Xbox 360 RROD and towel trick

As skeptical as I was, I can confirm it does indeed work LOL. I have an older xbox 360 that broke sometime ago, it's been out of warranty for quite sometime. Anyway, got the 3 ring RROD, which is basically called an e74 error. Now this is just one of my 360's that has broken like this. So yesterday I'm bored, the 360 is out of warranty (e74 error warranty is 3 years after purchase), I'm never going to pay microsoft to fix this thing, not with what they want to charge, I don't have the technical abilty to try and open it up and fix it, and I sure as hell can't sell it to anyone, so what the hell, I'll give it a try.

So I wrap the 360 up in a couple of towels, let it run for around 20 minutes or so, check the tempature, ok, it's quite hot, I'll shut it off. Waited about 30 minutes for it to cool, hit the switch, what!? It's working LOL. I know, I know, it's just a bandaid, it will most likey get the error again once the soudering breaks again, however, that's the fun part, it might break 10 minutes from now or might last a few months. I been playing since yesterday so maybe I shouldn't write this and ginx myself LOL.

But yeah, I can confirm that this does indeed work, for how long it works depends, but from user reports online it seems to be just a temporary fix FWIW

Ebow,
Now that it's working stop using it.
Check eBay and the web for x-clamp fix kit. It's just some screws and washers. The deal with the rrod is that the metal clamp on the back of the processor put too much strain on the chip and it would heat up and separate from the board. I have a launch madel that I fixed with this method and it's still running fine.
If you don't remove the x-clamp and re-mount the heat sink it will most likely die again.
If you have no luck, post your status and I'll find links for you.

Here are some resources. One of these guides has you drilling in the metal pan beneath the processor. I think it has been agreed that is an unnecessary step.
The wonderhowto video below gives a good visual of what you'll be doing.

http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/ring_of_light_x-clamp_fix.htm
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-fix-red-ring-death-xbox-360-196119/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM4TEIZqOso&eurl=http://www.xbox360rally.com/diy-xbox-360-rrod-fix/

Thanks for the links bansuri. I don't have much technical knowledge when it comes to taking these things apart and all, but the thing's been a big paperweight for so long I figured I had nothing to loose. These consoles quality are getting worse and worse with each generation. Although the issue has suposedly been fixed on newer consoles, the xbox 360 has one of the highest failure rates of any system ever, it's complete garbage. The games are great, graphics the best of this generation, great online service, but the console is made by the lowest bidder and lucky to get two years use. Look at how many older sega's and nintendo's are still running today, the systems are getting more and more complex with each generation and the public is demanding more and more performence for cheaper, and the quality is suffering.

Yes the durability is suffering not the quality, the RROD problem is because they designed the unit and then had to adapt to regulations regarding soldering, in this case, no Pb solder (which i think is a good regulation).

What happens is that Pb makes the solder more ductile, without it, the solder just cracks when the processor heats up much and loses contact on the pins of the processor and the motherboard.

Newer models are designed to heat less, conduct heat better, and have better contact even with heat without the need of Pb, mi XBOX360 S (newest model), has been accidentaly left on for 2 days straight in a closed cabinet with glass doors

i know its a crime, but i was so tired after work and turned it on to play some SSFIV games but went to the bathroom and after brushing my teeth automatically went to bed, next day i was like nothing happened, and the day after i looked at the cabinet (the room was with lights off) and saw a green light below the TV, thought someone left something in there like a cell phone, but as i was getting closer... i slapped my forehead lol.

It was perfectly fine, and if it had reached a dangerous temp the new failsafe would have turned it off automatically (newer 360s have a temp sensor, when it reaches an "uncomfortable" one, it turns off, mine hasnt ever reached that, despite leaving it on inside a closed cabinet)

Imo the no Pb solder regulation issue should have been taken more seriously and not rushed out the consoles.

Your issue may arise again, the xclamp fix doesnt guarantee that it will work perfectly (many 360 have failed after the fix), so if you like gaming with the 360 i recommend selling yours to someone willing to run the risks and buying one of the newest models (360S) but i dont know how far is it before they launch a newer console and you might want to hold on for that, or do as i do and game more on PC...

also i dont recommend the wet towel trick, the wet towel acts as insulator trapping heat, its better to use a big fan to aid the cooling also the way you stand you console is important, you need to leave the venting grills as free as possible.

manoloco said:

also i dont recommend the wet towel trick, the wet towel acts as insulator trapping heat, its better to use a big fan to aid the cooling also the way you stand you console is important, you need to leave the venting grills as free as possible.

Click to expand...

The towel trick has already been done, and has essentially temporally fixed my xbox for the time being. The idea of the towel trick is to get the internals of the xbox hot enough so that the soldering melts then when it cools it bonds again, for how long depends.

ebow86 said:

The towel trick has already been done, and has essentially temporally fixed my xbox for the time being. The idea of the towel trick is to get the internals of the xbox hot enough so that the soldering melts then when it cools it bonds again, for how long depends.

Click to expand...

ah it makes sense now, i thought it was used in another way.

Thank you for the fix! I too was able to bring an old dead unit back to life. Even if it only lasts for a short time, it is working again for now.