Simple Fix for "Sticky Upper Optical Door" Problem

I've seen quite a few threads popping up in here with regard to the fact that a great many brand-new Mac Pros suffer from a problem where the door/cover for the upper optical drive does not spring shut after the drive is closed.

Our new Mac Pro suffered from this problem, and with a bit of investigation, I believe I've found a very safe, simple, and completely reliable fix for the issue, so I thought I'd post my solution here in the hopes it will help others.

No bending, pushing, or mangling of any sort is required for this fix; it's really incredibly simple:


• open the case and remove the optical drive caddy. Do this by pulling it straight toward you. A small amount of force might be needed if this is the first time you've done it, but eventually the entire aluminium enclosure which holds the drives should slide out.

• with the drives removed, you'll be able to see the door/cover assembly. Just inside the opening of the case near the opening for the top drive, you'll see a Phillips (star) screw. Loosen this screw just a bit - in my case, all that was needed was about 1/8 of a turn.

• verify that this fixes the sticking problem with the drive door/cover by manually wiggling it up and down.

• tighten the screw to the point where you're not worried it might work itself loose on its own, but not so tight that it causes the door/cover to begin sticking again.

• replace the drive enclosure, close the case up, and you're done!!


I'm guessing they use a powered screw-driver when assembling that part of the case, and that the screw just gets over-tightened in the process, but then again.. who cares how it happens, so long as it can be fixed!?

Hope this helps..