Hardware Fixing up a Wii drive

Sc4rFac3d · Aug 1, 2008

So a guy sold me his broken Wii for 50 bucks. It still works and everything but just doesn't accept any discs, and the one being in doesn't come out. Sounded like the same problem I had so I figured I could fix it. It's kinda different here though.

The side of the Wii drive has a few clogs, they seemed to be loose what caused a really loud buzzing sound when turning on the Wii. There's also two flat pieces of plastics loose, I don't know how to put em in place and hold the clogs against the drive. Does anyone with experience here have the answer? I was looking for hardware pics of the Wii online, but couldn't find exact ones. Any help will be appreciated. I can post pics if needed.

On a side note, it has a Wiikey with a loose cable. Is it safe to pull them all out and remove the chip?

Volkov · Aug 2, 2008

you can take the chip in and out as much as you like...

Go to youtube and look up videos of people disassembling a wii console, and you can see where everything is meant be placed...

hope that helps

Sjaool · Aug 2, 2008

If the drive is defective get a replacementdrive is much easier than to repair
one.
A guide how to disassemble your Wii might come in handy.

Sc4rFac3d · Aug 2, 2008

Sjaool said:
If the drive is defective get a replacementdrive is much easier than to repair
one.
A guide how to disassemble your Wii might come in handy.

Yeah, I know about the drive thing. I can even get one of the older drives for 40 bucks. But I want to try some stuff out before going that route. I'm going to look for some more pics of the Wii's guts. Too bad the link you provided didn't have what I looked for. I'll try Youtube, thanks for the suggestion.

CorruptJon · Aug 3, 2008

Sc4rFac3d said:
Sjaool said:

If the drive is defective get a replacementdrive is much easier than to repair
one.
A guide how to disassemble your Wii might come in handy.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I know about the drive thing. I can even get one of the older drives for 40 bucks. But I want to try some stuff out before going that route. I'm going to look for some more pics of the Wii's guts. Too bad the link you provided didn't have what I looked for. I'll try Youtube, thanks for the suggestion.

Where can you get Wii drives for 40$?

Link please?

Edit: Unless you mean Euros.

FAST6191 · Aug 3, 2008

There was a thread around here with a bunch of nice internal pictures detailing exactly that (it was a cracked cog).

I posted in it and it was made by one of the more active members, neither of which helps that much but I know it is out there (google is useless right now too). I will continue for a few minutes though.
Edit:
Found the thread but it was not quite as good as my memory would have me believe:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=71468

If you want I have a DMS drive sitting around here and a decent camera.
Re: wiikey. I would desolder or you run the risk of lifting pads.

Sc4rFac3d · Aug 3, 2008

CorruptJon said:
Sc4rFac3d said:

Sjaool said:

If the drive is defective get a replacementdrive is much easier than to repair
one.
A guide how to disassemble your Wii might come in handy.Yeah, I know about the drive thing. I can even get one of the older drives for 40 bucks. But I want to try some stuff out before going that route. I'm going to look for some more pics of the Wii's guts. Too bad the link you provided didn't have what I looked for. I'll try Youtube, thanks for the suggestion.

Where can you get Wii drives for 40$?

Link please?

Edit: Unless you mean Euros.

Click to expand...

Euros, and it's not from the net. Sorry.

QUOTE(FAST6191 @ Aug 3 2008, 11:06 AM)

Click to expand...

There was a thread around here with a bunch of nice internal pictures detailing exactly that (it was a cracked cog).

I posted in it and it was made by one of the more active members, neither of which helps that much but I know it is out there (google is useless right now too). I will continue for a few minutes though.
Edit:
Found the thread but it was not quite as good as my memory would have me believe:
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=71468

If you want I have a DMS drive sitting around here and a decent camera.
Re: wiikey. I would desolder or you run the risk of lifting pads.

THANK YOU! That is exactly what I needed. It was so obvious, but people always seem to overlook the easy stuff.

That metal part above needs to be right next to the cogs. I did that and the Wii is not making the buzzing sound anymore. Although it doesn't seem to be taking discs now, but at least I got through the hard part. Thanks again mate! Now for some more fooling around.

