Wii DVD / Optical Drive Spindle Motor Replacement Tutorial - ConsoleZombie.com

[TheBestBrawler]

The spindle motor on mine does not even attempt to spin the disc and there is no longer a click sound that happened all the time right before it would start spinning. Is there any way I can fix the spindle?

[ConsoleZombie]

@TheBestBrawler Actually it sounds more like the laser to me.

[TheBestBrawler]

@ConsoleZombie could it be damaged? I use to be able to get it to work once every 20 tries or so and I've even tried using rubbing alcohol with a q-tip on the laser but to no avail. By the way the laser no longer moves at all when I insert a disc, is this because the motor isn't working or that it would only move if the disc was actually spinning? Thanks for replying so quick :)

[Hell1um]

@ConsoleZombie If it doesn't spin, it's the motor. If it spins but doesn't read, it's the laser...could be damaged or dirty.

[Hell1um]

@TheBestBrawler If it doesn't spin, it's the motor. If it spins but doesn't read, it's the laser...could be damaged or dirty.

[DemonShifty]

I didnt see this part available on your site

[2071Johnny]

I just got a brand new lens, but the disc only spun for a hot second. Is this because of a worn-out motor? Please reply ASAP, so I can know whether or not to get a new motor before X-mas.

[ConsoleZombie]

@2071Johnny If you turn the motor by hand does it feel smooth or does it grind? Also, the new laser you got might be defective.

[2071Johnny]

To be quite honest I never even knew that the Wii had a motor, until after I reassembled the Wii. I have no idea how the motor even works. As for my lens, this is the second one my dad ordered. The first didn't spin at all. Is there a safe way of telling which one is brand new and in good condition?

Also, do you have (or know of) any repair facilities in the Bronx that can fix my disk read issue.

[robbyboy64]

once you've put in the new motor how do you attach the wire back to the main board?

[bulletproof2353]

to find they sell torx driver sets in stores, i even saw one in a dollar store ,but not sure it had the smaller sizes, but anyway like i said if you can find a triwing,then you wont have trouble finding a torx, i found a triwing in a computer specialty store called microcenter, its a small national franchise but the store and online store is huge, but besides there you have to order a triwing, a torx you should be able to find in a store no problem at all

[bulletproof2353]

oh and btw people yyou need to go out and get a torx set if your going to do this, cause my screws were in REALLY tight, so im not so sure why he says to tighten the screws and then loosen them 3/4 of a turn, i know there are springs in there but my screws were extreemly tight, and i 1st tried a torx that was just slightly too big ,it fit in but it could not get them out ,then i went to the next smallest size and they came right out, but if you found a triwing to open ur wii a torx should b easy

[bulletproof2353]

also i may need a new laser for my old drive too ,im not sure if i do or not but it looks fine, i am just worried now because i saw a video on here on how to adjust the pot ,so i tried it,,but im not really sure if it moved or not, i dont think it did , i hope not now since i am now starting to believe its itsthe spindle motor,not the laser,but maybe i should put one in while im in there,so are the lasers the same for all drives? or are there different ones too?

[bulletproof2353]

also i have a question about the motor for different drives, i have heard that the there are new drives that you can not put an old drive board in ,like the board from my gc2-dms will not work in drives thatcome in the wii's that are on the shelves now,cause i was going to buy another wii and just swap the board from my drive into the new drive so i can play dvd's and burnt discs,but it dont work, so i want to know if the motors are all the same for all drives?new and old?or r there different 1s

[bulletproof2353]

yeah i have he question when i removed my motor i turned it and it seems like it dont turn that easilly ,so i am wondering when you say "if it dont turn freely" exactly how freely or how loose do you mean? i mean should i be able to spin it and then have it continue to spin,even for a second or 2 ,or half a second,after i let go ? cause there is no way you could give mine a spin and have it turn even a little bit after you let go ,so does that mean i need a new motor?

