Audio Systems: 1997 Chevy Cavalier Factory CD Player, 1997 chevy cavalier, chevy cavalier

Question
Mr. Clark,

As you see from the title I have a 97 Cavalier 2 dr coupe. It is the 2.2 liter engine. My factory cd player stopped working about 6 mths ago. It started off not reading cds then strangely reading only burnt cds and then just quit all together. However, the radio works perfectly. When I insert a cd, the player tries to read it and then it just spits it out and displays ERR on the LED screen. I think the lense may need cleaning but I would like your opinion because I have tried that too using a cleaning cd and it didn't work. If you can help me out I would appreciate it and if you know where I can get the instructions to take it apart and repair it that would be even more appreciated. My car was in an accident about 3 yrs ago but the radio was working fine after i got from the shop. This problem just happened within the last 6 mths.

Answer
Thaddeus,
The problem may be that the laser is dusty/dirty and it may need a good cleaning. The problem with trying to use a cleaning CD is that the laser has to SEE the disc first before the spindle will turn to clean the lens. You may want to try using a Qtip dampened with rubbing alcohol and gently rub the lens to clean it. This step does require that you pull the CD stereo out of the dash and take off the top cover to access to the laser pickup assembly.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net