Kenny94945

Anyone ever open the actual radio case?
Any DIY pics or advice?

My 2005 seems to need repair (NAV screen says Non-Nav disk inserted).

My thought is the disk is not spinning correctly.
If I blast the unit with air it will work temporarily.
Yet could be something else, hence I'd like to look inside and be able to reassemble the unit.

I've tried new OEM disk, blasting with air, disk cleaning disk, battery disconnect and I believe all the tricks.

So I thought I'd try to open the case and inspect.

Else I'll need to send it out for repair, exchange or new replacement.

PS I have no interest in modifying to an aftermarket head unit.

Any advice?

extrapilot

Others here have tried to open it up, no success that I know of..

4SUMERZ

I've opened up an old unit to try to get to the CD laser lens to see if it could be done to clean the lens. I was not worried about breaking anything as this unit did not work.

I was also trying to see if I could remove the front screen surround of the damaged unit to put it on my good unit. I had the front screen and surround off and apart, but getting the ribbon back in the correct position would be challenging, and I didn't want to damage my good unit, so I never followed up.
My good unit has a bit of wear around the volume button, so I wanted to remove that surround off and replace with the good one from the damaged unit.

I still have that torn apart damaged unit if you want pics of any part of it.

lovinmyls1

I just pulled my '05 today due to the same reason as yours. Took back cover off ( 7 screws) then pulled the top cover off ( 5 screws).Tried to find a way to remove cd as that would get me closer to the DVD lens but didn't want to force it because unit works sometimes. I did confirm my little cooling fan is working as I thought HU might be overheating but seems Ok. If I had a bad HU I would of kept going just to see what's involved. I can't help but think a good cleaning would do wonders.

4SUMERZ

I went out to the garage and pulled the old unit out of the box and looked at it again. It had been awhile.

The top CD metal encasement can be accessed by removing the top HU cover. The CD encasement and the bottom DVD encasement are attached to the back portion of the HU using rivets, and not screws. ( More exploration has shown that they are screws, and not rivets, so the CD and NAV players can be removed from the back side) With the top HU cover removed, the top of the CD case is accessible. The CD laser lens is attached to the sliding tray that tracks the CD. The top of the sliding tray can be moved towards the back side, and the lens can be seen and cleaned with a Q-Tip with alcohol. Once cleaned, the sliding tray can be moved back into it's original parked position.
Unfortunately, the top of the DVD cannot be accesses without removing the CD player.

Needless to say, the unit is totally ruined as a bunch of springs and small metal parts fell out of the CD when I bent it back out of the way.
No biggie, it was no good anyway.

The next time I have a reason to remove the radio surround console, I'll yank out the Nav unit and at least clean the CD laser lens.

Kenny94945

Thanks all .... good replies.

If I understand, the Music CD is fairly assessable for cleaning including the reading laser lens.

However, that mechanism is above the Nav disk and riveted to the case including some small springs that may "explode" if poking around.

The top and rear covers of the case can be removed without damage allowing for a deep cleaning operation.

Yet really no access to the Nav disk mechanisms...which I believe is my issue.

Do I have the "picture"?
Replacement/ exchange seems the only option.
(Baring deep cleaning for a dirt/ dust issue.)

And LV2 thanks for the kind offer to photo for me.

It could be of help to the entire forum if you did "snap" some pictures and in my case with a focus on reaching the Nav mechanisms.

If convenient please do snap some photos.

I like to know if access with a long Q-tip is possible to reach the center spinner of the Nav disk, if there is a rubber belt or gears to the spinner and if the Nav laser lens is at all visible.

Thread still open for more advice.

4SUMERZ

It's possible to at least get a bit better access to use compressed air in a can for the Nav DVD, but there is no way to get a Q-tip anywhere near the laser lens of the DVD.
SEE the Post # 18 for further updates on access to the NAV Player
Tomorrow, I'll snap a few pics of the unit that I have destroyed, will show the access to the CD laser, and how the access to the DVD is pretty much non existent, and impossible to get access to the top where the laser would be.

lovinmyls1

I have tried two different disc cleaning products.....each has small brushes bonded to the disc. But each has the brushes in somewhat different places on the disc. Perhaps a disc built for navigation radios exists that would do a better job?

