On a stock/OEM 1995 Honda Accord 2.2l 4-cyl cassette player, anyone aware of what causes an issue described below?:

1. When a tape is inserted it inserts fine. There is no physical difficulty.
2. Once inside it makes the sound that the cassette player makes when a tape is inserted. Once this sound occurs the little green arrow on the display reverses direction (which I assume means the tape is ejecting). Only nothing is being ejected. The tape is still in there.
3. This sound occurs again, reversing the direction of the arrow again. Nothing happening with the tape physically.
4. This repeats, reversing the direction of the arrow each time the insertion/ejection sound occurs.
5. It's also worth mentioning that the music plays until the insertion/ejection mechanism sound occurs at which point the music stops. The music resumes until the i/e mechanism sound occurs once more.

I can't say it's really trying to insert or eject the tape because nothing is happening physically. I'm only saying that because the arrows seem to imply that and I hear that mechanical sound that occurs when a tape is first inserted. It's almost like it's having some sort of physical difficulty but I can't find out what it is.

Also the display kept saying "Clean" for a month or two prior to this. Could that have something to do with it?

 

it sounds like you tape deck is dirty and jamming. try cleaning it.