Wii turns on and off randomly, constantly ejects discs

[l0whit07]

So my sister's Wii, which she sent to me and is now in my possession to hopefully repair, is turning on and off randomly and ejects the discs randomly, constantly. Even when there is no disc inserted the Wii continually tries to eject a disc. It also will just randomly turn on. You have to keep it unplugged or else it turns on.

When I got it, it wasn't in great shape and the eject button was stuck. I took it completely apart and cleaned absolutely everything and it looks great now. The buttons seem to function as they should, yet I'm still getting the same problems she was getting.

I performed a system update, formatted the memory and don't know what else I can do.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

Definitely sounds like a hardware issue.. It might not hurt to open up the console, (or - safer yet - poke around online for Wii guts diagrams before cracking open your sis' console,) and check all wiring to and from the actual power unit to make sure there's no short or wire malfunctions.
Another suggestion, (and I'm assuming you've probably already checked this one out,) is to make sure all vents are dust free and that there is no overheating causing the unit to shutoff. I know my Wii tends to get warm very quickly..

http://www.itechnews.net/2006/12/12/nin ... assembled/
here's a video of a Wii being disassembled - not sure if this helps or not..

[Hobie-wan]

I haven't tinkered in a Wii yet, but perhaps something jammed in the loading mechanism or a sensor so it just keeps thinking there's something halfway in or out so it keeps trying to turn on and eject?

[Hateshinai]

It's clearly possessed. Soak it in Holy Water for a day or two. I guarantee it will not turn on by itself ever again.

[gtmtnbiker]

I would suggest disconnecting the wii drive cable and see if it still turns itself off/on. If it doesn't, then you know the problem is just with the drive which can be replaced (or repaired) with another drive or some other mechanism (FlatMii, SunDriver, etc).

[KDub]

The Wii turns on when you insert a disk and when you press the eject button. Since you say you keep hearing the disk slot move around like it is trying to eject a disk I'm betting your problem is there.

I would try two things

First make sure nothing could be setting off the sensor that there is a disk being inserted. If you can't tell, disconnect the drive and see if it behaves more normally.

You said the eject button was stuck in and you fixed that but make sure that the board isn't getting a signal that the button is pressed down. If the board is still getting this signal it could be why it is flipping out as it would turn it on randomly and obviously keep the disk tray acting the way it is.

[l0whit07]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I'm about to head to work, but after work I'll take it back apart and see what I can find.

I'm sure there will be more questions, so thanks again for all the ideas and suggestions.

[jinn]

Did she buy it New or USED?
If it was used then it might have a chip. With the Wiikey2 and other Chips I know for a fact it had an eject problem.
I think Nintendo gives a one year warranty so if she got it new and it's been less then a year contact Nintendo.

[l0whit07]

Ok.. got the Wii taken apart again. I completely disconnected the disc drive and it is still turning itself on automatically. Sometimes it instantly turns on after I turn it off and sometimes it takes awhile for it to turn back on.

@jinn: I'm fairly certain this was bought brand new. One of the earlier releases and is out of warranty.

I'm at a loss.

@KDub: You said to check to make sure the board isn't still getting a signal from the eject button. How would I do that? I've got a disassembled and the actual button pops in and out so it is not stuck down.

[Hobie-wan]

@KDub: You said to check to make sure the board isn't still getting a signal from the eject button. How would I do that? I've got a disassembled and the actual button pops in and out so it is not stuck down.

Depending on the button, it might have a problem inside. Do you have a voltmeter or continuity tester? If you can see the points for the button connections on the board, see if it is connected or flickering on and off even when not pressed.