Sony DCR-TRV740 can't playback 8mm tape?

[FussyVideo]

Anyone know why the Sony DCR-TRV740 I bought on eBay is having problems playing back my 8mm tapes? It seems to be making weird noises and trying to decide whether the tape is Digital8 or standard 8. All it shows is a blue screen as far as video. Also no sound coming out.

Here's a video of what's going on: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a4zGCppTlcM
When I set playback to Hi8/8 it just shows a blue screen: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lxSO6m730wI

When I put the tape in my aging CCD-TR400 it plays fine. Any suggestions? Did I get a bad camcorder?

[dellsam34]

Did try to clean the video heads?

[btwarden]

There is also a very common problem with these sony handycam's. The connections inside the camera can go bad. This can be fixed by opening up the camera and reseating the connectors.

see this video on 12voltvids how to do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCN_uc3CToA

[FussyVideo]

Did try to clean the video heads?

The seller said they had cleaned the heads and I just ran a head cleaner tape through it. Still no luck.

[FussyVideo]

There is also a very common problem with these sony handycam's. The connections inside the camera can go bad. This can be fixed by opening up the camera and reseating the connectors.

see this video on 12voltvids how to do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCN_uc3CToA

Thanks for sharing! That looks a bit involved to get the whole thing dismantled. I think for the amount I paid I'll return to the seller for a refund. Maybe I'll find a cheaper one that's worth the risk of opening up and repairing. Or continue my hunt for a camcorder that I can use to get my old tapes digitized.