PS3 Yellow Light of Death Fix - YLOD Repair Guide - The Gilksy Files!

[D.Vader]

Are you getting Disc Read Errors? Check this out... Disc Read Error Repair Guide
Do you want to setup Remote Play for PS3? Check this out... PS3 Remote Play over the Internet
Do you want to know what is Remote Playable through PSP? Check this out... PS3/PSP Remote Play Compatibility


My Launch PS3 got the YLOD on Thursday. I "reflowed" the Mobo as this guide said, worked like a charm. Wasn't as hard getting the PS3 back together as I thought it would be. I was pretty impressed with the modular design of the innards. The fan is HUGE, but larger fans can spin slower and thus are quieter.

I got quite a bit of some use out of my PS3, the thermal CPU compound was pretty clumpy, not quite dry. There was signs of overheating on the heat sheild.

I am missing a screw in there somewhere now LOL.

Thanks to: gilksy for producing the guide and the videos!

PS3 MoBo Reflow Guide

This will only fix certain motherboard issues. This fix will solve YLOD issues cased by the system getting so hot the CPU / GPU or direct chipsets get shifted. This fix uses a heat gun to heat up the CPU / GPU and direct chipsets and allows them to fall back in place.

I used a standard heat gun (dual, High, Low settings). Check the temp on it though. You want it around 700-750 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some Additional Tips Not In The Guide:

• If you have worked on PCs this shouldn't be that hard. If you have worked on Notebooks, you shouldn't find the PS3 to be very difficult at all. Most notebook chassis are far more tedious then the PS3's.
• DOWNLOAD THE GILKSY GUIDE!!!! Read the guide a couple of times. Note the manner in which the PS3 is sitting in each photo.
• Have the guide open on your notebook or PC as you work. Otherwise print it out.
• Make sure you have enough time to take it apart and put it back together. It will take about an hour maybe an hour and a half. You don't want to take it apart then try to put it back together the next morning.
• Make sure you have a clean work area. With PLENTY OF LIGHT, I used my kitchen counter.
• Have places to sit parts out of the way.
• Have the right tools, you don't want to strip every screw.
• Get a ground strap in addition to the tools outlined.
• Have several containers to keep the screws in, one for each level of "disassembly" is what I used.
• Careful getting the first rubber foot off, I trashed mine.
• Keep track of where the coarse threaded vs. fine threaded screws come from. The coarse threaded screws generally screw directly into the plastic chassis.
• Clean the pieces as you disassemble the PS3, a vacuum with a hose attachment and canned air work great. Stubborn dust bunnies may require a paper towel dampened with alcohol.
• Keep the work area clean as you work. Be careful not to vacuum any screws. This will insure no dust (or pet hair) get into the new thermal CPU compound which could severely effect it's performance.
• When you get inside the system get a sniff of your power supply, if it smells burnt, this fix MAY not work.
• A few minor steps are missing from the guide, but they are fairly easy to figure out.
• Careful with the ribbon cables, each one has a clip to hold them on. Some release the opposite way of others.
• Righty tighty, lefty loosey!
• When assembling the PS3 make sure you have all the cables where they should be as you put it together. You don't want to have to take it back apart a bit to get a cable where it's supposed to be. Be sure ports meet the port-holes as they are supposed to. Over all everything should have a tight fit.
• When you put the screws back in you just need to secure everything, you aren't entering a strongman contest. Over torquing these screws may result in a funny looking PS3.

DOWNLOAD: YLOD fix.pdf

Videos

[T3mpr1x]

Haha excellent job, I'm sure that extra screw isn't important

[BigPete7978]

I'm worried about mine. It's been running kind of loud. It's a launch 60GB. I fear the YLOD may be coming soon.

[D.Vader]

Well this shit worked. It wasn't as hard as I feared.

[ZemaOner]

What brand of thermal compound did you put on there? Hopefully it's better than the brand Sony uses!

[D.Vader]

Originally Posted by ZemaOner

What brand of thermal compound did you put on there? Hopefully it's better than the brand Sony uses!

A silver compound I got from Best Buy. Dynex or some shit. The stuff that was on the CPU didn't look like the cheap white stuff. It just appeared to have really been cooked. LOL I used to do quite a bit of folding and I have left my PS3 on overnight many times over the past 2+ years.

[D.Vader]

Originally Posted by BigPete7978

I'm worried about mine. It's been running kind of loud. It's a launch 60GB. I fear the YLOD may be coming soon.

Have you been vacuuming out the vents? I did that every 2-4 months. It wasn't super dirty inside.

[BigPete7978]

Originally Posted by DoucheVader

Have you been vacuuming out the vents? I did that every 2-4 months. It wasn't super dirty inside.

Yeah I've cleaned it a lot. I've already taken it apart to clean it as well since the warranty was done. It's just the fans seem to be going a lot harder than when I first got it. I used to be able to barely hear it.

[D.Vader]

Originally Posted by BigPete7978

Yeah I've cleaned it a lot. I've already taken it apart to clean it as well since the warranty was done. It's just the fans seem to be going a lot harder than when I first got it. I used to be able to barely hear it.

If it's a launch unit and you been using it regularly then the CPU compound might be breaking down.

[ZemaOner]

You should have used that thermal compound you have for the blue hammer whenever you opened up your ps3!