[silvanomadrigal6235]

EYY YOO I AM TRYING TO CONTACT U BECUZZ MY WII BROKE WELL IT DONT LET ME PLAY BLACK OPS AND IT WONT READ ANY OFF MY DISC SO PLEASE CONTACT ME AT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL IT NEW BECUUZZ MY OTHER ITS VERY FULL SO ITS MY USERNAME silvanomadrigal6235 COOL SO HOPE U GUYS CAN FIXX UPP MYY WII

[TheEpicBrawler]

One day, i was just playing a GC game, and all of a sudden i heard this snapping sound from the wii. Then it sounded like the disc was going back and forth, like the wii was looking for it. Then it gave me the typical error message, telling me to turn off the wii and such. So, i did, and when i put the disk back in, I could hear the disk spinning, but it sounded like it was spinning ridiculously slow. It did this for about 30 seconds, then gave me the error message again. Please help!

[sadamick2112]

I had to push down really hard on the spindle motor torx screws when using a flat head to unscrew them. Unfortunately, it seems that the plastic holes the screws were in are stripped out now. Do you have any suggestions on how to repair the stripped out holes?

[abujp1993]

I Have a problem with ps3 When i insert a disc it's not spinning

then i opened it & checking the problem leaser shows red light when insert disk then nothing spindle not spining also leaser not showing any lights i tried to move spindle(disc) with my hands but nothing happens

Do i have to change Spinndle or Leaser?

[mountainstothebeach]

Replaced the spindle motor and it works just fine. i guess while the motor wasn't totally crapped out, it was shot just enough to not spin consistently.

[munchlaxpokemon]

I am in the same position as the other guy above stating "use a small flathead" well, it doesn't work. I've tried everything. Can't get the damn motor out now.

[ConsoleZombie]

@munchlaxpokemon Then I suggest you find the correct Torx 6 screwdriver.

[mountainstothebeach]

Need help with diagnosis. The spindle motor does not spin the disc unless I manually get the disc moving with my finger first, then it spins fine and the laser works fine and all is well. However, if I stop the game and exit to the wii menu, when I go back to the game, it won;t spin on its own. If I give it a push start assistance, it spins fine. Obviously, the laser and spindle motor work, but something is keeping it from starting the disc spinning on its own. Thoughts?

[failedclown36]

@mountainstothebeach that sounds like motor, at least i hope. that same type of problem is why i am replacing my motor. i think it is just a bad brush, being positional like that is not normal, but i have seen it in the DeWalt angle grinders that i used to use for work. if you already tried it, let's hear how it went :)

[KawFilms]

will any spindle motor work if i take it out for something else?

[animefreak3900]

no, with a disc inside

[animefreak3900]

what my wii does step by step

I turn on my wii

motor starts running, I can hear it

a few clicking sounds

motor stops all together

would this most likely be the drive?

[SixtyTwoEleven]

I followed the tutorial all the way, but cannot get the 3 motor screws out. Damn annoying! Says "use a really small flat head screwdriver" have two sets of watchmakers screwdrivers and smallest are 1.4 mm and a 2 mm flat head. First is too small and second too big. And screws seem more firmly tightened than in the video. The screws are actually tiny torx screws. Will have to get some more screw drivers now and try and finish the job tomorrow. Ho hum.

[ConsoleZombie]

@SixtyTwoEleven Most people don't have a torx screwdriver so we suggest using a small flathead instead.

[SixtyTwoEleven]

@SixtyTwoEleven Granted most people don't have a torx screwdriver (I have several but smallest T8? is too big). But even with a flat head it seems you need a specific size. Thanks anyway for the tutorial, not meaning to sound ungrateful ;-) Just have Wii components everywhere (I actually stuck screws to a piece of paper and labelled them), and am keen to get the job done.

[myironlung21]

@ConsoleZombie I havne't removed the logic board yet. Do I need to take the motor out completely to turn it by hand like you said?

Also, just to confirm, If the motor isn't spinning freely (while not plugged into any power source) then it is likely the laser is bad?

[myironlung21]

yo dude, this is very helpful, but i can't decide which part i need to buy. i opened up the wii and powered it up, the disc is not spinning. i hear some loud clicking noise when it goes in, but it never spins. do i need the motor? or the laser?

