FAO: Drexel (360 repair question)

[M0T]

I noticed you seem to know a lot about Xbox 360 repairs so I thought I'd ask your opinion on this.

I bought a busted 360 in november (RROD) and applied the Xclamp fix along with the ram spacers. Put it all together and it ran it until it overheated and then turned it off. It was played fairly heavily (2 hours a day with some 4+ hour stints) until 2 weeks ago when it RROD again.

I took it apart and noticed that with the Xclamp fix I had used the motherboard ended up being pretty bent (because of the heads on the replacement bolts which was not mentioned in the instructions) so I drilled out the bottom of the case so the motherboard could lay flat, then put the motherboard in the oven at 230 degrees for 3 minutes. I put it all together again and it worked fine.

However yesterday it started red ringing again with the error code 0102, is it worth trying the fix one more time or do you think this xbox is a goner? Do you have any other tips for repair? Should I have heated it for longer?

Cheers,

 

[M0T]

Bump

 

[Nismo]

Did you 'overheat' it to the extent that it gave the error code in lights, or do you just mean you turned it on for a bit with no cooling to the GPU?

 

[Phemo]

The problem here is that the board has flexed too much. It might be beyond repair, but you basically need to try to keep that board as flat as possible. I do this by drilling the 8 small holes on the bottom out to 5.5mm and then putting 12mm M5 bolts through. I then sit 4x1mm washers on each bolt before putting the board in. This does the job as the board can't move anywhere. However, depending on how big you've drilled the holes out to this might not be possible.

 

[M0T]

Did you 'overheat' it to the extent that it gave the error code in lights, or do you just mean you turned it on for a bit with no cooling to the GPU?

Error code in lights the first time.

The problem here is that the board has flexed too much. It might be beyond repair, but you basically need to try to keep that board as flat as possible. I do this by drilling the 8 small holes on the bottom out to 5.5mm and then putting 12mm M5 bolts through. I then sit 4x1mm washers on each bolt before putting the board in. This does the job as the board can't move anywhere. However, depending on how big you've drilled the holes out to this might not be possible.

Holes are too big - the second guide I found said to drill out the holes so the heads of the bolts could fit through them as a lot of people seemed to think that the metal chassis is not accuratly built enough to bolt to.

 

[Nismo]

Error code in lights the first time.

Cant say if it has ultimately affected the outcome, but overheating until you get error codes is too much.

You should keep the fan on the CPU heatsink, and just leave the GPU one to cook.

 

[M0T]

Cant say if it has ultimately affected the outcome, but overheating until you get error codes is too much.

You should keep the fan on the CPU heatsink, and just leave the GPU one to cook.

Thats the problem with all these fixes, loads of people say do one thing and loads say to do something else.

I think the real cause of the problem is that my girlfriend was playing it so heavily with it placed horizontally on thick carpet under her bed since it was fixed.

My launch console still works

 

[M0T]

Well we now think it may be fixed (crosses fingers).

240 degrees c for 5 minutes then redid the xclamp. Things I noticed when taking it off:

• The spring washers had dug into the motherboard despite not being tight, slightly worrying.
• The arctic silver I used had gone funny and seemed to have thinned. Which was odd.

So far I have notched up 2 hours, considering it was glitching and failing after 5 minutes of on time I am hoping it is fixed. I would have tested it longer but got too frustrated at Street Fighter to continue.

 

[DreXeL]

Sorry, missed this when first posted

I personally don't drill through the bottom, I just use low-profile M5 x 10mm hex screws/bolts. The head is just the perfect size to barely touch the metal case without causing the mobo to flex.

Combined with the oven bake it seems to work well

 

[M0T]

Sorry, missed this when first posted

I personally don't drill through the bottom, I just use low-profile M5 x 10mm hex screws/bolts. The head is just the perfect size to barely touch the metal case without causing the mobo to flex.

Combined with the oven bake it seems to work well

I got the kit off of ebay and didn't realise about the heads touching until it failed again. At that point my drill was easier to get to than the right bolts so it was bodge time

Now the motherboard sits properly in the case.

Just hope it stays working this time, I can't stand anymore grumpy girlfriend

 

[Pug]

Drexel - all the ones i did i bolted through the case. 12mm bolt, with washers below board, and washers above board. then "reflowed" by having the fan on the tall H/Sink, for ~15mins. Is this likely to cause issues down the line (all of them worked perfectly)

As i say 100% success so far, but if its gonna bite me in the ass down the line...

 

[DreXeL]

Should be fine mate, drilling through the bottom won't cause any issues, but in my experience it's not totally necessary.

 

[Phemo]

Drexel - all the ones i did i bolted through the case. 12mm bolt, with washers below board, and washers above board. then "reflowed" by having the fan on the tall H/Sink, for ~15mins. Is this likely to cause issues down the line (all of them worked perfectly)

As i say 100% success so far, but if its gonna bite me in the ass down the line...

That will never 'reflow' the solder. The solder melts at 218 degrees C, the 360 can never ever hit that temperature by overheating itself alone. The reason it seems to work for a while is because the heat it does reach causes board area under/around the GPU to flex a bit. This is why the towel trick is temporary at best, but also why the overheating plus bolts and washers results in a longer-lasting fix.

I personally do the bolting through the case method with the bolt head under the metal chassis then 4 washers on each bolt in between the metal chassis and the motherboard, as this helps keep the board flat. If you don't do this the board is left 'floating' in the centre of the case due to there being no proper standoffs so it's not ideal. With the board bolted to the chassis you're stopping the board from being able to warp which is one of the major issues.

So while I think the overheating rubbish won't really do much long-term, keeping the board flat certainly will. It should be fine.

 

[M0T]

I replaced the ram pads on mine with solid ones which seems to prevent the board moving even though it isn't held under the chips (because of the holes).

I also found some people saying not to bolt to the metal case because it flexes with the heat?

 

[Pug]

That will never 'reflow' the solder. The solder melts at 218 degrees C, the 360 can never ever hit that temperature by overheating itself alone.

hence i put it in parenthesis

I personally do the bolting through the case method with the bolt head under the metal chassis then 4 washers on each bolt in between the metal chassis and the motherboard,

likewise

keeping the board flat certainly will. It should be fine.

great

 

[Phemo]

I also found some people saying not to bolt to the metal case because it flexes with the heat?

It's quite possible that it can, ever so slightly, but it'll still cause the board to flex less overall.

If you mount a 360 board into the case with bolts through the chassis and 4 washers on each bolt under the board, the board will not move much at all if you press it in the centre. If you don't bolt the board to the case, it will be able to bend in a bit if you press it. Of course this can depend on what size screws you are using, but the board could still flex either way - up or down. Overall, bolting to the chassis will result in less movement.