Today i got my dirt cheap ps2 in the mail and it boots up fine to the menu. But when i insert any form of disc i get a grinding noise when it tries to read out the disc and keeps trying and giving no disc inserted. I'm guessing it's the laser or laser assebley entirely. Can i get spare parts for it and can the problem be fixed..or do i now just own a big silver paperweight ?
I KNOW WHAT THIS CIULD BE!!! A friend of mine had this on his silver PS2 and I fixed it. What it could be (and it's worth a try as it worked for the silver PS2) is the metal arm of the laser becomes loose. It joins the laser eye to the moving cogs on that guide bar rail in the laser unit. The grinding is when the motor moves too fast and the laser arm doesn't grip to the cogs. I took the laser unit apart and bent the metal arm (just a little bit) so that it pushes down harder. This way when the motor moves the arm it has a stronger fit so it doen't slip off. Sorry I haven't described it very well, but it is quite hard to visualise as it wad about 2 months ago!
stupid question: might there be a disc stuck in the drive mechanism? sounds ridiculous, but i had this once. you should open it up and have a look.
When a grinding noise happens with a DRE, then the laser gear is most likely either worn or dirty, they are $8 on some of the many ps2 repair sites...or you could bend it.
