Do you have problems with your Wii game system physically not pulling disks in all the way? I didn’t find any helpful information on the internet telling how to fix this, so I did it myself.
Fixing the Wii disk mechanism
Well, technically, I didn’t fix anything on the Wii, but I discovered how to work with the problem. You don’t need to take your Wii apart or do anything handy in order to get past this. That’s a good thing, because I had to:
- Order a special tri-wing screwdriver from the internet to take out some special screws.
- Find a decent video on the internet showing how to take the Wii apart.
(In the video I found, the person’s voice was processed to sound like one of those witness protection things, where you couldn’t identify the person. I have no idea why they did that, but I thank them for taking time to create and post the video.) - Take the Wii apart and troubleshoot the disk mechanism while avoiding two curious cats and one bouncing child.
Yes, it was scary.
Discovering the problem
Wii Disk Mechanism Closeup
What I found was a thin metal part on the disk mechanism that keeps the Wii from sucking in disks until the two sides of the disk have entered partly into the Wii. Among other things, this keeps the Wii from sucking in objects that are not shaped like game disks.
Anyway, the entire disk mechanism was a bit worn from use, so things were loose like a goose in there. I started to bend the metal piece to compensate, but then found how difficult this particular metal was to work with. It would be difficult to bend it to my whim with any required precision.
But sometimes it worked
Through my testing, though, I found that if I applied gentle pressure to the left side of the Wii game disk while inserting it, the disk went in with no problems. I watched the disassembled disk mechanism as this happened, and realized this slight left-side pressure was enough to compensate for the internal parts being a bit loose.
Conclusion
If you Wii will not pull game disks all the way in, try simply pushing gently on the left side of the disk as it begins to pull in. Works every time for us, and I’ve even trained the kids.
