dvd combo are much harder to repair>?

Did you say dvd/vhs combos are best avoided? Thanks

Do you know where I can get a VCR tape carriage and belt kit for my HR-D550U JVC??? Mine still works, but in case it ever fails. Thx.

I have a very HEAVY vintage Curtis Mathes vhs that plays fine but after a few min it starts to eat the type while at play. it also sounds sounds a little weak gong forward vs backward. Is this switch the problem for such symptoms?

The Mode Switch made me a fortune in my Electronics business.😂

Is it possible to mail you a vcr to work on ? We’ve had this Sanyo for 30 years and it just started to stick and eat the tape. It was really top of the line.

5:30 big brain move

I have a combo one Any recommendations?

Hi Could You Help Us Out.. I've A Ferguson Videostar 3v31 And The Idler Needs Replacing Or A New Tyre,.. Would You Have Any Idea Where I Could Get One? Regards Darren

Do you repair mailed in SVHS Vcr's? I live in Portland but don't know of any repair shops.

I moved the gearing by mistake during repair. Now the gears are all jacked up and it wont accept the tape. Any ideas how I can get those realigned?

THANK YOU!!!!

From Farm and Fleet's web site: "Dielectric grease, or tune-up grease, is a silicone-based grease that repels moisture and protects electrical connections against corrosion. ... The grease does not conduct electricity, so it shouldn't be applied directly to the mating surfaces (pins and sockets) of an electrical connection."

Helpful video, thanks. Was hoping to see how to align the switch with the other parts. Where does that notch need to be, relative to...????

I've stripped down my late Hitachi MX-910E but can't see a mode switch anywhere. It's doing random things and would love to get it fixed. Any idea what else it could be when there's not a visible mode switch. I do have the deck out and can see all the circuit board and underside of the deck.