XBox 360 Elite - 2 red light error

[Dizzy]

Anyone know anything about XBox 360 (Elite) 2 red light error.

2 red lights come on and it switches itself off

 

Looked on the internet and it says it's overheating so ventilate it better It's not hot and we've tried everything suggested like moving it.

 

Rang Xbox support but it's out of it's 1 year warranty ALTHOUGH they are happy to send courier to pick it up and fix it for just under ?70 (payable in advance) and we should have it back in 3 weeks EEK !!!

 

Are ther any local places that fix them cheaper, any ideas

[Bazj]

My oldest son is well into the 360 and he has had his repaired a few times under warranty. I'll ask him when he gets back from the pub!!

[Dizzy]

Thanks

[Bazj]

OK,

 

Had a chat with my lad and he says as you already know that the two red lights mean an overheating problem. Microsoft will go through the usual "move it" "Ventilate it" spiel but overheating is what the problem is! Our paul reckons there may be a problem with the onboard fan

 

I would try blowing out the dust or fluff that may be clogging up the machine as this could cause overheating in itself. You can also buy an add on fan module which may help a little; but be careful of buying ones that piggy back onto the power connector as these have been known to fry the connectors and again void the warranties. There is a USB unit which although not as effective, will not fry the machine!

 

It would be better to let microsoft as some errors such as the three red ring error are covered for a 3 year period however it is up to you if you feel it would be OK to spend the ?70.00 when a new console only costs ?130.00 and has the full warranty.

 

Paul reckons that if you went down the road and got a non microsoft fix for say ?40.00 or ?50.00 this may be false economy in the long run as Microsoft would then void the warranty if a few months later the machine suffered the 3 red ring error. He found this to his cost and had to buy a new console when he fixed a problem on his and later had the major failure that MS refused to fix!

 

Hope this helps

 

baz

[RENT-A-GOAT]

On some (most!?) units, the heatsink over the CPU pops off due to poor quality joints with the mainboard. I superglued mine back to the board as it was out of warranty anyway. 5 minute job and dead simple

[Dizzy]

Thanks again for the help BazJ and to your son of course

 

OK,

 

Had a chat with my lad and he says as you already know that the two red lights mean an overheating problem. Microsoft will go through the usual "move it" "Ventilate it" spiel but overheating is what the problem is! Our paul reckons there may be a problem with the onboard fan

 

it does sound like an overheating problem although our console is very cool to the touch when it switches itself off (microsoft warn you to let it cool down before touching it ) BUT saying that it does do a very loud whirring sound which to my uneducated ear sounds like a fan going into overdrive mode

 

I would try blowing out the dust or fluff that may be clogging up the machine as this could cause overheating in itself.

 

Now there a thought as it's not been used for about a month so maybe it needs a spring clean and internal dust. I wanted to take the cover off (like I used to do with my PC but my son wont let me) maybe he's right

 

 

It would be better to let microsoft as some errors such as the three red ring error are covered for a 3 year period however it is up to you if you feel it would be OK to spend the ?70.00 when a new console only costs ?130.00 and has the full warranty.

 

That's my problem. Ours isn't apparently covered as it's out of warranty as it's 18 months old (hench the ?70 charge)... IF ONLY we had three lights instead of two eh But in all fairness to Microsoft they have said that if we pay we will then get a new 12 month warranty after the repair so maybe the best option incase it goes wrong again I suppose.

 

Paul reckons that if you went down the road and got a non microsoft fix for say ?40.00 or ?50.00 this may be false economy in the long run as Microsoft would then void the warranty if a few months later the machine suffered the 3 red ring error. He found this to his cost and had to buy a new console when he fixed a problem on his and later had the major failure that MS refused to fix!

 

Probably right and I'll take your sons advice as it seems our best bet is to send it off to Microsoft's techies and I will also put my hoover nozzle away before I do more damage than good

 

Thanks again

[Dizzy]

On some (most!?) units, the heatsink over the CPU pops off due to poor quality joints with the mainboard. I superglued mine back to the board as it was out of warranty anyway. 5 minute job and dead simple

 

Oooh just as I'd made my mind up to send it off to Microsoft.....

 

Now I'm wondering what a heatsink looks like and wether I should guess and get some glue out while my sons out

 

I really don't like the prospect of having to give microsoft ?70 for something that might only take them a few minutes to fix

 

Can't help but think that we are being ripped off so I'll sleep on it and make my mind up tomorrow... or the day after

[Bill]

Never owned a games console but by all accounts they?re not that dissimilar to a conventional PC in that they have a processor and fan. What happens is that over time the fins on the processor heatsink end up with an insulating layer of dust so the cooling effect of the fan is reduced. The processor senses the heat build up and speeds up the fan but as more and more dust accumulates, you reach a point where the fan just can?t keep the processor cool enough and it shuts down.