4SUMERZ

If you find one, please post.

OK, what you are about to see may be very disturbing! The following pics show a destroyed Nav unit CD and DVD which are supposed to be encased in the unit, held from the back with screws.
I removed the top cover of the HU to expose the top of the CD player.
The good news is, the laser lens of the CD can be accessed for cleaning, without damaging the unit.

This pic is the top of the CD player. It shows the laser portion/track in the parked (off) position. You can just barely see the edge of the laser lens.



This next pic shows the CD laser lens, with all the top metal cover bent back to fully expose the lens. It is in the park position here as well



This next pic shows the CD lens/track moved from the park position to the rear of the unit. There is a slot that allows the cleaning of the lens with a Q-tip with alcohol.



This next pic shows the CD unit bend completely out of the way to expose the NAV DVD player. The top is covered in a clear plastic, likely to prevent dirt from the CD unit to enter the NAV DVD player.
Even if the plastic was removed, I don't see anywhere that the lens can be exposed for cleaning.



These next pics show a clearer view of the top of the NAV DVD player.






If you want anymore breakdown of the unit, let me know..I love destroying stuff

lovinmyls1

Your are in uncharted waters there LV2TOUR, but just think if you could figure a way to clean the nav unit, why hell, you would be as famous as...............Zora

Kenny94945

LV2 awesome.....a "love of destroying stuff".
(The pictures are awesome too.)

So.... the music DC unit can be unscrewed, removed and set aside from the case with no springs or other damage issues?

Then that CD removal exposes the Nav unit as shown in this photo: https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...b2942e87ba.jpg

Now for the destruction.

1) Where is the Nav reader laser lens?
(On the right, black plastic component in the above photo?...wondering if a 90 degree Q-tip could reach it?)

2) What is driving the center disk spinner (white in color) for the Nav disk?
(Belt, gear? is lubrication possible?)

3) As you delve deeper any further insights, recaps?

So.... in recap....to try a nav radio repair without damage in which I could reassemble:

1) Top and rear case can be unscrewed with no damage.
2) Deep dust cleaning/ compressed air would be easily accomplished with the case sides removed.
3) Music CD laser lens, with the case sides removed, is easily cleaned with a Q-tip.
4) Removal of the Music disk "unit" to expose the Nav disk "unit" CAN NOT BE DONE without damaging the radio.
5) There is no access to the Nav unit laser lens or Nav disk spinner, even using Q-tips, without irreversible disassembly damage for us at home DIY repairers.
6) There is a plastic fan assembly for cooling that other have mentioned that could also be easily cleaned with side cases removed.

Do I have an accurate summary?

In closing...It does seem a removal for deep cleaning could be worth while in a 2005 convertible. Whether that deep clean fixes my Nav issue is unknown. I tend to believe the Nav issue is mechanical and either the lens is dirty or the center disk spinner is not spinning or the spinner not grapping the Nav disk secure enough.

Still open to suggestions...
Especially that mention of a "brushed" lens cleaner that may clean the Nav lens better.
The lens cleaner I am using is GE Blu-ray/ DVD Laser Lens Cleaner # 10618 with the 4/16 long (two) brushes beginning 11/16 from the edge of the disk.

4SUMERZ

Chances are, if you are getting the no disc recognized, it could be the DVD itself, or the lens is dirty.
My Nav player operates 100%, and it works with the original DVD's, or a copy, but the copy has to be from a certain make or Brand DVD (Verbatim)
When I have used other brands of blank DVD's, I sometimes get the same message.

I tried to answer the questions in RED.

You had the recap pretty much bang on.

I still may take the NAV DVD apart internally, just to see what makes it tick.
I'm also wondering if I removed the screws that hold the CD and NAV player, whether I could remove them without damaging the ribbons or electrical components. If all was OK, then I could re-attach the CD and Nav player.

