Xbox 360 Preventative Maintenance Repair Guide

Difficulty

Very easy

Steps

2

Time Required

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Sections

1

• Xbox 360 Preventative Maintenance
• 2 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Replace the DVD drive belt               

• The DVD drive belt, which allows the DVD drive to open when the motor spins, stretches and becomes misshapen over time, eventually stopping the drive from opening.
• With how old the Xbox 360 is now, it may not be long before your drive belt stretches and becomes misshapen.
• Follow this guide to replace it.

The DVD drive belt, which allows the DVD drive to open when the motor spins, stretches and becomes misshapen over time, eventually stopping the drive from opening.

With how old the Xbox 360 is now, it may not be long before your drive belt stretches and becomes misshapen.

Follow this guide to replace it.

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Step 2

              Clean your Xbox 360               

• All electronics with a fan (or even without one) collect dust over time.
• This dust can eventually clog the heatsinks and/or fans, causing your Xbox 360 to be noisy or overheat.
• Follow this guide up to (and including) step 35. Clean the fans, motherboard, and all of the casing with high purity (90+%) isopropyl alcohol, and blow out the dust from the heat sinks with compressed air. Then reassemble your Xbox 360.

All electronics with a fan (or even without one) collect dust over time.

This dust can eventually clog the heatsinks and/or fans, causing your Xbox 360 to be noisy or overheat.

Follow this guide up to (and including) step 35. Clean the fans, motherboard, and all of the casing with high purity (90+%) isopropyl alcohol, and blow out the dust from the heat sinks with compressed air. Then reassemble your Xbox 360.

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                    WiredExtreme                     

Member since: 08/30/2010

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Alex Jansen - Sep 2, 2010

Reply

This guide should have steps and cover a single topic. You should split this guide in two, one for how to store the Xbox in a well ventilated area (not just examples, but directions) and another for how to clean the heat sink. The best guides can be referenced in any context and are detailed instructions to reach a goal, as opposed to guidelines or examples of proper use. Good idea though, preventing issues is better than solving them!

maccentric - Dec 17, 2010

Good points made by Alex.

Most obviously, where should you blow into the xbox to clear out the dust? A couple red circles around the best holes to stick the straw into to blow out the dust would be very helpful.

Gekko8 - Jan 3, 2012

Reply

I would also highly suggest leaving it laying down & using a USB powered dual or more fan laptop cooling unit. I have a 2nd gen I bought in 03.2005 that it still working beautifully!

Mark - Feb 3, 2012

Reply

One should also take into consideration that dust and overheating are not truly the cause of a RRoD error unless it’s simply overheating. I’ve reballed plenty on consoles, as new as 2009, with no dust whatsoever in the system. I’ve also done tray cleaning and lubrication on consoles that were filled with thick layers of dust without ever red ringing.

jake - Oct 2, 2014

Reply

You should never use pressurized air, you will be blowing dust and tiny particles deeper into your system. lets put it this way, a particle of smoke is enough to destroy a hard drive. Use a vacumm.