Difficulty

Very easy

Steps

3

Time Required

                          20 minutes

Sections

1

  • Stop CDs Scraping/Rubbing
  • 3 steps

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Introduction

  1. Make a scraping, grinding or rubbing sound, when you try to play them, and fail to play?

  2. As above, but they will play, continuing to scrape as they are played?

Some of my CDs played normally, whilst others did one of the two cases above. By sanding down the higher parts of the mechanism casing, I was able to eliminate the problem.

IMPORTANT NOTE: you undertake this at your own risk. Your situation may be different to mine; I am only explaining what my problem was and what I did to solve it.

What you need

Step 1

              Stick Tape Over the Lens
  • Place a small piece of tape over the lens. You need to use something with minimal stickiness. I used electrical tape. This is to protect the lens when you do the sanding.

Place a small piece of tape over the lens. You need to use something with minimal stickiness. I used electrical tape. This is to protect the lens when you do the sanding.

1024

Step 2

              Sanding
  • Get some fine wet-and-dry sandpaper. I used P400 grade.
  • Sand the area highlighted in the photo. Be extra-thorough on the bits close to the spindle.
  • Try to avoid sanding the spindle.
  • Don’t try to stop the spindle rotating - if you do accidentally go over it with the sandpaper a bit, you want it to move with the sandpaper, not offer resistance to it.

Get some fine wet-and-dry sandpaper. I used P400 grade.

Sand the area highlighted in the photo. Be extra-thorough on the bits close to the spindle.

Try to avoid sanding the spindle.

Don’t try to stop the spindle rotating - if you do accidentally go over it with the sandpaper a bit, you want it to move with the sandpaper, not offer resistance to it.

Step 3

              Testing
  • Blow the plastic dust away.
  • Wipe the area you have sanded with a cloth that is slightly damp.
  • Insert a CD that was previously rubbing, ideally the one that rubbed the most. Don’t close the lid. Spin the CD manually using your fingers.
  • If the CD is now spinning freely, remove it from the player. Gently vacuum the player, taking care not to touch the lens transport. Remove the tape from the lens. Now play your CDs!
  • If the CD is not spinning freely but there has been an improvement, sand some more until there is no longer any scraping and then follow the bullet point above.
  • If you notice no improvement at all, it may be that the problem does not lie with the CD rubbing on this part of the player.

Blow the plastic dust away.

Wipe the area you have sanded with a cloth that is slightly damp.

Insert a CD that was previously rubbing, ideally the one that rubbed the most. Don’t close the lid. Spin the CD manually using your fingers.

If the CD is now spinning freely, remove it from the player. Gently vacuum the player, taking care not to touch the lens transport. Remove the tape from the lens. Now play your CDs!

If the CD is not spinning freely but there has been an improvement, sand some more until there is no longer any scraping and then follow the bullet point above.

If you notice no improvement at all, it may be that the problem does not lie with the CD rubbing on this part of the player.

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Dominic Adams - Jul 17, 2022

Reply

In addition, you can manually raise the spindle with a spudger tool. I did that with mine and it works like a charm.

AudioPhilip - Jan 16, 2023

Reply

I would like to ask a different question. My component CD player’s rubber (?) pad, the one one sit atop the CD, has become sticky, so that the CD sticks to it and will not eject. The mechanism is fine. I pried a CD off the pad this morning, and (guessing a replacement pad is not going to be easily found) am wondering if I can treat the pad in some way or replace the rubber material. Any ideas?

Thank you.