PS3 Overheating - thermal paste?

Frxn · 15 Jul 2013 at 11:07

The PS3 I have has YLoD'd before (back when it was still under warranty) and been repaired as well as replacing the fan.

Now when I turn it on the fan gets louder and louder, a couple minutes after being on there's a system message saying it's getting too hot, half the time turning itself off before I do.

I figured thermal paste, but never had to do this before so unsure what to go for, seems people like to use Arctic Silver 5 but I'd rather ask here before going ahead and buying anything. Also which wipes or cleaning liquid should I go for, or does it really matter?

Psycho Sonny · 15 Jul 2013 at 11:51

you could take it apart and clean it up and re-do the thermal paste, etc, but it could be something else causing the issue.

i usually just use toilet paper to clean and any thermal paste i have tbh, the real world difference between most thermal pastes is negligible imo, whereas thermal pads on the other hand tend to be horrible and this is what is usually used in a console i think, so replacing the pad with paste will be better anyway.

it could just be your console is on it's way out, since it has had issues before.

budge1972 · 15 Jul 2013 at 11:57

I've repaired a few
There's lots of ps3 repair kits on eBay, shouldn't cost you more than £7
It's simple enough to do and lots of guides on YouTube.
Unfortunately it's not always a case of just replacing the thermal paste, it has been hot the last few weeks also so try and keep it out of the sunlight etc.
Arctic silver worked ok for me but apparently the gold stuff is better on ps3,s.

Divinious · 15 Jul 2013 at 13:40

I had the same problem so I opened the case & cleaned all the vents/fans which fixed it for me.

Sanchez · 15 Jul 2013 at 17:29

What about the fan cleaning cycle? I just reballed my PS3 and used some Arctic Silver. It's been fine so far. It had those nasty thermal pads on previously which look like complete garbage. Has anyone used one of the PCM mods that increase the fan speed by 10% to try and keep it cooler? I was thinking about buying one to keep my PS3 going a bit longer.

FoxEye · 15 Jul 2013 at 17:36

I took a PS3 apart last month, for the first time ever. Not so difficult if you keep organised while you do it, track the screws, etc...

Unfortunately, after scrubbing and reapplying paste, there was no difference. The air blowing out the back is always 'cool' to the touch, but the fan spins up to maximum regardless. It's like a hoover :/

Something clearly is still getting hot, but the air being blown out is not even slightly warm. /shrug

[to answer your questions: I was using AS3 paste, and pure isopropyl alcholol from the chemist.]

Frxn · 15 Jul 2013 at 19:36

Thanks for replies guys

Psycho Sonny said:
you could take it apart and clean it up and re-do the thermal paste, etc, but it could be something else causing the issue.

i usually just use toilet paper to clean and any thermal paste i have tbh, the real world difference between most thermal pastes is negligible imo, whereas thermal pads on the other hand tend to be horrible and this is what is usually used in a console i think, so replacing the pad with paste will be better anyway.

it could just be your console is on it's way out, since it has had issues before.

budge1972 said:
I've repaired a few
There's lots of ps3 repair kits on eBay, shouldn't cost you more than £7
It's simple enough to do and lots of guides on YouTube.
Unfortunately it's not always a case of just replacing the thermal paste, it has been hot the last few weeks also so try and keep it out of the sunlight etc.
Arctic silver worked ok for me but apparently the gold stuff is better on ps3,s.

I'm not ruling out something else being the problem, but thought this could be the most likely (really because a couple PSN friends have done the same thing and it's worked for them, of course I know that doesn't mean it will work for me) if it isn't then it's a new experience at least.

Divinious said:
I had the same problem so I opened the case & cleaned all the vents/fans which fixed it for me.

I've opened it and gave it a clean but unfortunately it's made no noticeable difference

Sanchez said:
What about the fan cleaning cycle? I just reballed my PS3 and used some Arctic Silver. It's been fine so far. It had those nasty thermal pads on previously which look like complete garbage. Has anyone used one of the PCM mods that increase the fan speed by 10% to try and keep it cooler? I was thinking about buying one to keep my PS3 going a bit longer.

Ah I forgot to mention it's a 60GB model, the fan test stuff I've found either apparently only works for the 40GB, or is idiots overheating their chips to make the fans spin faster

FoxEye said:
I took a PS3 apart last month, for the first time ever. Not so difficult if you keep organised while you do it, track the screws, etc...

Unfortunately, after scrubbing and reapplying paste, there was no difference. The air blowing out the back is always 'cool' to the touch, but the fan spins up to maximum regardless. It's like a hoover :/

Something clearly is still getting hot, but the air being blown out is not even slightly warm. /shrug

[to answer your questions: I was using AS3 paste, and pure isopropyl alcholol from the chemist.]

Yeah I keep them in a visual order, makes it so much easier. Haha man it's like a jet engine when the house is quiet

I'll go ahead with AS5 then and post back with results

Psycho Sonny · 15 Jul 2013 at 21:31

if it's a 60GB model then it's probably on it's way out tbh.

i had a 60Gb and it lasted me 5 years and 10 months from launch.

managed to talk to the retailer and under the SOGA they gave me £55 (50% of the cost of a refurb from sony).

sony then gave me a refurbed 60GB which sounded like a hoover, i mean it was probably 50 times louder than my own 60GB, which i returned and requested a slim model. the refurbed slim model had PSU issues and went back a day or two after receiving it as well for another slim refurb which has been going good ever since.

the problem with refurbs is they are usually consoles which have had problems and are quickly fixed by technicians under pressure to fix as many as possible in a small amount of time.

if it does die on you, i wouldnt go down the refurb route, i did only because the retailer agreed to pay 50% of it if i emailed them a copy of the receipt from sony.

i would get one brand new tbh because they are so cheap now seeing as a refurb costs £110, a brand new console is a few quid more and with refurbs it's a lottery to how long they will last tbh or wait for the ps4 to be released in a few months time.

Frxn · 15 Jul 2013 at 21:49

Honestly I've been expecting it to die for a while, I went through something like 3 or 4 YLoD's within the space of a month, the first couple were covered by the shop with replacement units while the last one was into warranty provided by an external company, courier picked it up for repairs. Anyway it really shook my confidence in it lasting much longer but it survived a few hundred hours longer.

Just want to try and inch a little more life out of it seeing as I'm not gonna buy a new one this late on, especially with PS4 dropping soon. Worth gambling less than a tenner on it imo :cool:

bloodiedathame · 15 Jul 2013 at 23:19

I just repaired a YLOD on mine, took it apart, heated the chips up with a heat gun (in an effort to reflow the solder), replaced thermal pads, used Arctic Silver as my new thermal paste, assembled and it worked! Managed to get all my data off onto the preowned slim I picked up for £80. Was running for about 3 hours on a seriously hot day and the fan didn't come on which is unusual.

Frxn · 31 Jul 2013 at 23:05

Finally got around to giving it a go, it seems to have helped a little but no where near enough. Ah well, I'll just steal my brother's