 

It?s a dead easy fix Dizzy, I?ve done this literally hundreds of times in taxi offices all across the country so don?t go paying that sort of money when I can do it for free for you. You could either bring it round here or I?ll run up one of the nights for you. No problem!

 

Bill

[Dizzy]

As long as it's possible to try without showing any signs of tampering (ie in taking the back off etc) just incase it doesn't work and DOES need to go off to Microsoft after all then I'm 'game' if you are..... but I'll have to convince my son first which will be easy if he doesn't know we're doing it eh

 

I'll have a look at the console tomorrow and see how easy it looks to take apart and I'll get back to you

[Bill]

I'm at my son's tomorrow and he has on so I'll take a look at his. There really shouldn't be any problem doing this unless there's no access labels on the thing. Should be back before tea time I'll let you know.

 

Bill

[Dizzy]

Thanks

[inky pete]

If it isn't under warranty now, then you can't void the warranty by having a go yourself.

 

Microsoft are just trying to scare you into spending your hard earned with them. You'd be prefectly within your rights to open it up and give it a clean - or even to get a third party repairer to take a look - then, if that doesn't fix it to send it of to Microsoft for them to fix it.

 

Tell the lad he's got three options, he pays for the Microsoft repair himself, he lets you take a look or have someone do it for you, or it stays broken.

[Bazj]

Inky,

 

the way Microsoft work is that some parts and faults are covered for 1 year and some are covered for 3. The fault with the 2 lights is under the 1 year warranty and the 3 lights is a 3 year warranty. If the 2 lights happen say after 18 months and you don't get Microsoft to fix if , if the 3 light problem subsequently happens, it is not covered under warranty as it was previously fixed by non MS people

 

So Dis can take the thing apart quite happily and try and fix it but if unsuccesful, MS will probably decline to fix it as it has already been opened. Just the way they seem to work!

[Bill]

I?ve only just got back from a day out with the kids but it turns out I?ve been sitting right next to one and didn?t know it.

 

I?ve just had a quick look and it seems like there are just four star screws under the rubber feet. I?ll get the tools from work tomorrow to confirm it?s a doable job and that it won?t void any warranty.

 

It really doesn?t look like a problem.

 

Bill

[Dizzy]

If it isn't under warranty now, then you can't void the warranty by having a go yourself.

 

Microsoft are just trying to scare you into spending your hard earned with them. You'd be prefectly within your rights to open it up and give it a clean - or even to get a third party repairer to take a look - then, if that doesn't fix it to send it of to Microsoft for them to fix it.

 

Tell the lad he's got three options, he pays for the Microsoft repair himself, he lets you take a look or have someone do it for you, or it stays broken.

 

Hiya InkyP....Ours isn't under warranty so that's what I thought too. Can't be harder that taking the back of a PC and dusting it.... or so I thought...... until I just read how much you have to do to dismantle and XBox 360 (intentionally no doubt)

 

It also involved removing the 'microsoft' sticker No doubt at which point they would say... 'sorry but the error is obviously a fault of you dabbling with things you aren't supposed to understand

 

Oooh yet another dilema... but must admit I am enjoying the resurection of the Wii console though which has finally come out of the cupboard... much more family orientated

[Dizzy]

I?ve only just got back from a day out with the kids but it turns out I?ve been sitting right next to one and didn?t know it.

 

I?ve just had a quick look and it seems like there are just four star screws under the rubber feet. I?ll get the tools from work tomorrow to confirm it?s a doable job and that it won?t void any warranty.

 

It really doesn?t look like a problem.

 

Bill

 

Oops sorry Bill... I missed your post

 

Google it first before you take your son/grandkids xbox apart... the info I just read said a lot more than 4 start screws. It had about 18 stages of various things to be 'removed' before you get to the actual xbox heat sincs.

 

I'm great at taking things apart... it's putting them back together that I sometimes have a problem with

 

But then again maybe I'm just being a whimp as I wouldn't worry about doing it with my PC... tell you what you try it first

 

I suppose the other option is to ring microsoft help line again and say I KNOW what the problem is so WHY are they charging me almost ?70 UPFRONT to fix what is obvioulsy a very simple problem. Might work

[inky pete]

Your other option would be to take it up with the shop you bought it from under Sale of Goods Act.

 

Anything you buy must be fit for purpose and of reasonable durability - regardless of the length of the manufacturers own warranty.

 

If an item of consumer electronics with very few mechanical moving parts and costing a couple of hundred pounds has failed in only 18 months, I think it would be worth arguing that it was not of reasonable durability.

 

That's why all these extended warranties are a waste of money, as consumers we're already covered in law for a reasonable expectation of a products lifespan. I was once offered 5 year extended warranty on a new TV which cost almost as much as the TV, I said to the salesman, "The last TV I bought has lasted over 15 years, if this thing fails within 5 years then you and me will be having the Sale of Goods Act conversation."

 

Your contract under Sale of Goods Act is with the shop, not the manufacturer - so I'd try talking to the store manager or writing to their head office if you don't want to open the thing up.

