Over the years, I've found that there are a lot of problems playing 8-tracks that have been sealed in cellophane or shrink wrap for a long time. Some of these tapes have been sealed for 20 or 30 years, and they're frequently dried out (both the tape lubricant and the sensing foil splice) and jammed up. I've assembled some tips for dealing with these and other problems. Don't throw that tape away just because it doesn't play the first time!
1. Take the shrink wrap off the tape (the fun part!)
2. Inspect the roller. . If the pinch roller is melted or soft (press it with your thumb) DO NOT PUT THE TAPE IN YOUR PLAYER! See Jeremey Larsen's section on changing melted pinch rollers at http://www.geocities.com/Paris/4831/8goo.html
3. Inspect the splice. Look to see if the sensing foil is visible. Many sealed tapes leave the factory with the foil showing. With a pencil, gently pull a loop of tape out of the cart and check to see if the foil if firmly adhered. It probably isn't. This would be a good time to replace the foil with a fresh splice. See the section on replacing the sensing splice on Jeremey Larsen's home page: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/4831/8splice.html
4. Inspect the pressure pad*. Push down on it with your finger. If it springs back up, it's ok. If it's mushy, and leaves an indentation, or crumbles, it's best to replace it before playing. See Jeremy Larsen's tips on this: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/4831/8foam.html
* If the tape has spring clips with felt pads, check to see if the pads are firmly adhered. They can be easily reattached with a tiny dab of cement or glue.
5. Inspect the tape. Gently roll the tape along by rolling it against the pinch roller. If it rolls freely, go ahead an put the tape in your player. Listen for dragging, warbling, or other signs that the tape is not playing freely. Be prepared to pull the tape out quickly if the tape stops. You may avert a disaster. If the tape is playing OK, then just let it play, keeping an ear out for problems.
6. If the tape stops.... quickly remove the tape from the player and inspect the tape. Sometimes you will see a small line "burned" across the tape at the roller, which happens when the tape stops moving but the capstan inside the player continues to turn. Many times the lubricant is dried out on old tapes, and the tape will not move freely at first. This is a tricky problem to fix, but with patience and persistence, you can fix these tapes. What I usually do is first try to roll the tape along with my finger, as we did in step 5. Sometimes this will loosen it up.... just keep working with it. If the tape is extremely tight, pull a short length of tape from the cart in a loop and begin gently pulling against it to see if you can get the tape moving. The idea here is to break the tape free from its tightly bound state. It's been sitting in the case for 20 or more years, and has become "frozen." This technique, pulling the tape out in a loop and working it free, can take a while, but will frequently bring the tape back to life. After you've worked the tape for a while, if it starts feeling like it's loosened up a bit, put it in the player and let it run a while. I have found that sometimes you simply need to let it play through 2 or 3 complete cycles through all 4 tracks to fully loosen it up. Also see Jeremy Larsen's tips on fixing tight tapes at: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/4831/8tight.html
7. If none of this works: there are problem tapes that just don't see to be repairable. You can, if you're skillful and patient, open the cart and completely unwind the tape from the spool and rewind it by hand. Believe it or not, I have restored a few tapes this way. For an especially prized tape this may be worth it.
Well, these are just some of the ideas I wanted to share about playing those tapes that have recently been opened for the first time. If you have other ideas, please feel free to write!