Introduction: Fix Your Xbox 360 360 MKII (x-clap Replacment)

Alright people! I'm back with another Xbox 360 fix ( they break so much they need TWO different fixes)
Now.. you have 3 options
1. Send your 360 in to Microsoft ( The best option under warranty)
Assuming you have no warranty / have already opened the 360...
2.Try the Penny Fix
3. Read this instructable!!

Step 1: Parts

I live in Canada so the closest to Lowes is Home depot. they don't sell 10mm m5 bolts, so I got 16mm
The rest of the instructable we will be working with the 16 mm and soon I will post one using the 10mm bolts
My Parts List:
8) 16mm m5 machine bolts/ screws
24-32) 5mm flat washers, steel
16) #10 flat washers, nylon
10 tube of heatsink paste
1) bottle of Everclear or 2 step Articlean
Q-tips
TOOLS
Drill
13/64 Drill Bit
screwdriver (one that matches the head of the m5 bolts. I have flat headed ones)
small (really small) flat headed screw driver
1/4 nut driver or pliers

Step 2: Open the 360 and Remove All Screws

the title says it all

Step 3: Up and Out!

Step 4: Drill Out the Case

use the drill to elarge the holes enough for the m5 bolts to fit
Drill out the holes in blue
remember to clean out the filings / deburr the case

Step 5: Remove the Clamps

either use the hook like the video in step 2 or a very small screw driver

Step 6: Remove Heatsinks

With the Xclamps gone, the heatsinks slide right off.
remember cpu is the tall heatsink that covers a single die while the gpu heatsink is flat and covers a large die and a small one.

use the nut driver or pliers to remove the studs from the underside of the heatsink

Step 7: Insert Screws

put the screws into the case and tape them down

Step 8: Ring Toss Anyone?

Now the order is a follows: Bolt, case, 3 steel, 1 nylon, motherboard, nylon
Do this for all 8 bolts.
Be warned the nylon washer are a pain to get on the bolts
Be warned 2.0 the position of the nylon washers is crucial to preventing shorting( I tried without them and my xbox wouldn't turn on until I added the nylon washers.)

Step 9: New Thermal Paste

use the Q-tip and Everclear to get rid of all the old heatsink paste. THIS TAKES A LONG TIME!!! when clean the chips have a mirror finish. Clean until they reflect!!

apply a small amount of new paste ( a grain of rice)

Step 10: Put 2 and 2 Together...

line up the old x clamp holes with the bolts and push (lightly!!) until the motherboard is flush with the case (minus the washer gap.) also, reconnect the daughter board

Step 11: More Washers!!

just add the final 1 or 2 washers ( either 1 nylon then 1 steel or just 1 nylon)

try both washer combos, each box is different, so the spacing is different. If you get the 2 red lights almost immediately, try the other config.

Step 12: Put the Heatsinks Back On

do this one at a time. line up the holes and turn finger tight or if you use a screw driver, until you start to feel a bit of resistance.

Step 13: Tighten, Slowly...

Tighten the screws by a quarter or half turn for each bolt. Continue on like this until the bolts are almost completely tightened

Step 14: Baking Time!!

strange but true, overheating the 360 will finalize the fix.
reconnect the dvd drive and put it back in its spot. Reconnect the fans but don't put them back in. DO NOT PUT THE SHROUD BACK. Now balance the fans like in the second picture and turn on the 360.
you should get the 3 red lights. some might get a working 360 because the pressure was enough tor reconnect the gpu, but overheat it any way.

Leave it for 10-15 minutes (make sure there are 3 red lights not two) then turn it off and let it cool (another 10 minutes)

Step 15: Pray

Tighten the screws all the way. Replace your fan shroud; you should now be fully assembled except for the case itself. At this point you should cross your fingers and power your box back on. If all went well your should now have a working 360! Congrats!



Some images taken from llamma.com because I didn't take enough pictures during the fix