96 RADIO - CD WILL NOT EJECT

Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's, Olds 98 91-96, Buick Lesabres and Park Avenue 91-96. Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.
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jmulhearn
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Year and Trim: 1996 se

96 RADIO - CD WILL NOT EJECT

Post by jmulhearn »

My CD will not eject. I can get it to eject after a great number of attempts but is always a problem.
It will play fine as long a I do not try to skip a track or eject it.

Question: Can this be just a buiildup of "crud" or dirt inside the radio?

I just got the car at 232k and I really like te radio so I'd like to fix it if I can.

Any Ideas?
Spitzkindl
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Re: 96 RADIO - CD WILL NOT EJECT

Post by Spitzkindl »

In my experience it can be the CD drive itself that is dirty, but more often the CD discs!

When you try to eject it, does it even try to eject? Do you hear the motor?

If you have problems skipping songs, it points to the CD disc itself. People think CDs are for ever, but that's an illusion. They wear down rather fast, and the simplest solution is to trash them. I have never had any greater success with any kind of cleaning of discs. There are some cleaning solutions for the drive, but I would only use them as a last resource.

Do you have the same problems with new discs, or only with old worn ones?

One thing more if you burn you own discs: not all empty discs are the same, and never never put any labels on the disc itself! The slightest difference in thickness gives problems.
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human
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Re: 96 RADIO - CD WILL NOT EJECT

Post by human »

The odds are quite good that after 17 years 232,000 miles, there is a lot of dust and crud built up inside that radio, especially if the car has been driven by a smoker. You might want to try blowing it out with one of those little aerosol cans of compressed air. It might just blow dust or something loose, but it won't do anything for tar deposits. Just be careful not to stick the little plastic straw too far into the CD slot.

If worse comes to worse, you might want to check the junk yards around you for a replacement radio. They're usually pretty cheap--I've picked them up for around $20--and very easy to install. Just look for one in a car with a relatively clean interior, that is a few years newer and preferably with fewer miles on the odometer than yours has. Of course, a brand new aftermarket head unit is also an affordable alternative.
Daily Driver: 2011 Chevy Impala LT
Weekend Toy: 1995 Olds Aurora
Sold but not forgotten: 1997 Olds LSS 1995 Pontiac Bonneville SLE
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