Playstation 2 FAQ
How to fix my stuck PS2 disc tray?
Understanding what goes wrong
For this one I need to explain what is going wrong as well. Unlike other consoles, the PS2 has a few quirks that are unique to the system. A stuck disc tray requires a little testing as well so you can figure out which issue you have.
For starters the PS2 disc tray and eject system were poorly designed. In general you will have an issue with the eject motor belt, the connecting gear systems, and the eject motor itself. In fact the eject motor causes so many issues I don't even sell them here in the Playstation 2 replacement parts section. I usually have to use every single functioning one I get myself! So what we'll do now is tackle each of these issues individually.
Dealing with the Gear system
Unlike, say, the Original Xbox, The gear system inside a PS2 disc tray can get stuck as well. The design itself will continue to wear down the eject belt and motor, forever, no matter what you do. The way the laser deck slider works in tandem with that system is hard on everything. So, what can you do about that? Lubricate it! I highly recommend getting a tube of White Lithium Grease. and applying it to all the gear teeth in the system, there should be three sets of teeth on the main, large gear you lubricate. That will then spread to all other parts on the disc tray system. Now, will this fix a stuck PS2 disc tray? Most of the time, no. This will however make it easier on the new parts to work, and help them last a lot longer.
Handling the disc tray belt
This is the next key part. Many places sell these, however, you can easily get a replacement belt yourself. Check any store such as Target, Walmart etc. Any store that carries hair care products. Inside the area where you find hair bows and hair clips, you can usually find a box of small black rubber bands. A great example can be found Here at walmart. If you find a box that has multiple sizes, using the larger size for the PS2 disc tray is the best bet. Simply replace that belt with one of those! With many other disc tray systems you would be done at that point but unfortunately the PS2 disc tray motor is also an issue. Give your drive a test and see if it is opening and closing correctly now. If so, great! If not, then we have to move to the next step.
Moving on to the disc tray motor
As I mentioned earlier the way the gear system is designed causes a lot of strain on the belt, and the tray motor. I would say that in 50% of all the PS2 disc tray systems I look at, the PS2 disc tray is still stuck until you replace the motor. As I also said earlier, this isn't a part I offer myself as I have to use them so often, so I can't add a link to the part you need. You also rarely see these for sale elsewhere such as eBay, Etsy, etc. If you can't find a tray motor your last option would be to replace the entire drive with a working replacement PS2 disc drive like one of these. Also, if you do replace the disc drive, KEEP THE OLD ONE. If later on down the road a disc drive stops reading game discs you can use the parts from the old one to fix that as well!
