VCR does everything except Play
 

I've been wrangling with a Sanyo Hi-Fi VCR (model VHR8310 for anyone curious) and after figuring out its weird mechanism timing, I've got it to ALMOST work...but the last problem is stumping me.

Tapes load and eject without issue, and both Fast Forward and Rewind work just fine...but Play does not? It makes an effort to play but the take-up reel doesn't start turning and the machine aborts playback. There aren't really very many timing marks to go off, is it possible that it's somehow still out of time even though most functions work fine? Or is there some other cause for the take-up reel not being triggered to start turning during playback?

Are there any belts, idler tires, rubber parts that are bad?

Replaced one belt that melted and cleaned a slipping idler tire, the only other belt is a loading belt that seems to be fine.

How about the mode switch? Dirty, broken, outta wack?

Have a JVC HR-S8000u that won't rewind for whatever reason already played with the mode switch, idler, belts, etc

I kept some notes but I haven't worked on a VCR in over twenty years. Computer notes say I worked on five VHR8310's back in the nineties that three of them were reworks, and that two of the reworks on that particular unit were on account of the cylinder not starting up (I could give it a nudge and it would run from that point). I assume your cylinder is starting up... because that's such a weird thing if it doesn't.

The other two 8310s I looked at had failed because of the usual culprits that have already been mentioned here.

I've worked on other Sanyo models however memory doesn't serve enough to tell me which ones are similar to the subject model. I show a FCC ID # of AFA9YBVTR030 on that model but it's the only model listed under that number.

Sorry I don't have more... good luck on yours!

I cleaned it, I could always clean it again. It's moving in time with the gear it fits on top of now (it wasn't before) but for some reason the rest position doesn't line up the arrow on the center part with the arrow on the black outer part?