normally im pretty good with a bit of technology, I've done loads of RROD repairs to Xbox 360's but this time im a little stumpped so any help would be great...

basically i was playing a game on the xbox the other day for quite a while and it went to 2 red lights which means it overheated and has shut down to prevent damage, the fans have always been a little on the noisy side so i swapped them for some others i had and still noisy, but the xbox worked the next day so i played if for about 2 hours and same thing again... so it was in a unit but away from any obstructions of ventilation and its been there for years with no problems but i thought just to be on the safe side i took it out of the unit and put it in open space let it cool down over night turned it on the next day left it to run for a bit then started a game up and it went again 2 red lights so i let it cool down and started it again, left it for about an hour just sitting there then as soon as i started up a game it went again...

has anyone got any ideas is it time for a new one? or could the disc drive be faulty?

Graphics chip is fried would be my guess.

I'd chuck it in the bin!

Strip, clean and apply new thermal compound under heat sinks and try again

i have another motherboard waiting for a RROD so i might do that and put my bits on it (disc drive, fans, hard drive) and if it still does it then its got to be either disc drive or hard drive but i doubt hard drive would cause it ill try that

Thermal paste would be my bet as it has a tendency to 'dry out' on the earlier 360s. That or board warping and it is therefore moving away from the heat sink.

Dismantle, new thermal paste, remove X-clamp, drill case and use M6 bolts. Much better results normally.

hmmm i did do that on this one about 2 years ago may not have use that good of paste im being given another one tomorrow so ill use that one and strip down this one maybe as well now you have said about it drying im thinking you and binzie could be right

Join the grown ups buy a ps3 ;-)

Seriously though i have fixed loads of PS3's with similar heat problem YLOD. It pays you use arctic silver thermal paste and dont go mad use a very thin layer almost transparent if your going to reflow the board to fix dry solder joints follow dont move the board until its completely cooled. Although in my experience you still only get about 6months extra out of them tops. Some die again within days. I would bite the bullet and get a new one.

i wouldn't mind a PS3 but all my mates have the xbox so i would be pretty bored on a PS3 haha not a clue what i used on my one as i say it was quite a while a go most of the ones ive done seem to last a decent time only one has gone wrong so far and thats because as you say only a thin layer is needed i put a think layer on it think it was the first one i did but i will see what comes about this one tomorrow if it all goes wrong i will have to stop spending on the car and get a new one! lol

At least a new slim 360 with 256GB HDD is only £156 from Amazon, if all else fails. Had my 256GB slim since it was released more than 2 years ago and its been faultless.

oh really? i hadn't looked too far but cheapest i see was £175, i couldn't have looked very well! now thats a bit better i suppose considering how much this one was when i got it when it first come out!

My Elite 250gb is still going strong, had it for I'm sure 5 years now. And it's had plenty of use haha

At least a new slim 360 with 256GB HDD is only £156 from Amazon, if all else fails. Had my 256GB slim since it was released more than 2 years ago and its been faultless.

Ever since my elite died i bought a new slim and its been fantastic ever since

Seriously leart the hard way with offering to fix them for people

Any RROD or YOLD only attempt to repair if you need to get anything off the HDD.

They all break again.

Had one PS3 YOLD, stripped, new paste, Lasted 2 weeks. told him i would only fix again so he could backup HDD and he should buy another one. it YOLD 2h after the backup finished that was lucky.

heres a question, is the console orientated horizontally or vertically, there is a massive vent on the bottom which although is raised on rubber feet will still have reduced airflow in the vertical configuration.

Seriously leart the hard way with offering to fix them for people

Any RROD or YOLD only attempt to repair if you need to get anything off the HDD.

They all break again.

Had one PS3 YOLD, stripped, new paste, Lasted 2 weeks. told him i would only fix again so he could backup HDD and he should buy another one. it YOLD 2h after the backup finished that was lucky.

My YLOD is still going strong after re-flow (chucked in oven for 25 mins at ever decreasing temps) over 2 years ago !

Ive never had any issues with my xbox even after gaming for many hours straight. I always install my games to the hard drive though as this stops the disc drive spinning as the xbox is very noisy if running off the disc. I believe its the disc running all the time that contributes to the overheating also although i cant confirm this.

Do you install your games? If not try this as my xbox doesnt even get slightly warm. I wouldnt even cosider running a game now from the disc drive purely due to how noisy it is.

Not much technical help im afraid but worth a try.

I believe its the disc running all the time that contributes to the overheating also although i cant confirm this.

It does contribute but in the grand scheme of things not much so.

Sadly on my console I cant install to disk. I got my 360 when the elite originally came out but couldnt afford an elite. Back then the non elites had a 20gb hard drive. The console did die since then, E74 which although was covered under warranty microsoft started pulling bullcrap on me about how because my console did not have an xbox live account associated with it they could not cover my warranty, I manually read all of the documentation that came with my console and that is not covered anywhere which when I raised to the help line they hung up on me, thanks microsoft. Instead I went into game, explained everything that had happened and the manager there did me a great deal which he shouldnt have done really, sold me the cheapest xbox bundle they had (which was for an arcade bundle) and then allowed me to trade in the controllers and game as I already have 4 so I got a new console for £75 (normally GAME's policy is that you cannot get a trade-in on any item obtained via a bundle without returning the entire bundle to the store un-opened as a general return). Then I just pulled the hard drive off my old one and stuck it on the new one, the arcades had a white CD tray not silver but other than that you cant tell the difference and I prefer the white anyway. Still only have that 20gb hard drive though :p I still dont have live either, until june I didnt even have home internet so it was a physical impossibility to get live, the guy in GAME recommended ringing them again and complaining about how its discrimination against where I live and demanding compensation, I didnt bother.

Seriously leart the hard way with offering to fix them for people

Any RROD or YOLD only attempt to repair if you need to get anything off the HDD.

They all break again.

Had one PS3 YOLD, stripped, new paste, Lasted 2 weeks. told him i would only fix again so he could backup HDD and he should buy another one. it YOLD 2h after the backup finished that was lucky.

Irritates the hell out of me when I get asked for console repairs. Used to reflow them like they were going out of fashion as well as reballing them. Problem is, no one wants to pay for them to be reballed. Reflows never last either. Longest I've ever had out of one is six months. What does help no end though is cutting out the mesh section of the metal chassis so the airflow to the fan is raised. I've logged the heatsink and system temps and have seen a 6 degree reduction is GPU and 8 degree system temp reduction.

I had two RROD original 360s but repaired them years ago.

both are still being used weekly........

got a slim for the front room, fits in with all the other crap out there :p