Edit - Okay, it now takes discs. Yay. Problem is it takes the disc (sometimes it fails, spits it half out and then gets it back all the way in). But then the spinning thing spins against the disc and generates a buzzing sound, the disc of course is not spinning. I'm guessing the game is either not exactly in the right place or the drive is just fucked and I should get the new one. Any ideas? I could make a little video.

FAST6191 · Aug 3, 2008

Personally buzzing would indicate a cog was either jammed (check they are aligned well as it is sure to have fine tolerances) and/or the axle is spinning around in the slot, I have not seen it on a wii yet (probably as I have not seen that many wii drives but I have seen it loads on PC and Xbox drives over the years (granted normally at the "pulley"/rack and pinion part but the principle is the same).
Fixing the latter could be a problem, a very careful application of superglue should do the trick.

Personally I would get the new drive just to have as a spare (40 euros is great: most sites I see have them clock at least a third more than that).

Sc4rFac3d · Aug 4, 2008

Thanks for the continued input FAST!

After looking around a bit more it turns out it indeed was the disc not being in it's place the way it should be. I tried to put it in manually but that didn't work. I'm thinking something got messed up when I was disassembling it. I do have this little piece of plastic. Although I don't have any idea where it needs to.

Hopefully someone can help...

eduardop · Aug 17, 2008

wher you able to locate the place of the plastic piece?

i have the same piece loose, and couldn't find where it goes...

feizex · Nov 11, 2008

Hi guys,

Sorry for digging up an old post. Thank google.

I found out how the cog breaks. It happened to me. I pressed eject and then reset. Unfortunately reset also resets the drive. It was spitting disc out then when I pressed reset it tried to suck it back in. The fast reversal of momentum broke the teeth off that cog. I don't suggest testing my theory, unless you want a broken wii drive. Mine broke 2 teeth.

I am making do by leaving the cover off and just pushing the plastic slider on the side manually forward (to front) when loading. Push back when ejecting. Not an ideal solution. Damn slot loaders!

Has anyone found a source for the cog yet?

Regards,
Feizex.

PS. That plastic piece comes from where the ribbon cable on the top of the drive goes down the side. You have had the metal cover off the top, so trace the wire and slot it in around the wire.

atreyu187 · Feb 11, 2011

Sc4rFac3d said:
Thanks for the continued input FAST!

After looking around a bit more it turns out it indeed was the disc not being in it's place the way it should be. I tried to put it in manually but that didn't work. I'm thinking something got messed up when I was disassembling it. I do have this little piece of plastic. Although I don't have any idea where it needs to.

Hopefully someone can help...

Ok sorry for the pull of an old topic but I am trying to find exactly where that plastic gear goes. I have the laser installed but no idea where this fell from as I was tending to my kid who walked up and this piece fell and I and I have no idea where it goes now.

snap_0714 · Feb 11, 2011

i know where that stupid plastic part was from. i do need that part for my dvd drive. its on the left bottom side of the dvd drive when its facing you. near the long white flex cable that extends to the metal top case. flip the case then slide the plastic case on that left side. you will see a gap on the black bottom part of the case. it only goes one way so that should be the problem. also the white plastic has like a mold that you can see that has a slight gap that would seem like a bit thicker than the flex cable. thats where it goes.

that plastic is whats holding the inner metal gear(the one with the thing that holds the cds top part) that takes the cd in and out. without it it makes the gears on the bottom right loose. thus not allow the disc to be inserted or it spitting it back. that inner metal frame also has a plastic gear on the right side sometimes it gets loose from the small metal bar. gently push it.

gzstation · Mar 11, 2011

Hi!

Yeah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've found the gear for the Wii Drive

It's right there :

Link for Wii DVD Drive replacement gearGear

I've wait 2 years for those gears.

this is a set of wii gears, the 4 needed, the 5th one is actually attached to the long rod and is sold seperately so i need to find the rod now... If some body see it somewhere... Please let me know.

Hardware Fixing up a Wii drive

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