[Bill]

Unfortunately looks like it?s going to have to go back. I?ve just been inside this one and there are anti tamper seals all over the place which is a good indication that they don?t want anyone in there. Having got in though, the fan seems buried deep within the guts with no obvious means of access and after half an hour I gave up.

 

Sorry about raising false hopes Dizzy but it was worth a shot and could have saved you some dosh.

 

Bill

[Dizzy]

Thanks Inky but knowing what the shop was like when we took a game back I doubt they will be interested.. but anythings worth a try so I'll read up on the Sale of Good Act again if for nothing else other than to baffle then with jargon... which may make me feel good You never know though eh

[Dizzy]

Bill.... no appologies needed for raising my hopes then letting me down with a big bump Only kidding

 

Thanks for trying and I hope you haven't broken your sons xbox in the process You are a braver man that I will ever be (you know what I mean ) as I bottled out as soon as I read the dismantling instructions.

 

I'll let you all know if Dissy VS Microsoft / Game has any success or wether I find myself forced to use my credit card instead

 

Thanks everyone

[parnison]

I am the owner of Warrington PC and Console doctor and we repair the xbox 360 all the time.

 

As already diagnosed the fault is related to the clamping system which holds the heat sink onto either the graphics processor or the CPU. The fault could also be related to the fans if they are not spinning up as the board has a vaultage and motion detector on it. If the fans don't spin then you get 2 red lights.

 

Entry to the machine sounds complet but is really quite simple.

 

1. Remove the front cover by pulling from the botton

 

2. Remove the top and bottom grey covers, these are latched and you need to look through the holes in the side of the machine, find the latches and press them with a screwdriver.

 

3. Un-latch the back of the case by pressing a screw driven into each of the holes and pulling apart by hand.

 

4. Un-Clip the front of the case, once free the back will come off.

 

5. Remove the 6 silver screws with a star drive and the lid will come off, be careful not to snap the eject button.

 

6. you are no in the machine, you can see the DVD Drive and the tall heatsink which is the CPU

 

7. Lift the DVD Drive out and remove the white plastic fan shroud. The flat heatsink is sat on the GPU.

 

8. With the shroud removed plug the DVD Drive back in and power up the Xbox, do the fans spin?

 

9. If not, you need to remove the DVD, The fans and the card in the front that shows the red lights by removing the 3 screws and pulling it out forward.

 

10. Turn over the machine and remove all of the screws from underneath.

 

11. Remove the motherboard and you will see the clamping system that holds the heatsink on, adjust these to attach the heatsink firmly to the machine, if that fails then you need to replace the silver compound between the chip and heatsink before replacing the clamping system.

 

If all that is too technical and you are getting nowhere with Microsoft then I can help.

 

www.warringtonpcdoctor.co.uk

[Dizzy]

Many thanks Parnison but if you check the date of my last posting it was almost a year ago Easy mistake to make though

 

Upshot of it all was that having paid the standard ?70 charge (as it was out of warranty) prior to sending it off by courier to Microsoft for repair...... they actually refunded my money back and fixed it for nothing (without being asked to) aswell as giving us a free xbox live voucher and 6 months new warranty

Was suitably impressed but guess they can afford it eh

 

So glad I didn't try myself though at the time or they wouldn't have repaired it due to my 'tampering'

 

I'll remember you just incase of future problems though (which I hope we don't have)

[LymmParent]

When that happened to my nephew, he asked the nice lads in Gamestation and they sorted it out for him. There was some hoohah about this fault, and MS extended warranty on some consoles to cover just that specific failure, so I'd give GS a ring and tell them when you bought it. They'll know. They know everything.

[Dizzy]

Like already said we had the problem a year ago and it was fixed... this thread has been resurected exactly a year on so bit confusing for anyone following it now eh

 

Thanks anyway LP... although in our case the manager in Game didn't want to know and said it was just one of those unfortunate things and as it was 18 months old there was nothing at all they could do.

 

What your nephew had was the famous 'three red lights - ring of death' error which as you say Microsoft did actually extended their warranty period to cover free repairs to anyone out of warranty due to so many consoles failing with the same error.

 

Ours only had the 'two red lights' error when it went wrong and started freezing so wasn't covered under Microsofts new cover hence we paid in advance to have it fixed....but by the time we sent it and they tested it it had somehow gone up to the '3 red rings of death' Good news for us as we got a full refund

[LymmParent]

Oh good. Yes, that was a bit confusing then.... but can I just add a note that we went to GameStation, not Game. Two different chains (at that time, though now Game have bought GS and to my mind it wasn't a good thing). I've never found anyone in a Game store interested in anything other than taking my money - and mostly, they do that as if it's a huge favour!

 

The lads in GameExchange in the Golden Square are lovely though. I was in there last week, looking for some rare games. Hugely enthusiastic, they were, and the ones they didn't have, they googled up on ebay to give me a lead. Service like that, you don't get often.