Xbox 360 s red light issue.

[drummer4261900]

Xbox 360 s red light issue. I have an Xbox 360 that has a red light. When I take it apart and plug it in it works fine... Then I put it back together it stops working. Any ideas on how to get this to work?

 

Thanks for any help!

[TPA5]

There's a few different solutions out there, some Google-fu can net some good results. The best fix is to re-flow the solder on the CPU and GPU chip, and optionally replace the X-clamps (There may be one or two) so they don't put upwards pressure on the chips anymore.

 

Ideally a solder-reflow station is the best tool for the job, but you may be able to do it with a good heat gun or (if you're brave) an oven. I have repaired a couple 360's in the past with a heat-gun method, but it takes some time and the results aren't always perfect. In one case the machine ended up working for another couple months before giving up the ghost, the second one managed to live just over a year of use then breathed its last. So I'd say with some patience this fix can work pretty good, though ultimately it may be worth it to just find a used 360 for cheap but if you want to try and fix it, go for it!

 

Check out this tutorial for a run-down on how to do the fix: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Reflowing+Xbox+360+Motherboard/5845

 

You don't need their silly little $25 kit, you can do it with tools around your house. What I did differently is used a few old rags, some tin-foil and tape to cover everything I didn't want to heat in order to prevent any popped capacitors.

 

I also used snips to cut out both the metal and plastic honeycomb on the back of the unit which ended up letting vastly more air through the back keeping the unit cooler. It didn't look pretty though, so again it's optional.

 

With a few hours of time you may just be able to save your 360 from the trash!