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[Tortuga2112]

I usually put them back as this keeps the board secured to the chassis, which is what you want to prevent it from flexing.

but on the other hand , if you got it to boot without then try leaving 'em out.

after doing the mod , on a couple of the box's I 've done I found that they would work but when the mobo was screwed down it would red light again. loosen up the screw and it would be good again, so I think it all depends on the severity of the warpage in the first place.

of course, keeping the board flat where the GPU is is the best bet for success I think , and  that's the aim of all the x clamp mods.  

as I mentioned , you may need to heat the mobo to re-establish a better connection( method of your choice)

if you still can't get it to work , get in touch with one of the re-flow/reballing guys here on the site.

This post has been edited by Tortuga2112: Oct 20 2007, 06:41 AM

[ahno]

I removed all the screws and it's still flashing the dreadful red rings. Took everything apart again and noticed that the A5S paste is almost gone to the side of the chips. So I put some felt tape on all corners of both CPU & GPU to leave little gaps for the thermal crease to stay on. Then with the heat gun I heated it up real good on both sides. I notice the board look awefully warped at that point, so I quickly put it back in the metal casing and put screws around to keep the thing flat. Let it cool down for a bit and voila, no more red rings. Hopefully it won't come back for a while. Thank you Tortuga for sharing this wonderful idea.

[elocin671]

Tortuga2112, im just wondering if your boxes that you have repaired with your method are still running perfectly? like no adjustments needed, and no red lights seen again. and if you have had to make adjustments how long did it take before you had to do it, and whats the longest that one has been runnning?
thanks.

[Samsun]

I want to use this method on my new falcon board as a preventative measure. I have all the kit (I got a baby vice, tap and die set, and m5 lock nuts for around £13 on ebay), I just have a couple of questions:

1. I havent taken my box apart yet, are the standoffs the same, is it the same procedure on a falcon board?

2. Do you think it is necessary to do this on the CPU considering it should be cooler now?

Thanks!

[G0t M4xx 21]

I just tried this method and it works pretty well, great for anybody repairing a large number of consoles (besides die, only materials needed are 8 M5 nuts and 8 nylon washers)

I used an M5 die to thread the posts, I got it in a set at Harbor Freight Tools

[GamestationOH]

Sounds like this could be about the best way to replace the x-clamps. I am going to get a die tomorrow and some nuts.

Which die would you go for if you had a choice of either? Metric or standard??

I would think that the size closest to the diameter of the heat sink posts would work best, leaving the outer edge of the post intact and requiring less to shave off.

[GamestationOH]

Hanson makes a good quality Die. 5mm - 0.80 or 10-32. They can be brought individually.  

They are less than $3.00 but shipping is too high!!!

10-32 Size Die
http://www.sjdiscoun...om/han6131.html

5mm - .080 Size Die
http://www.sjdiscoun...om/han6322.html

Anyone know of a local store that stocks Hanson tools??

[GamestationOH]

Ace Hardware has the dies on their website, but shipping is over $7.00. I will see if there is a store locally. Here is their website with dies.

http://www.acehardwa....aspx?SKU=23775

http://www.acehardwa....aspx?SKU=23142

Hason Irwin Website where to buy:

http://www.irwin.com...hereToBuy.jhtml

[jdbkbuddy]

Has anyone had success with this type of X-clamp replacement? I have a 360 that I used Lawdawg's method and it fixed the E74 error for only 4 weeks. Should I try this?

[jdbkbuddy]

I used this last week and it worked! Anyone else tried this yet?? I think it is much better than the other Lawdag and the other method.

[slim673]

Hi Tortuga,

i have 2 questions; do you only heatgun the GPU, or also the soutbridge and ram chips ? And i want to know if you recommend using a shim for the GPU ? I have fixed many boxes using the other xclamp remove method and always used the shim, so that's why i am asking.

btw, yesterday i did an xbox with your method, and heatgunning the gpu, ram and southbridge. Put it back together and bam! Green lichts. Thanks for this tutorial.

[meduquaine1]

I had been reseaching for a while, finally got the courage to buy a broken 360 and try to fix it.

I got a 360 off ebay that had no video.

I bought a heat gun and tap and die set from harborfreight.com for 9.95 each + shipping.

Between this fix and jimwross's E74 fix, I successfully recovered that xbox.

I have had the box running for 5 days straight without shutting it off, and have had no problems what-so-ever.

I think this is probably the easiest X-clamp fix out there as you are using stock parts.  It should be added to the tutorials if it has not already been.  That way more people can share this success.

Thanks alot Turtuga.

[Shareef187]

I just thought I would mention that I used to use the RBJtech MK3 method, but have since switched to this method, as I find it to be the most efficient method for those whom work on many 360's (since you are making use of the heatsink standoffs that are already provided, and have the exact spacings, and all you need are 8 nuts and AS5). I have also started implementing usage of a heat gun as standard, which I had been inspired in doing from reading this thread, and I'm proud to say that I have gone from having around 50% of the consoles I worked on returning within 1 month's time to having 0 consoles return (as of yet) in a couple months of implementing this method.

So, in short, thank you Tortuga for providing this tutorial!

[Skivvy]

QUOTE(SuDDeN @ Aug 31 2007, 02:26 PM)

Or maybe include just a thin Nylon Washer......    I know Navillos is saying no biggie - but with Lawdawg's and RBJTech's screws I know are smooth... hmmm  just seems risky - but if it's smooth then great!
I was just curious - I wasnt worried about Crushing the Board - just scratching the hell outta it with the nut spinning (turning) - I guess as long as it's firm and not tight - all is well!
 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

  So far things seem to be going well with this mod, but this is my first attempt to get rid of e74.  I used the 10/32 dye, and I tried it with the nylons.  With the nylons the MB doesn't sit in the metal case right.  So I am going to try it w/o the nylons now.  
  It's my first time messing with Thermal Compound.  I couldn't use that Business card to smooth it very evenly.. so if this doesn't work the first time, I think I know where the problem is!

[Danny-boy]

I've tried this repair 4-5 times now all successfully (lovin' your work Tortuga) first one 2 months ago and still going strong, and I dont want to teach my grandma to suck eggs as they say , but I would like to share my discoveries.

1) It took me a few days of frustrating work to find M5 tap and die set, but local B and Q had one on an inconspicuous shelf for a tenner, and m5 nylon lock nuts (5mm thick)

2) The next thing that was frustrating me was that the M5 lock nuts need to be 5mm thick or less, or they will foul the bottom of the metal case, thus bending MOBO and giving a 3 rrod read on boot up all the time. I bought 6mm not realizing this for another 3-4 days!!  

3) I have never replaced any of the black screws on the bottom of the clamp bolts, in any of my fixes (all rrod 0102/0110 codes). As I say all still well      

4) Go easy with the Arctic silver, less is more, rubber glove and smear technique!!

5) Before step 6, only tighten heatsink bolts tight ( As opposed to Very tight)

6) Plug in with av cable, RF module and dvd but no fan and leave to overheat, 2 red lights flashing for 1.5 mins, then re strip, take out mobo and (very) hand tighten bolts under heatsinks again.

7) When putting back together I always only tighten ALL casing screws (very) hand tight, I figure any tighter would risk bending MOBO

As I say, all this has worked V. well for me, and hopefully will for you guys.