I had the same problem when I got Vice City when it first came out.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/26308.html
It's a tad time consuming turning the screw 1/8th of a turn, putting it all back together, and doing it all over again with another 1/8th of a turn until everything works. Mine has been fine for over a year now. Not one DRE. Lucky me having the version 4 PS2, it's the hardest to chip and also the hardest to take apart to get to the screw to boost the voltage to the laser.