By
eHow Electronics Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Open the drive or carefully remove it from the changer. Be prepared to take anything else apart that may get in your way. Be sure to lay the removed parts out neatly and label them to reduce confusion when replacing them.
Step2
Take the clear housing and spool apart. Be sure to remember which way is up.
Step3
Examine the leader carefully. The end of the leader thins to a slim, 1/2 inch or so part, then it flares into a flat knob at the end. If one of these flares on the end are missing, or the entire end is severed off, you have a very serious problem.
Step4
Thread the leader back through the rollers and feeder if the leader was not damaged. This act is best done with the spool out. Behind the spool there is a piece of plastic that needs to come off. Once you remove this piece of plastic, try spooling it again. It will only fit one way so once you get the hang of it, this step is relatively simple.
Step5
Get the leader past the roller. Where the tape usually goes, there will be a small mechanism. The job of this mechanism is to stab the tape leader with the drive leader, then get out of the way so the drive can start spooling. This process is done by holding the drive leader on a little hook on its underside. This hook goes through a hole an inch or two away from the end of the leader.
Step6
Replace any of the items you had to remove during this process.
Step7
Power it up and see what happens.
Step8
Put an old tape in and see if it loads. If it does, you have successfully fixed the problem. If it does not, you may need to see a trained professional about the problem.
