Chosen Solution
Firstly, My optical drive is working fine in so far as it plays and burns discs without any issue. When it comes to ejecting a disc and even inserting a disc sometimes it is a struggle. I can hear the drive struggling to push it out. I think that the exit slot has somehow moved out of place or something. It tries to eject a disc, finds it can’t push it through the slot, and then gives up trying. I normally have to put a coin into the slot a small way, turn it slightly to raise the top of the slot a little and then eject. So, whatever position the slot is in, it it physically obstructing the inward and outward flow of the discs. I sense it has gone down a little, hence I use the coin to lever it up a little when I eject. This seems to unblock the flow of the disc through the slot. Do I need to remove the upper or lower case of the MacBook and reseat it again to get things back to normal?
It can be two things…..One, There is a sliding mechanism on the side of the optical drive which is fastened to the case via a tiny screw. That sliding bracket can sometimes get slightly dislodged or snagged with the wires that are running along the side of the drive. I would check that. 2) the entrance of your bottom case may be slightly warped, in which case either you can get a replacement bottom case, not an easy replacement i might add, or use a plastic spudger and use it to open up the entrance using slight force and evenly opening the entrance from one side to another. Step #20 of this GUIDE illustrates the screw that hold the sliding mechanism in question.
