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[adrenaline_wave]

I mean the x-clamp replacement (lawdogs or whomever) causese the e74 error when using 2 washers instead of 3 with a shim.  

All you need for a shim is a flat piece of metal that is the same size as the washer you are using or a tad smaller. I used two cooling fins from an old dell optliplex 150 cpu heat sync. I tired using only one fin but it wasn't thick enough, (chip overheated quickly) I add the second on and it worked.

I thought NFS Carbon had crazy graphics... But maybe I'm wrong.. I think it looks way better then any other racing games other then dirt.


Anyhow i will fire up halo.


Yah... If you live at home they may not understand what is going on and you most likely won't be able to convince them. But they can't really get mad if the thing is completely dead and the warranty has run our or is void. You will look like a genius if you pull it off.

It's pretty safe to do but you never know with the capicators as I'm not 100% sure if they may exploded if over heated.. I've only ever seen them dome badly and then really start leaking.


Anyhow whoever tries it.. Make sure you hit 400 for 10 minutes and then 450 for 10 minutes.  Anything less if far lower then the melting point of the solder.

[canleyvale]

just 1 question, wouldn't the plastic parts on the mobo melt? like the power socket, power/reset buttons or the sata/power socket for the dvd

[adrenaline_wave]

QUOTE(canleyvale @ Nov 14 2007, 10:28 PM)

just 1 question, wouldn't the plastic parts on the mobo melt? like the power socket, power/reset buttons or the sata/power socket for the dvd

Yo,

No nothing melted. I did notice when I plugged in the power cord it was  a bit tighter but it was fairly easy to pull in and out before. Not anymore.  I removed all the parts that I could. The power button board was removed before placing  it in the oven.. I took the motherboard completely out of the metal casing.

I played halo 3 last night for an hour and a bit at 1080p and i checked this more morning and it fired up like it should.

I'm still surprised that this is still working.. I was giving it a week at the most.


Just for the record, I put it in the oven on October 31st.   it has been exactly 14 days of fairly heavy use. Games I've played / tested with : NFS carbon, Nhl 2008, Gears of War, Halo 3, Sherk party (just because shrek is fun)

I have another RROD 360 that I was thinking of putting in the oven WITH the ORIGINAl x-clamps to see if that would fix the RROD WITH x-clamps... But I might be able to get warranty from MS for it even though it's been opened.

I didn't realise how much I had missed the 360. I love my wii.. But it isn't even close to the same

[canleyvale]

ok, gonna give it a go (when i have time, coz i got quite a few to do)
like you said, " last resort"..so there's nothing to lose. better than chucking the whole damn thing in the bin.
i reckon the x-clamp fix is only temporary.
a permanent fix would be reflow/reballing. but here in sydney, there's nobody that is doing it or if they do i think they will charge you an arm and a leg.
so i say, go for it...let's bake it! lol

[adrenaline_wave]

QUOTE(canleyvale @ Nov 15 2007, 06:57 PM)

ok, gonna give it a go (when i have time, coz i got quite a few to do)
like you said, " last resort"..so there's nothing to lose. better than chucking the whole damn thing in the bin.
i reckon the x-clamp fix is only temporary.
a permanent fix would be reflow/reballing. but here in sydney, there's nobody that is doing it or if they do i think they will charge you an arm and a leg.
so i say, go for it...let's bake it! lol

Yes... But maybe x-clamp fix Plus baking at 450 is what betty crocker (cook book) Calls for.

Like I said before.. The x-clamp fix worked for three months and then began to die a rather quick e74 death.

I'm gonna keep torturing it until it fails...

I suspect I *MAY* have reflowed it.. I have no other ideas why it is working (board not warping, etc etc)

[Smoogie]

messed around with mine a little bit....couldnt fix it.

if u want to know tho. my secondary error code is 1022

[adrenaline_wave]

QUOTE(Smoogie @ Nov 15 2007, 10:28 PM)

messed around with mine a little bit....couldnt fix it.

if u want to know tho. my secondary error code is 1022

This is the thread that I read when I first got the e74 errors and went searching for an answer. This is what got me thinking that I could bake my board and possibly reflow the gpu to the board .

http://forums.xbox-s...p;#entry4016524

What do you mean you  messed around with yours?

You did the x-clamp mod right? I would loosen the bolts way off making sure you push the heat sync off the surface of the gpu chip. Turn it on, Let it over heat ( two red lights will come on). Let it cool for 10 minutes. Then boot it .. If you get the x60 logo on boot shut it off and then  Tighten the heat sync back down just to the point where the fans don't start running faster then they normally do at idle. ( this will take time) Make small adjustments to all four bolts and then turn it on and listen to the fans.. if they start screaming, the heatsync isn't tight enough.

