Ok, so, me and my fiance bought a Xbox 360 and played it for about a month and suddenly it crashed a few times. This followed when we thought it might cool off and then we could simply reboot, we got the dreaded RRoD. I looked online for solutions and was told to unplug the cords and such, and tried that to no avail. We eventually stumbled across this forum and several youtube videos of people replacing the thermal paste and everything working ok after, I tinker with computers and had a nice tube of AS-5 on hand, and used that after we spent time cleaning up the goo on the GPU/CPU. However, I did notice something missing. The CPU and GPU on our console had no X metal bars on it.

Also it should be noted, we got it from a pawn shop for 90$ and it had been refurbished by GameStop (they informed us they would accept it for trade at 50$ and we would have to fork out another 100$ for a used old white one like we have now, we decided to go gutsy and try to save some money) and the original screws were not in the console, the ones holding the CPU and GPU in place were replaced with fatter top screws. We eventually got it put back together, plugged in and powered on, and suddenly it still gave the RRoD. I read you should leave it on to let the paste burn in, we did that and was able to turn it on slightly, it powered on and then killed with E 079. I removed the HD from the Xbox 360 and turned it back on again to receive the RRoD again. I tried laying it flat, placing a fan in front of it (with the case and all, I have yet to try it without the case) and we have tried leaving it on for a long duration to burn in the new paste, but still nothing. It boots up, no sound, no visual and then gives 3 flashing lights (0102 error code)

I decided to ask this community as we followed the guides in replacing the paste and taking the console apart and now we're hitting a wall, and maybe we can get some other tips from you all.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Sounds like it previously went RRoD, which is bad news for the future. You're unlikely to revive it without a proper reflow or reball. I would suggest ponying up the money for a Jasper or slim unit. You can often find Jaspers on eBay for around $100 if you're particular enough about not getting into bidding wars.

Reflow or reball. Saying that, if the motherboard is warped by the xclamp kit, it won't reflow or reball very well, if at all

Yes this error is caused by a break in a solder ball underneath the GPU. 0102 definitely has a good chance of being repaired, despite previous attempts or board flexing. But it is not going to be fixed with thermal paste or tightening the bolts. All tightening the bolts does is put pressure on the chip to just make the two separated points meet again. This can ruin the chip over time and if it breaks again, a full reball or a whole new GPU may be needed to repair it.

The cracked solder joints are caused by rapid heating and cooling of the solder. Because the solder is lead free (because I believe any product marketed towards children in the U.S. has to be free of lead), the solder becomes very brittle and cracks.

You'll need to get it reflowed or reballed by someone with a reworking station. Reflowing is when someone cleans under the chip with flux to remove oxidation and purify the solder, then they use a reworking station to remelt the existing solder on the chip, bridging any cracked points back together. A good solid reflow can last years if done right, but it depends on the Xbox.

A reball is when a reworking station is used to melt the solder, then the whole chip is removed, the solder is cleaned off, and new solder balls are placed back on using a reballing jig. Reballs are the best solution because when the balls are replaced, leaded solder is often used, which is much more resistant to rapid changes in heat.

There are many companies and individuals with the tools for this on this forum and many others. I have the know-how and materials to perform a reflow for you, but I do not yet have a reballing jig for a reball. Reballs are usually pretty pricey though, considering the time and patience that goes into them, so I think your best bet would be to have it reflowed.

I usually charge between 20-25 dollars for a reflow, not including shipping. And if I deem the board irreparable, shipping is all that is charged.

Also, you will find MANY youtube videos on reflowing with a "heat gun." Many people swear by it, but I advise against it. The airflow is not even or temperature controlled like a reworking station, so surface components can be blown off, capacitors ruptured, I've even seen a RAM chip blow off and hit a guy in the face when he was trying to heatgun one. Plus, you will likely warp the board because of localized thermal expansion.

Good luck!

I charge £40 ($65) for a reball. I enjoy doing it too. I try to sway my customers away from a reflow, Its not that it doest work, because it does. I just prefer to do a reball

Or you could always do my favorite method for the cheap bastards, oven reflow!
Liquid flux, temperature and timing! Also insulation.

I second that!...lol here comes the flames

Would purchasing a new motherboard be viable enough? Say off of ebay or some such? Or could I simply run into the next problem?

No, replacing the motherboard is not really feasible. First off, as a big purchaser of broken Xbox's and Xbox parts on ebay, I can tell you that if the motherboard is on ebay in the first place, it likely has much bigger problems with it than yours does now lol.

Plus each motherboard is married to the DVD drive with a key, and unless you wanted to jtag/rgh the new motherboard to recover that key, you would be left with a DVD drive that wouldn't play games.

0102 errors are the most common and also the most fixable in my experience. You could give these other guys' suggestion of an "oven reflow" a shot, but keep in mind that when professional equipment isn't used, you may not get the results you want.

If you go with their method, you'll want to insulate the capacitors VERY well. The temperature of the oven will be well above the temperature the capacitors are made to withstand. And if you go with this method, I recommend putting it in the oven at a relatively low temperature for 3-4 hours to help eliminate any moisture in the board, and this can help get rid of any flexing there was to begin with too. Then take it out, let it cool, insulate the plastic parts, capacitors, and whatever else looks vulnerable, and put it back in at a higher temperature (above 400 F).

I'd also recommend possibly using an infrared thermometer to make sure the oven temperature inside is relatively close to the temp the dial says it is.

And definitely flux the chips before you put the motherboard in...or you will likely have a very short lived reflow.

Good luck!

We're just going to sell it on ebay and buy a new Xbox 360 S. I think it'll be a simpler route. Thanks for the help, though.

Alright, maybe I'll be the one buying it if the price is right haha.

I have a 360 S I'm looking to sell too if you're interested. I'll be putting that on ebay pretty soon.

We're thinking about 50-75$ since it comes with a 20 GB HD and we're throwing in all the cords. Not sure when we will put it up for purchase, though.

Yeah you can probably get that much for it, but experienced buyers usually sway away from previously opened consoles and consoles that have had the "x-clamp" fix like yours. If you take pictures of it in a home setting and explain everything in a detailed manor like you did in this thread, I'm positive you'll find someone who would buy it from you.


I usually shoot a lot lower than that though because I resell them, but that's just me and I'm not a big risk taker on ebay haha.

Good luck!