Fixing the dreaded 3 Red Light

The most frequent problem is overheating.

The design of the console is supposed to allow it to use vented openings, heat sinks and fans to aid in the dissipation of this heat. If the flow of air to the vents becomes obstructed then you will notice poorer system performance and hardware failures that are indicated by the dreaded three red lights. You should always place the Xbox 360 in the open and away from any debris that might block the vents.

The Nyko Intercooler has also been reported to be the cause of general hardware failure in many consoles. It is also been known to scorch the power of the AC input. Microsoft has stated that the intercooler drains so much power from the console, it causes faults to occur.

Another known heat related issue is the graphics processing unit (GPU). When the GPU gets too hot, it causes the motherboard to flex causing the soldering to become loose. The reason for this is the lead free solder that it is used in the Xbox 360is more brittle than the lead/tin solder that was used in the past.

Microsoft repairs Xbox 360 that are under the 90 day warranty at no cost and they charge $140 to repair out of warranty consoles. In July of 2007 extended the warranty of all Xbox 360 consoles that were suffering from general hardware failures.

If you have experienced the dreaded Xbox 360 three red lights, you could have it shipped to the repair center if you choose to but let me warn you, due to the increasing number of malfunctioning consoles, you may have to wait four weeks or more to get your Xbox back. If you love you Xbox as much as I do, that is just way too long to wait.