PS2 Disk Mechanism

1) After the cover is off the disk tray, you will need to plug the unit back in, (The unit needs to be hooked up to a TV as well to test it while you have it open.

2) You should have a DVD movie, a game disk with a silver or gold back and one with a purple back in order to fine-tune the system to play all three).

3) It will be necessary to have the unit powered up to perform the repair.

4) Press the eject button so that the tray slides forward exposing the undercarriage.

5) At the back of the unit, you should see a small white, geared wheel about the size of a quarter.

This little wheel can cause many of your problems.

6) This wheel changes the angle in which the disk is held. You will notice that there is a small metal tab, which is holding the wheel in place. Take a permanent pen and mark the point on the wheel that meets the tab. That way you will always know the original position that the wheel was in.

7) Now that the original position has been marked, feel free to spin the wheel for a few full rotations in order to see how it changes the angle. It will only alter the angle a few degrees before it goes back to zero, after it reaches the maximum angle it will go back to flat after each full rotation.

8) Once you have played with it to see how it works, put the wheel back to the original position that you have marked. Then advance the wheel about 1/8 of a turn and place the disk tray cover back on top of the disk tray. (You will not need to screw the tray cover back down in order to test the machine; you will only need to hold down the cover with your fingers while trying to load/test a disk).

9) Now place a DVD in the tray and press the eject/close button in order to close the tray and load the DVD (hold down the cover as explained above).

10) Wait to see if the DVD loads, you may have to use the browser in order to load each disk you test. If the DVD loads, eject it and load a silver backed disk, if that loads try a purple backed disk.

11) If all three loaded successfully, congratulations you are finished.

12) If not, remove the tray cover, eject the disk and advance the wheel another 1/8 turn and repeat the process. It just a matter of finding an angle that will facilitate the operation of all three types of disks.

13) Once you have found the proper angle and the system is operating to its full potential, put it back together and start playing games again.

I also do not recommend placing the PS2 on its side once you have fixed it. Although Sony says, they recommend it in the owner manual, there have since been internal Sony documents retracting the statement and attributing many malfunctions to storing and operating the unit on its side. Keep it flat at all times!!

If your unit is still not working then you will have to adjust the laser voltage. This stage is the most deadly to the PS2 laser if not done correctly. If you are not confident in your repair abilities then please don’t proceed with this as you may end up making matters worse.