Hardware Using Disc Drive Causes Xbox 360 to Crash and Reboot

[TheVexedGerman]

I got an old Core model Xbox 360 with a stuck shut disc drive for free. It has the Xenon board with the Hitachi-Samsung disc drive. Both are unmodified to the best of my knowledge.

Anyway, after disassembling the Xbox and disc drive, cleaning them, and putting them back together the results were initially promising. The drive opened and closed again with no problems. Then I tried playing a game, which booted up fine, but the Xbox soon crashed, rebooted, and the DD was stuck again. Manually opening and closing it fixes the stuck shut problem, but it keeps occurring. I then tried using contact cleaner on the open/shut detection switch and tweaking the pot a little, both to no effect.

In conclusion, is there something else to try or is it a lost cause?

 

[DinohScene]

I'm amazed it doesn't display an RROD...

Humm, try installing a game to a USB drive or get Live for 48 hours and download a free game from the store and see if it crashes that way.

 

[TheVexedGerman]

Ok, since I don't have a convenient way to connect it to the internet I searched for my old memory card. Lo and behold it actually had Worms on it (I knew keeping that would come in handy some day). Anyway, so far it has run longer than Halo 3 has, but I'll let it run for an hour and report back if it crashed in the mean time. For the purpose of this test I have left the disc drive disconnected.

 

[TheVexedGerman]

Ok, the AI Worms have been battling each other for an hour now just fine. Something I have noticed is that the power LED is flashing like when the disc drive is opening or closing, but I think that is due to it being disconnected.

 

[DinohScene]

Power LED blinks if it's disconnected indeed.

Seems the problem is in the DVD drive then.
Replacing it might be an option or you could try and flash a new stock/hacked firmware to it.
I doubt it'll work but you could try it.

 

[TheVexedGerman]

I'll try flashing a new firmware to the drive, but replacing it doesn't seem like great option with the replacement drive probably being more expensive than the console itself.

 

[DinohScene]

Seeing it's a Xenon... yeh.
Idk why you want to keep it but eh, none of me business anyway ;p

 

[TheVexedGerman]

Didn't think it would, but flashing also it didn't work. Some weird hardware defect I guess.

Idk why you want to keep it but eh, none of me business anyway ;p

Well, I'm always the one who has to bring the electronic entertainment to social gatherings, so I thought if I fix this one I could just leave it packed up/at the place ready to go. It would be a quality of life improvement since I couldn't forget anything important anymore, but it isn't something I would *buy* another Xbox for.