I recently ran into a problem with my Sony D-245, in that it would not play the first 1-3 tracks of a specific CD, to wit, the Pink Floyd "Echoes" collection. I could skip forward to track 4, and sometimes I could skip back to track 2 and play it, but no joy on track 1.
I went into work today, after stopping at Harbor Freight for a set of precision screwdrivers ($3.99). (I have oscilloscopes, soldering equipment, microscope, etc. available there). I opened up the unit and first cleaned and re-lubricated the guide rail. This helped a little bit (track 2 would try to play w/o having to go backwards), but still no joy on track 1. I marked the TG pot with a sharpie, and began adjusting the pot CW, a fraction of a turn at a time. After about 1/8th turn, track 1 tried to play. By the time I got to 1/4 turn, track 1 was playing without any problems. So, for $4 and an hour or so of time, I fixed my CD player. Thanks to all who posted info in this thread, and hopefully this will help someone else.
Cheers,
bg