HP DAT24i tape drive problem

Our tape drive has gone screwy. I’ve tried half a dozen tapes, they all do the same thing. The tape loads, then makes a bit of a clicking/grinding noise, then the orange (clean) light starts blinking, and the tape gets spit out. Backup job fails. I clean it, the orange light stops, but does the same thing when I try again. Any suggestions would be welcome. We’re nearly two weeks without a good backup!