Stay tuned

CSixDude

I've had two entire Nav units replaced under warranty for not being able to read the DVD Nav disc. Both times the dealer ran some sort of "diagnostics" on it. The mechanic told me that these units have an extremely high failure rate, and some other GM models (Cadillac etc) also use them, and they have the same problems. I'm not sure it even is caused by a dirty lens, so even if you could get to it and clean it, that may not fix the problem. They cost around $1,200 and then the dealer has to program them in with the Tech 2 so you'll also have to pay labor charges. Using a DVD player for Nav data on a GPS was a bad idea from the start. The maps should be stored in memory, not on a disc. At least they finally figured this out on the C7.

I think the best option when the fail is either to stop using the Nav unit, or replace it with an aftermarket one.

CSixDude

By the way, there are some places on the internet that advertise they can repair factory head units. I've never used any of them myself, but it might be worth a shot if you want to keep your OEM unit.

http://www.hitechserv.com/electronic...nger-repair/72

https://navrepair.com/

http://factoryradioservice.com/

Kenny94945

FWIW Yes, I have two OEM Nav disks.

The older has less use (in years) than the newer version and with either installed I have the screen error..."disk not a Nav disk"...paraphrased.

Sure would like to try to truly clean the Nav reader laser lens.

Note the GE brand Lens Cleaner I mention above...is their a better Cleaner Disk?

Plus a public "Hats Off"/ big thanks to LV2 for contributions, insights into this thread.

Thread still open to NAV laser lens cleaning options.

4SUMERZ

Am I missing something on these sites. I could not find the C6 Corvette unit mentioned for repair?
At the prices that they do charge, I would opt for an aftermarket. I do like the HUD integration however. That is the reason why I have stuck with the OEM Nav unit.

Dcasole

Are you sure it's the unit and not the disk ?? , before I would go any farther do you know anyone who has a copy of the disk , even an old outdated disk that you can borrow or copy ...

( extremely easy to do..... ONLY FOR TESTING PURPOSES BEFORE ALL OF U FLAME ME ...)

There is always the option of just replacing the unit with another Factory head unit as they are cheap ... anyone with a TECH II can remove the Vin

Dave

4SUMERZ

UPDATE::::

After further and closer scrutiny of the Nav unit, it is indeed possible to remove the CD player (top) and the NAV player from the case from the back side. What I thought was rivets holding these on the case, are very small screws. My eyesight is not what it used to be.

Unfortunately, I have the front completely removed, so I'm not sure if the players would just slide out from the back, but I believe that they would. Each player had a ribbon connected to it, but they can be removed from the slot and installed again without much problem as long as one remembers how they came out.

I'm sorry for the confusing in my previous post in this thread.
Here are the pics of the back completely removed from the unit.
The small tiny screws
The ribbons, and both players.
The Nav player is encased in a plastic sheath.
There is 2 sided tape on one side that can be released and the sheath can be moved off the DVD player top/bottom.

Here are the pics, and yes, I did find and can access the DVD player laser lens.
Unit Apart



The back of the Nav unit bottom plate off. This also shows the screws for the CD and Nav player removal



The underside CD player ribbon and the slot it goes into



The underside of the Nav player and the ribon/slot it goes into




Nav player exposed with the CD player removed from the case'



Plastic sheath removed and top pic with laser carriage at parked position.


Close up of carriage track, moved back to expose the laser lens accessed through the slot in the metal jacket.






That is the end of my exploratory experiment.
I have learned alot from taking this apart, and I would personally try to clean the laser on the CD (easy access) and the Nav laser lens (a bit more intense) if my Nav unit was not recognizing the DVD.

I will take no responsibility for any of your dissasemblies

Good Luck
Paul

CSixDude

Thanks for sharing this info. If mine ever fails again, I may tear into it.

lovinmyls1

A couple of disc cleaners I've tried:
uber........


and Memorex.......


Seems like when I try the uber then the nav works better but not for long. Thanks to LV2tour for the info ( and the cooling fan info in April). This latest info has made up my mind if I have too much trouble in the future I will try to get to the nav lens to give it a good cleaning.

I have seen this which does mention it is also for nav units?