Turbo CD won't always spin

[Bake]

Hi, my Turbografx CD player won't always spin when I press the run button at the system card screen. When I press run, the PC light comes on, I hear the system try to engage the CD (it makes a noise for about a second), but then it stops and nothing happens.   

It's been like this for maybe 6 months, but it's getting worse. I finally got a cd to play today, but it took many tries. I've noticed, though, if I play frequently, maybe a few times a week, the cd will usually spin fine. But I have trouble when I let the system sit for longer periods.

Anyone have any ideas? Maybe the laser gears need lubrication? It sounds like it's gummed up. Once the CD plays, it plays fine and the load times are normal. Thanks for your help.

[Keith Courage]

This is the center gear for the lens going bad. If you let it sit a few days the gear will get stuck again. Lubrication does nothing. The reason for this is the center hole for said gear swells making it too tight to move freely over time. You could drill it out and make it larger but that typically only delays the inevitable(gear crumbling apart into tinny pieces). https://console5.com/store/turbografx-cd-rom-pc-engine-cd-rom2-replacement-middle-gear.html

[Bake]

Thanks, Keith for your help. I will try to replace the middle gear.

On a related note, I've also noticed during the past few years that when the cd player loads, it occasionally shudders a bit, and then has to reload. Do you think that's related to the middle gear as well?

[Keith Courage]

Maybe, but that could also be the sign of a dirty lens(clean with qtip and rubbing alcohol) or the drive might need some minor potentiometer adjustments.

With this in mind though if it only happens once in a while I'd leave it alone.