[tay1982]

Hi guys looking for some info on the screw and washer sizes to fix the rrod.

ive done some searching round and came up with these sizes

m5 machine screws 10mm long
m5 washers
m5 spring washers

are these correct as the more i search the more different sizes i find.

also can i get the parts needed in sumwere like b&q.

just dont wanna be paying out on ebay if i can get them cheaper from a d.i.y shop

oh and does it matter about the themal paste being cheap stuff, or is it best to get somthing a bit more exspensive

[tay1982]

would these 2 items do the job for me

CSK Machine Screw A2 Stainless Steel M5 x 10mm Pack of 50 - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

and

Flat Washers BZP M5 Pack of 100 - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

[Nick Pavey]

To do it properly and keep it going you will need -

40 m5 1mm washers.
8 M5 20mm bolts. (B&Q, £2.78, part number AVF-853777 Machine screw, pan head slotted)

(NO SPRING WASHERS)


Do you want a list of tools, and a link to the best fix?

[Nick Pavey]

With 10mm bolts you wont be able to go through the cage and brace the motherboard properly.

[tay1982]

Originally Posted by Nick pavey

To do it properly and keep it going you will need -

40 m5 1mm washers.
8 M5 20mm bolts. (B&Q, £2.78, part number AVF-853777 Machine screw, pan head slotted)

(NO SPRING WASHERS)


Do you want a list of tools, and a link to the best fix?

yeah list of tools would be cool thanks.

already got the torx scredriver so ok there.

and its defo 20mm screws as a lot of sites say 10mm.


how come its 40 washers, didnt think you needed that many.

thanks for all the help buddy

[Nick Pavey]

There's ways to do it, but doing it correctly so that the machine lasts you need to brace the motherboard and support the cpu and gpu from underneath.

24 washers below the mobo, 16 above, with the 20 mm bolts going straight through the cage from underneath, up into the heatsinks.

Have a look here -

Xboxexperts.com Xbox 360 Repair/Modding - Team HYBRID's Ultimate X-Clamp Fix (RELEASED!)

Do this aswell -

Xbox 360 – Cooling Modification

What error does the machine have?

I always heatgun the motherboard, makes it like new by recontacting the solder -

Xboxexperts.com Xbox 360 Repair/Modding - Heatgunning with Isolation

Tools coming

[Nick Pavey]

T8

T10

5mm drill bit (drill through the holes on the bottom of the cage where the x-clamps were fixed)

8 mm drill bit (drill through the two posts (from above) to lower them- that tut says sand, but i drill them as this does enough. Generally Falcon's onwards have lower pegs)

Small flathead watchmakers screwdriver (to prise the x-clamps from thier posts. Also if small enough can be used to open the back of the machine)

Electrical tape

Cardboard - cereal packet

Gaffer tape (to hold the M5 bolts in place from underneath)

Flat head screwdriver (for the M5 bolts)

Thermal paste

Heatgun (just use regular tin foil for the isolation)

MORE STUFF -

Nail varnish remover

Old credit card

Stiff art card, 1 piece 120x30mm, 1 140x35mm, both folded into 4 (instead of the foam/tissues in the tut.)

Tin snips (for the grill)

2 flattened x-clamps with the ends off for the supports

Think that's it, if i think of anymore ill edit.

As a note, i always remove and throw the top of the cage, and the rear grills of the cage.

[Nick Pavey]

You will find 20mm bolts go into the gpu heatsink and bend the foils. This is fine, or you can drill them through first with a 4mm bit, or better still use 16mm bolts for that, if you can find them.

I never can, so just screw into the foils.

[tay1982]

thanks for all the help and info, ill study it all, ive fixed one xbox but that had already had the x clamps removed, i just tidied the paste up as it was a mess and applied new stuff and it worked great.

just looking more into it now as a little hobby so to say as its not as hard as i first thought it would be.

im off out 2moro to try an get the screws and stuff, ill check back here an keep it updated

[Nick Pavey]

Good luck, pm me if you want more help.

[shagaboopon]

Thanks for the info Nick, will bookmark as its useful information to have, a mod should really get one of you guys to write a sticky with all this info. Of course it would require a disclaimer.

[noluv6]

better off buying a complete kit off ebay with thermal paste and every thing tbh mate.
its cheaper too

[Nick Pavey]

How many washers come with those kits mate? How long are the bolts?

