Why is the disc drive laser mechanism not moving freely?

Hey y'all,

I'm in the process of repairing my 360 elite - which originally had its disc drive stuck and was not reading discs. I have since fixed this issue by cleaning the drive belt and away we go.

I also gently used some rubbing alcohol on the laser to remove any dust. However, after reinstalling the disc drive, it appears the laser does not want to move the whole way back to the end of the rails (therefore preventing any reading of the disc), and keeps jumping back onto the same spot on the rail. Sometimes it will move the whole way back and will read the disc without any issues.

How could I solve this? I have also tried lightly applying some rubbing alcohol to the rails and white lithium grease, with some luck.

Any solutions will be much appreciated :)

Cheers