I have a TRV67. I took it apart but to no avail. My problem also included the problem where the tape and carraige would not insert the cassette into the player mechanism as if the carraige was stuck. I had some success pressing the sensor inside the tape carraige that is a small black square in the upper left hand side as you look into the face of the tape. i removed the door. This gave the idea to put the tape in and gently press down on the tape continuously/steadily above the black square button sensor. It probably quecks for the presence of a tape. The tape carraige slide into place and played the tape. Finally after severally hours!!! I am transferring everything to computer disk and throwing back it the closet!

Thank you to all you posters! It's now a few years after the last post here, and I thought I would add that I followed the same technique, taking apart my TRV210, and it worked!! The tape now pulls smoothly (as it hasn't in a very LONG time!) and no more error codes. I did spray a little duster stuff inside which might've helped. Also, I noticed little particles of old tape came out, so that might've contributed to, or been the cause of, the problems. Thanks again!

Please look in http://www.network54.com/Forum/27766/message/1134164002/DCR-TRV725E+C-31-42+error+-+the+solution- I'm copying what I've wrote there: I had the same C:31:42 error on my DCR-TRV725E. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it started. On every cassette, sometimes with few seconds disturbed playback or few seconds of rewind/forward. I searched the Internet and found this forum. People here said that the solution was to take the camera apart and put it back together - well, it WORKED !!! I took out all the screws I could see (except the ones near the LCD). Note the two different screws near the button panel opposite the LCD screen. I pulled out the front of the camera, and then separated it into two parts in the middle all the way from the lens to the battery. In the cassette compartment "area" I only took out the plastic cover (didn't touch the screws of the mechanism inside). Be careful on the cables connecting all those parts. The camera was disconnected into 4 parts (lens, left with LCD, right with cassette compartment and battery, the 4th is this small i.Link cover on top aside). The ONLY thing I touched was this small transparent purple stick near the middle of the cassette compartment - just near the drum. I cleaned it a bit with ear cleaner. I don't know if this did the trick, but that was the only thing I can think of. Then, when the camera was all wide open, I connected the battery, inserted a cassette - and it worked. I felt like in terminator 2 when the robot comes back alive. I saw that the tape is rolling and not stopping and beeping, I could not look through the eyepiece since I had to hold all the parts in my hand, so my girlfriend looked. I put all the pieces together and it still worked. I could record and playback. All this disassembling and assembling happened 2 hours ago. God bless the Internet :)

i was getting an error message of C:31:42 too. I used a blow dryer, left the battery out for a week, took the movie tape out and left camera open for a day, hit the camcorder with my hand in different areas and nothing seemed to work. theni got a pencil and used the eraser part to touch and move the parts in the camera where the tape goes and it FIXED IT!!!!!!!! why didn't i think of that before! my camera is working fine with no problem yet!

I have a DCR-TR7000 that stubbornly refused to accept a video cassette showing in the viefinder the "droplet sign" for humidity/moisture error. I left it open for a whole night in a dry warm place. No good. I considered taking it appart as many of you suggested but I decided to try something else first. I bought for 8 bucks a tuner aerosol spray intended for cleaning delicate electronic circuits that does not leave any traces behind. It is branded K600 and made in Belgium by Kontakt Chemie Ltd. (I guess there are many other similar products in hardware stores.) I sprayed sparsely into the open cassette holder and let it ventilate for a couple of hours, then drew air from the open camcoder with a vacuum cleaner for about 1-2 minutes. Bingo - it works like new! George

Please Help Me DCR-TRV356E PAL

My TRV730 gave the C:31:42 message after we took it out on a cold morning and let it sit outside for a while. Unloading / loading the cassette resolved the issue for a couple of seconds. The hair dryer trick did not help at all. I did not try the whacking and took the plunge to take it apart. It started working without a hitch while it was in pieces and continued to work after I put it together again.

I've had the similar problem for years with my DCR-7000E. It surely comes from humidity/condensation and the problem is solved with the hairdryer combined with some gentle smacking and whacking of the camera. Sounds unbelievable but I think it's humidity that makes connection oxidate and get stuck. It works all the time for me, 20 times in a row or more.

By the way, in this posting, mastersurf and Abdul Jalil is both me. Read my earlier postings to understand the problems first. Sony did not put he part number here but it states CHASSIS ASSY PWB, FP-406 SWITCH ROTARY Meaning I had three faulty parts. The main culprit is the chassis asembly. On the returned faulty parts, on the box, printed A-7096-426-A CHASSIS ASSY, LS DCR-TRV330 MADE IN JAPAN 908643 My cam is a TRV340E. So make sure when inserting the tape, do it carefully. Also do close the cover slowly and press where indicated. The chassis assembly consist on some switches activated by the moving levers. When closing or opening, the lever will open or close some switches. So that is why they say to remove tape, insert tape, remove battery, insert battery and on the cam. Hope fully when done repeatedly a couple of times, the switch surface becomes shiny again and contact is achieved to activate the switch. I believe that my faulty assembly sacing might not be really fauly and by simple adding some solder to the mechanical contact point, the contact is good again. Wonder why dont they use gold contacts. Also I do not see any misalignment on the faulry parts so i strongly suggest the swith/soldering on the chassis is to be blamed.

My CCD-TRV66 NTSC video camera recorder is giving me tha same error message C:31:42 . I used one of those cans of electronics cleaner and sprayed the inside. It worked for a little while but it is doing it again. Please help!