Sony ccd trv43 doesn't play hi8 after placing an old video 8 tape

No, CCD-TRV87 is analog camcorder that can not playback digital format video-8 tapes.

How many times did you clean the head? and what with? often you can irrepairably damage the head on these machines by overcleaning. How much difference did the head cleaning make? What was "bad" about the bad tape? was it old/got wet/left in sun/etc....? Are you sure none of the missing screws are still in the machine? Are you getting the same results if you play back using a different camera/player or have you only tried your camera? Are there any unusual noises when the camera is recording or playing back? - listen really really carefully, in case there is a motor or gearing problem. Waiting for your info :)

You you need to transfer then through the dv jack, so you will need a d8 sony camcorder, or similar. Larry's Electronics

To the best of my knowledge 8mm VTR's have not been available for some time now. On the other hand there are plenty of Hi8 cameras and players available after market. eBay is a great source. Keep in mind that Hi8 cameras and decks will also play standard 8mm video tapes.
There are also many video tape transfer services that will transfer your 8mm tapes to DVD or other formats of your choice. Just Google "videotape transfer service"

DCR TRV140E is a Digital8 camera
CCD TRV87E is a Hi8 camera,
(Hi8 is an analog format)
the tapes are the same size, wont help, the recording systems are not compatible
send them to a lab service ?maybe if there are only a few
or ebay a Hi8 camera and transcode them yourself

its not a solution, at least it clarifies the problem

Hi 8 tapes will only play on a Hi 8 machine. I would recommend you search for a place that will do the video transfer for you. There are several in my town and likely you could find one on the internet.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=CCDTRV128&news_id=161

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=CCDTRV128&news_id=161

the heads could be dirty or the tape path could be out of alignment.

Fidus, I am not sure where you are located but the camcorder you're trying to use now is a PAL version of Sony's 8mm camcorder. If the tapes you recorded earlier were recorded in D8 (digital 8) or 8mm/Hi8 format NTSC, they will not play correctly in this unit. The NTSC and PAL formats are different and not compatible. Hope this helps you. Joe Weibel customelectronics.org