I bet that once you over heat the GPU that the think will boot once you let it cool down.. If so you have the exact same thing as me and i would bake your motherboard.

I'm going to try the bake on my 360 WITH x-clamps still installed. I'm going to bake it at 450 for 10 minutes with out first putting it in at 400.

If this works then maybe i have found a possible cure.. More widespread testing is needed though to see if my idea holds up.

If it lasts a month of daily heat cycles and hard gaming in 1080p I will make a tutorial on this and post it and see how other people's boards are working with this.  But really we need more people trying this then just me since maybe something else I've done is squewing things.

[adrenaline_wave]

Just did my second 360. I decided to do the same thing as my other 360 and removed the x-clamps.  I baked it at 450 for 10 minutes this time.. The Caps Bowed a bit but no leakage. Boots right away but I need a few games for this machine to test it out.

-a

http://www.instructa...BF1K06EP28625L/

Someone was nice enough to send this to me todaywhich kinda explains what might be happening.. flowing chips to pcb in a toaster oven....

[svincent]

I was having a very simular problem as you, rrod, did x-clamp fix which worked for about 3 months, then for the last couple of months i've had to adjust the bolts every time i use it...   then finaly the 360 just gave me a E73 error..  its suppose to be an ethernet problem however i have my doubts..  

so far i have not been able to fix the E73 and no one knows how to fix it...  I think like you its either cook it or buy another and keep it for parts (or sell on ebay)...

when i build up the courage to do it i'll let you know..  Is there any way you can do a step by step tut ;-)

Cheers - SV

[Smoogie]

well i missed with it. like overheating and tightenting down certain sides, pressure here and there..
swappping out x clamp hardware that sort of thing.

yeah after overheating a bit, it works. so. you're totally right.


damn dude. i think u stumbled upon a genius fix. gotta say. that took some mad guts sticking it in the oven like that. make a tut and be credited for it!


might have to do your method. not just yet though. i have some other options left still. =p

[Cobb2003]

No problem bout the oven tutorial i was looking up on reflowing to see if i could do it myself and stumbled on that site and figured it may explain what happened in your case.

[adrenaline_wave]

QUOTE(Cobb2003 @ Nov 17 2007, 10:35 AM)

No problem bout the oven tutorial i was looking up on reflowing to see if i could do it myself and stumbled on that site and figured it may explain what happened in your case.

THanks Again!  The tutorial explains what I thought might happen if I put it in my oven Luckily it did.


I justt finished playing bioshock demo on my second 360 that I just put in the oven last night after doing x-clamp replacement. I dunno if it was hot enough or in thier long enough but something was smoking in there  No leakage in the caps on this one. I'm sure the x-clamp replacement (using 3 washers on gpu and shim) would last awhile but I figured I would  bake it too to see how long it holds up.. I don't have  second set of power cords for this so I need to track some down and then give it to friend to try and kill it.  I also did the fan shroud split (with electical tap along the bottom of the shroud to create a seal against Mobo) and cut out the metal infront of the fans.

in lieu of the a tutorial, here is a link to the pictures I took w before, during and after baking My second 360.  Only baked for 10 minutes this time to try and avoid Sizzling capicators..

http://picasaweb.goo...akingTheXbox360

I don't think we need a tutorial until some terminally dead 360 are resurrected. There are few of you that have some dead ones so i would love to see you try this. My last oven adventure doesn't count so much since I did the x-clamp mod at the same time so the resurrected 360 may be a result of the mod only... But if it lasts  That would be wicked

If you are worried about killing your 360 and wonder if it's safe, I don't know 100% But I have Baked two 360s and they are both working again because of it!

Anyhow let me know how it turns out!

Don' forget to do cooling mods as well so that it won't ever get so hot again.

[svincent]

Well, Ive done it...

Remove MB for case, removed RF module

preheated oven to 220oC (fan forced oven)

put MB in oven on tray until capicators started to sizzle (about 7mins)

my 360 is currently cooling, will let you know the result after it cools and i put
it back together    

SV

[svincent]

  didn't work...  360 still starts up, however same E73 error msg appears..  I could heat it up some more however i think that will completly fry the capicators..

well off to buy a PS3 for me or possibly another 360

SV

[adrenaline_wave]

Hmmm ... Well the first time I let it sit at 400 for 10 minutes and then 10 at 450 for my completely dead, won't turn on at all for any reason 360 and then it started up and has been going since for 16 days...  You could try more heat and let it go.. I think I noticed mine the first time after it started sizzling.. So you might only need a total of 17 minutes.

Are you using three washers and a small shim?