Hardware Trying to setup a used PS3, blinking red light, but I don't think it's heat

Cyber Akuma

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So my original 60GB model PS3 which is now on Rebug was running hot. NOT overheating mind you, but the fan would kick in a lot, it was always chugging hot air out, and when I used a temp monitoring app the CPU's temperature was a little high. Cleaning it out and replacing the thermal grease did not help, apparently the thermal compound from WITHIN the IHS has dried up... and I don't have the skills to nor could I find anyone that would be willing to de-lid a PS3 to fix that.

I was worried it was going to give up the ghost one day, so I got another 60GB model used to do a transfer about a year ago, though never got around to it. I did test the system when I got it by playing Folktale for about an hour or so on it, then installed the same version of Rebug on it.

Anyway, today I was planning to do the transfer, I installed a new 1.5TB harddrive in place of the original 60GB model it had (from my understanding, that is the largest a PS3 can handle,. 175TB and larger cause issues) and did a format, it seemed to be working fine. Then I did a system reset just to clear all the old user data and profiles out of it..... and that's when it messed up. After re-doing initial setup, choosing my settings, video output, entering a user profile, etc..... it then just beeped and the light started flashing red.... and I haven't been able to do anything else since.

Now, when I try to turn it on, the light turns green for a few seconds.... then it beeps, the light flashes yellow for a split second, but then goes to blinking red.

I tried to Google this and it says that it's overheating.... but I doubt that is the case since I was able to play a game for an hour on it last time I used it without issue, and all I was doing when it happened was resetting it, it's also in a very cold room at the moment. Regardless, I tried opening it... and it's clear the system had been opened before as the front logo-cover was taped on since the single nut-and-screw that holds it in normally was missing, a retaining screw for the HDD was missing, and two/three of the seven/eight screws that held the system closed were missing, but it seemed otherwise fine. When I opened it however, the system was actually clean! I wonder if the reason it was opened before was to clean it, but regardless, there was no dust buildup in it. The only issue I found was that the clip that clamps down on the optical drive cable was broken, though I am not sure if it was like that or my fault as I was taking it apart. Regardless, I was able to tape the clip down.

So now I have no idea what to do. I believe it's something to do with the software or the drive (I tried installing the original HDD back, no difference) because it was playing games before just fine, and it happened as it was about to finish a system reset, furthermore, you would think it would have cooled down in a cold room after a while but there is no difference whatsoever. All Google tells me is that it's overheating and to clean it out.

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Or perhaps any kind of hidden debug/restore modes that might help either built into the PS3 or added into rebug?
 

Ryccardo

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Now, when I try to turn it on, the light turns green for a few seconds.... then it beeps, the light flashes yellow for a split second, but then goes to blinking red.
If the beep is triple then it's a YLOD (yeah, it's called that way even though it's yellow for the least time compared to the other colors lol)

Hot air was actually a good sign since it means the thermal paste, IHS, and heatsink combo is doing its job; if the fan ran fast but the air was not appropriately hot, now that would have been a problem (though of course it could have dried up on only one chip, and how feeling hot is right is something that's learnt through experience!)

Reflows (whether professional or oven/hairdryer "hopefully it will run again to backup saves"), reballs, and prolonged/repeated overheating really should be followed by a full thermal paste replacement on both sides of the IHS, as those dry out the stock one more than any official operating temperature, maybe that's what the previous owner screwed up?

YLOD is not necessarily caused by the CPU/GPU disconnecting due to repeated thermal stress, though - bad flash chips and other hardware failures can be a cause - basically every major feature of the motherboard can be involved!
Nothing really can be proven without significant experimentation...!


(Since you now have a free dead console, you can use it to practice IHS removal. Protip: an oil painting spatula of the appropriate size/shape and a sawing motion will decap the CPU even easier than the GPU, even when cold)
 

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