[ConsoleZombie]

@myironlung21 Try to spin the motor by hand. If it doesn't spin freely it's a bad motor. If it does spin freely it's a bad laser.

[fifasnipe2224]

how can i tell if its my drive or optical laser thats broken?

[pbsparta250r]

i know but the disc doesnt even try to spin? wtf?

[pbsparta250r]

@pbsparta250r and i can see the red of the laser and if i push the laser to the edge of the disc it comes back when trying to read it

[pbsparta250r]

hey man i was wondering if you can diagnose a problem for me. My wii inserts and ejects discs, the disc sensor is working, i can see the red glow of the laser but the disc doesnt spin, is it because the drive motor is broken or could it be the drive's "alignment"?

I also hear a faint "tick tick tick" sound before the screen goes black with text saying my drive is f'ed after i hit the disc channel. weird shit

[ConsoleZombie]

@pbsparta250r The tick tick tick usually means that the laser is bad.

[TheNews1990]

@pbsparta250r or on a pc stand point usually means scratched disc

[GamerGuy51]

youre a hero thanks!

[hqhomepage]

how to replace disk splindle.....VG

[gbazaga]

hey, my wii isn't accepting the discs, I put the disc on entrance of DVD driver and the Wii not "suck" the disc, the disc is not inserting.

More later, (after turn off, turn on, turn off, turn on) the disc is inserted! But...doesn't spin and I can't eject the disc (only after a long time).

Can you help me? =X

[LilJR704]

i have a problem with my ps3. the laser still lights up, but the spindle wouldnt spin. lol i kno its not rly related to the wii. is it the spindle problem?

[KAOLgh]

I'm not sure if the disk is spinning I hear some noise but then nothing so I'm not 100% sure can you help me?

[SamusAran4Pikachu]

i opened my wii played around with the lazer up and down then put in a disk ... works ok but when i put a game like brawl or trilogy it stops again and non of the games read anymore

[ConsoleZombie]

Did this start after your opened it up or before?

[SamusAran4Pikachu]

before if you think you can help then it would be nice because right now im playing my games through a dvd drive (like a real dvd player) and i want my wii closed and not so retarded looking lol moding is funny work :)

[ConsoleZombie]

Do the discs spin?

[SamusAran4Pikachu]

with the d2b drive it does not sometimes when i play with the optical lens it spins but it soon stops

[romaash]

@SamusAran4Pikachu try cleaning the lens

[SamusAran4Pikachu]

mmm yes thank you but i got it to work now ^-^ all i did was take out the orange part in the d2b drive and smack it abit (dont try this out at home kittens) then placed it back and done a working orange thingy

[romaash]

u smackedthe lens !?

wow great solution -.-'

[SamusAran4Pikachu]

hey what works works ^-^ plus a new one cost about 50 american dollars (the whole d2b drive) that orange thing cost about 20

[rellik781redrum]

i can hear the laser move and it makes a couple click noises, then repeats and quits. the disc never spins, is this probably it?

[ConsoleZombie]

Either this motor or the laser.

[rellik781redrum]

@ConsoleZombie how can i tell the difference?

[ConsoleZombie]

Open up and look at what it does when you insert a disc. Best shot though is to try the laser first. It is usually the problem.

[romaash]

@rellik781redrum same ting happent to my motor after u hearthe clicking noises push down on the motor alsomt as far as it can go if it spins ur good just tighten it up

[TSFPmapmaker]

my wii does not load disks at all but i cannot hear it move. is this a bad laser or bad motor?

[Carl199107]

well, the wii loads the disk, it doesnt spin (already disassembled the wii) the laser moves around then it sayd it cant read the disc

it loads and ejects fine

[ConsoleZombie]

That does sound like a bad spindle motor.

[boredatwiki]

my wii just randomly started to do that too

[Carl199107]

So this will fix the wii not spinning disks?

or could that be another problem

[ConsoleZombie]

It depends on what other symptoms you have. Reply with more info and maybe I can help.