Hi!

I have weird problem with my CD changer.
Basically my CD changer stopped "seeing" CDs.
When CD cartridge is inserted CD changer/player scans trough all slots and doesn't pickup anything and stops. In shorts it acts as there were no CDs in cartridge at all.
Also it doesn't throw ANY error codes on radio display.
The car has Pioneer system.

CD changer worked when I bought the car, I even listened to homemade "mixtape" that came with the car. I noticed that it doesn't work anymore after I took out the cartridge to see how it works etc. (because until that point I hadn't had need to do anything with CD as I don't listen to music when I drive.) When I put cartridge back I checked and double checked, if the right side of CD is up etc. When I had reloaded cartridge multiple times, I even flipped the CD to the "wrong" position, just in case, that maybe I have misread the directions. Still no luck. At the time I tough that CD it self was at fault as it was really old homemade "mixtape". But few days ago I tried it with new proper (original) CD and the same issue occurred.

Does anyone has any idea what could be the cause of it?

 

Sounds like the spindle motor is not working well enough. When the CD player gets old, it is often the case that the powder dusts from brushes are making a current path inside of the motor and motor's rotor windings can't get enough current.

Try cleaning it using an air compressor. When you do it, you need to remove the plastic tape which is covering 4 holes indicated by 4 red arrows in the photo below. When you apply the compressed air to holes, you will see dusts coming out from other 3 holes. Repeat this until there comes out no dust. Sometimes this doesn't fix the problem. In that case you need to replace the motor.


Spindle Motor (This is for a JDM 98 CD player but a 97 must be quite similar)

 

Thanks!

I will try out your suggestion this or next weekend.

I really hope that's the problem. However when I put the cartridge in, the CD changer made all the right noises, as in no "noises" were missing, at least it didn't seem so.

 

maybe you mistakenly put your cd's in upside down?
that's happened to me before

 

I did that in one of my cars a few years ago. I had just purchased the car and it was the first time I loaded them into the unit.

 

Same on my Celsior haha!