Is a heatgun included?

You know the space saver wheel in the boot of your car, that gets you home?

That's those kits.

[mikesnowdon]

No heatgun needed. While the sink is off the GPU fire up and within 30secs you get 2 red lights, leave for 30 secs more. Unplug and reasssemble. Job done. If its still RROD then fire up again with fans diconnected, blah, blah, overheat, you know the drill This will re-seat the chip. Re-adjust you bolts as they will now need tightening again.

IMHO any apparent problems with other chips other than the GPU are infact GPU related (bad connections/solder joints). You only need to 're-flow' the GPU and these other apparent issues go away.

A very good X-clamp fix above though. I never saw this one before but its very good and makes good engineering sense.

I still think the GPU sink is inadequate though. Ive been looking for an aftermarket soloution but with the DVD drive in the way is a never ending search. If only someone could find a low profile laptop style heatsink with integral fan which would fit? (or make one)

What about fitting a DVD drive from a laptop* to free up space for a bigger heatsink which would allow more passive cooling? (*Ive seen this done but cant rember where so no link I'm afraid)

M

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by mikesnowdon

No heatgun needed. While the sink is off the GPU fire up and within 30secs you get 2 red lights, leave for 30 secs more. Unplug and reasssemble. Job done. If its still RROD then fire up again with fans diconnected, blah, blah, overheat, you know the drill This will re-seat the chip. Re-adjust you bolts as they will now need tightening again.

IMHO any apparent problems with other chips other than the GPU are infact GPU related (bad connections/solder joints). You only need to 're-flow' the GPU and these other apparent issues go away.

A very good X-clamp fix above though. I never saw this one before but its very good and makes good engineering sense.

I still think the GPU sink is inadequate though. Ive been looking for an aftermarket soloution but with the DVD drive in the way is a never ending search. If only someone could find a low profile laptop style heatsink with integral fan which would fit? (or make one)

What about fitting a DVD drive from a laptop* to free up space for a bigger heatsink which would allow more passive cooling? (*Ive seen this done but cant rember where so no link I'm afraid)

M

If you're really that bothered about it then the ideal system is to recase the system with water cooling or modify the case so you can have an external reservoir. Using this method you can pretty much eliminate all noise, a fan might still be necessary to proide airflow for other components but I've not looked into it.. Passive cooling just isn't suitable really as it doesn't remove the heat quick enough which is what causes most of the problems eventually.

I think the reflowing the CPU idea is suggested as a precaution and in all honesty its worth doing if you've got the board out anyway.

[knight2000uk]

You have to be VERY careful heat gunning though, its not a case of holding it on right over the GPU and praying it will re-solder, your more likely to knock off all or some of the capacitors on the bottom of the board then your screwed.
It has to be an even spread of heat with ample protection for parts that are susceptible to heat, and do no move the board once completed.
Its ok for a budget fix but dont expect it to last forever.

Im currently looking into reballing solutions as a complete fix for all errors and a lasting solution for a good 3 years or more.
You can x-clamp and heat the board but its only doing temporary repairs, only takes more heat and your back to square one, so the more cooling you can get put in there while its open the better.
They should have used leaded rosin core solder rather than lead free rosin core.

Heres one from the 'hall of horrors' collection I have please do not scroll down if you wish not to see a damaged xbox lol!:

this one was one that someone brought to me that saw the "heatgun fix" on youtube and thought it would repair his beloved Xbox, as you can see he heated the bottom to much and the GPU has completely fallen off, when he showed me it i really couldn't stop laughing, theres no way of me fixing it yet till I can confirm a better price for the re balling equipment!

Stu

[Simon Coates]

Originally Posted by shagaboopon

If you're really that bothered about it then the ideal system is to recase the system with water cooling or modify the case so you can have an external reservoir. Using this method you can pretty much eliminate all noise, a fan might still be necessary to proide airflow for other components but I've not looked into it.. Passive cooling just isn't suitable really as it doesn't remove the heat quick enough which is what causes most of the problems eventually.

I think the reflowing the CPU idea is suggested as a precaution and in all honesty its worth doing if you've got the board out anyway.

Or buy a Jasper!

The heat difference is amazing. My E74'd console was like a hair dryer at the back - whereas my new Jasper is blowing almost cool air! Only ever felt it just warm after hours of gaming.

Regards,

Simon