The Wii is a very well-designed console, and even today you’ll find original models manufactured in 2006 that are still running like champs. However, there was a slight flaw with how the disc drive was designed. This caused several issues related to both hardware failure, as well as user mishandling.
Why does your Wii keep ejecting discs? The issue might be a faulty disc drive or a disc whose surface is too damaged for the Wii to read properly. You should try different game discs to find out if the issue is with the Wii itself, in which case you can use a lens cleaning kit to try and fix the issue.
If cleaning the lens doesn’t work, you might have to open up your Wii and repair/ replace the disc drive itself. There are OEM replacement drives for the Wii, and you can find these online (along with various 3rd party options). Or you can take your Wii to a shop that specializes in gaming console repairs (Nintendo stopped offering repair services for the Wii in 2020).
Why Does Your Wii Keep Ejecting Discs?
The first thing you need to know is that your Nintendo Wii can only read Game Discs for Wii and GameCube. If you try to insert a regular CD or DVD, it won’t work. And your Wii will simply display a message that says, “Unable to read the disc”.
With that cleared, let’s take a look at why your Wii is automatically ejecting game discs. First, you need to do some tests. Try to replicate the problem with a different game disc, which will tell you if it’s an issue with a specific game or all discs.
If the issue is limited to just one specific game, look on the underside of the disc (opposite to the label). The data side shouldn’t have any dirt or excessive scratching. Otherwise, the Wii’s laser won’t be able to read it properly.
If the disc is scratched or cracked, you probably need a replacement copy to play that game. If there are fingerprint marks, oily smudges, etc., gently wipe them off with a clean microfiber cloth.
You can use a slightly damp cloth, but not a wet one. And wipe from the center to the edges, not in a circular motion.
If your console is ejecting all discs, that indicates a problem with your Wii’s disc drive itself. This can be confirmed by inserting your disc into a different Wii console. At this point, you can try a few things.
First, open up your Wii and remove the disc drive. Then, you’ll need to open it up and check for any foreign objects. Bugs, coins, dirt, hair, etc.
After that, give the whole thing a nice blow-down with a can of compressed air. Make sure to clean the laser lens with a cotton bud and some isopropyl alcohol. To open up your Wii, you’ll need both a Philips and Tri-Wing screwdriver (just check this handy iFixit guide).
How Do You Fix A Wii That Keeps Ejecting Discs?
If the issue is with the Wii itself, you might need to change the drive lens or the entire drive itself. For a lens change, check out this guide. You’ll need a replacement lens, which can be found online for 20 to 30 bucks.
Sometimes, the discs just won’t spin because of an issue with some gears. Swapping out the lens won’t do anything, so you can either fix the gears or replace the whole disc drive.
Most of these replacement disc drives cost 20 to 30 bucks, the same as a lens. So, you might as well swap out the whole thing.
Once you’ve removed the front panel and top plate of your Wii, getting to the disc drive is easy. Just remove the top shield, unscrew the drive from its mount, and disconnect the cables. There will be two cables- one for power, and a ribbon cable for data.
How Do I Clean Wy Wii Disc Drive?
You can try a lens cleaning kit, they usually cost 5 to 9 bucks and come with a CD/ DVD that has tiny microfiber brushes. Plus, you also get some cleaning liquid and a cloth. However, I recommend taking your Wii drive apart, then cleaning it manually with some compressed air and isopropyl alcohol.
Why Does My Wii Make A Loud Noise?
A grinding or clicking noise is the sign of gears that are either worn out or not in track with the others. Your Wii’s disc drive has a gear assembly on the right side which is responsible for pressing the disc down into the tray. If the disc doesn’t get pressed down into the tray, it will never activate the motor (and your Wii can’t read anything).
If the gear assembly is damaged, your Wii will simply eject discs without reading them. You have to take out the disc drive from your Wii, open it up, and inspect the gear assembly. There are a couple of helical gears mounted to a metal shaft.
And a lot of Wii disc drive errors come from these gears not working as intended. One of them might be cracked, or maybe they are spinning freely on the shaft instead of spinning the shaft itself. Check this Reddit thread for help on this particular issue.
Why Won’t My Wii Accept Discs?
It could be because someone jammed an extra disc or two in there while you weren’t looking. You need to check the Wii’s drive to see if it has more than one disc inserted. Some people have even found coins in their Wii’s disc drive (I wonder where those came from).
Replacing The Disc Drive On Your Wii
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of individually finding and correcting issues with separate components of the drive, just replace the whole thing. A replacement disc drive is very cheap. The process itself is not all that different from replacing the disc drive on your laptop.
Even though all of these are made by Chinese brands you’ve never heard of, they usually come with warranties. And they can easily last a couple of years if you are gentle with them.
Conclusion
Now that you know what might be causing your Wii to automatically eject discs, you should have no trouble fixing the issue. Start with the obvious suspects- scratched game discs, foreign objects in the drive, multiple discs inserted at the same time, etc.
If the hardware itself is damaged, you can install a brand-new drive. There are plenty of readily available (and cheap) replacement drives, on sites like Amazon.