JVC SR-MV45 won't play tapes, ejects wrong?
 

I just cleaned the heads of my VCR, and now all of a sudden tapes aren't being inserted correctly. After I cleaned the heads, everything looked fine, but when I started to rewind my tape, the VCR shut off. Then when I tried to eject, it didn't do it correctly, so the tape got damaged. I usually let my VCR rest after a transfer, so it's been a few days since I last used it. We had a power outage yesterday morning, so I don't know if that's causing the issue. I'm on a UPS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5MHUdg5uZg

After a while, I inserted the tape again, and this time it didn't even go into the machine, it got stuck. It flashed LOADING for a while, that's gone but the VCR still doesn't load the tape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig-oidS9_L8

I really hope my VCR didn't just kick the bucket, I can't repair these myself and I don't know a place nearby that does repairs. Is there anything I can do here? Could this be a capacitor issue? Should I wait a few days before I put another tape in?

Don't panic.

Only use fodder tapes for now, until 100% resolved -- usually a retail junk tape that doesn't matter if ruined. I have a few, such as Young Frankenstein.

Decks have tight tolerances.

Did you carefully blow it out?
I hate compressed air, and prefer to use Rocket blowers.
https://www.amazon.com/Giottos-AA190.../dp/B00017LSPI

Very often, it's simple debris in the wrong place. Start there.

I took a smaller one of those blowers to it, and it's still not budging. It's still doing what's in the second video. Unless I missed something, maybe I need to buy that blower. I wonder if any belts are damaged? I don't see why they would given how I got this VCR two years ago.

I didn't see the Youtube links earlier.

So
- difficult ingesting
- not playing
- not drawing in tape before attempting eject
- eject faults because strangled by undrawn tape

There are several potential issues here, most of which require removal of the transport. Unlikely belts, but not impossible. Belt off track more likely than damaged, if belt, but also on underside.

Disassembly is in one of the service manuals, but for the low-end consumer model. MV40-55 manuals refer to consumer manual for disassembly. But it's not overly intuitive. My first attempt at repairs are usually on junker/parts decks, so no fear of breaking anything. "Oops' is okay.

I don't know if the blower would help much. That said, just today, I had eject issues on a deck, I used the blower, and noticed a piece of debris blocking the gear. Removed it, all is well now. But different model, unfortunately I don't see it being that easy here.

I'm not comfortable with taking VCR's apart. I don't want to screw this up and turn my VCR into a doorstop. I might need to send this into a repair shop or something. Could I send the VCR to you maybe? I'd rather have someone else fix it.

I definitely understand that.

Right now, I'm not able to overhaul these exact decks, with this exact sort of issue. At this moment, same situation here, same decks, same basic issues, projects for later.

On your first listed video there is no capstan drive of the tape - for whatever reason. On eject, the reels are not rotating to take up the slack tape. Both symptoms could mean a broken belt.

That this occured after you cleaned the heads may or may not be related.
Whatever, the machine needs to be looked at by a competent person.

VCRs are very complex electro mechanical machines, If you don't know how they suppose to work don't bother trying fixing them, you'll do more harm than good, Just find another machine and move on if you don't want to spend the money on sending it to someone to fix it.
I do hear a whirr when you insert the tape, so could mean a loose loading belt or a cracked plastic coupler on the motor shaft.