The only thing I’ve found that works is to use a butter knife under the bottom edge while pressing down on the eject button – it may take a few presses, but if you are “elevating” the tape maybe a quarter-inch, it’ll usually pop out.
This is the type of casette deck where the tape goes in sideways, with the head, pinch roller, etc. to the right.
A relatively inexpensive unit will connect to the input for the CD changer and give you a dedicated iPod hookup. You can get this for far cheaper than a new stereo.
One thing you can do is keep an eye out at Value Village and those types of stores for a new unit. Usually one can even find factory versions for less than $10.
Or, check at a junkyard, although I couldn’t swear as to the integrity of any rubber pieces.
Okay, then pressing on the eject button will cause the tape to move up just a little. When it does, put the butter knife in to prevent it moving back down. With it now raised, repeatedly pressing on the eject button while moving the knife in a little bit more will bring you to a point where the tape will likely eject on it’s own, with the knife holding it up.
What you need:
Butter knife
Long flathead screwdriver
Needle nose pliers
Hammer
Head mounted flashlight will be a huge help.
You will not be able to just pull the tape out because the stantions (I believe is what they are called, you know the pegs that turn the tape…) have heads with cogs in them. These are mounted on springs, so that however high up you pry the tape, they just stretch to remain in place.
Okay so here is what you do.
Pry the tape up with the butter knife
Using your light, spot the front stantion
Push the screwdriver against it and knock it off by hitting the base of the screwdriver with your hammer
Pry the cassette as high as you can to allow room for your needle nose pliers so you cag grab the pieces of the stantion to remove them.
Repeat this process for the rear stantion.
The tape came out of mine as if there was no resistance at all. The deck is obviously ruined but it doesn’t keep trying to eject the tape, which over time killed a battery.
If you need to…screw a small wood screw into the tape so you have something to grab on to to pull it out (if it is still giving you trouble)
Fantastic, about twenty years after tapes were surpassed by CD’s in total sales we finally have a concise and conclusive documented method for getting a tape unstuck! And only 7 years after the OP. Who would have thought that a wood screw would hold the key? Progress marches on . . .
