Hardware Wii U power light blinking red?

[Chuardo]

I have had this issue that when I leave my Wii U turned off it starts to blink red after I moved it some weeks ago, the console works just fine when you try it but it doesn't want to be turned on then it starts blinking red, I've read that this could happen if the console were dirty on the inside or that the thermal paste on the CPU needed to be changed.
So I opened it up some days ago, cleaned it real good and added a better thermal paste to the CPU, the console worked fine just like it did when you recently plug it, but after a while, it started blinking red just like before and refused to turn on when I pressed the power button, and it still does this, I've also read people moving their AC Cable around or connecting it to another place being solutions to this, but that hasn't been helpful in my case. I have never tried to use my Wii U for a long time to check if it also turns off and starts blinking red when being used.
Does anyone know why is my Wii U doing this and what should I do about it? Because it doesn't feel hot when it does this, it isn't even being used at all, and when I plug the console out and replug it, everything works ok so there isn't any non-working part on it.

Edit: I had my Wii U unplugged and now when I plug it, it starts blinking red as soon as I plug it, it was doing it after a while in the past, what can I do?

 

[AlphaMayo]

Is the ribbon cable for the disc drive connected right? It is not bidirectional and has to be in the right way. I remember getting a blinking red when I had it in the wrong way and had to flip it. If not connected at all the WiiU will boot up but give a fatal error, but if not connected right it wont even boot.
Also when my WiiU overheated once due to bad thermal application it blinked blue not red. It needs the thick thermal pad to make full contact with the heatsink, if you took it off and replaced with grease it might not have good contact.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Blinking red light normally means overheating. Where is your console situated? Ie near a window or heater? Amongst other electrical equipment?

Also make sure it is plugged into its own power point on your wall and not sharing an extension or 4 plug adapter.

 

[Chuardo]

Blinking red light normally means overheating. Where is your console situated? Ie near a window or heater? Amongst other electrical equipment?

Also make sure it is plugged into its own power point on your wall and not sharing an extension or 4 plug adapter.

It's not near a window or heater, I have tried plugging it into its own power point on my wall already and situating the console on different places without anything around it and with a lot of space to breathe, I have also tried moving the AC Adapter around if it was too hot on its previous place and with air conditioner on, the console and AC Adapter never feels hot and the fan on the back of the console works when it's turned on. I am now leaving my console turned on with the Twilight Princess HD intro to see if it ever gets hot or dies on me.

It's just that I don't get it, the console works after a while, when I touch it once it starts blinking, it's never hot at all, not even the AC Adapter, so I don't even know what should I do about it because it's doesn't seem to be a heat issue.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Can you confirm if the internal fan is working?

 

[Chuardo]

Can you confirm if the internal fan is working?

Yes, it's now running, I am seeing it working, you mean the fan on the back of the console right?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Is the ribbon cable for the disc drive connected right? It is not bidirectional and has to be in the right way. I remember getting a blinking red when I had it in the wrong way and had to flip it. If not connected at all the WiiU will boot up but give a fatal error, but if not connected right it wont even boot.
Also when my WiiU overheated once due to bad thermal application it blinked blue not red. It needs the thick thermal pad to make full contact with the heatsink, if you took it off and replaced with grease it might not have good contact.

It had the same problem prior to replacing the thermal pad so I don't think that's the real issue here

 

[Lostbhoy]

Yeah.

The only other option is to try another AC adapter as the original one could be faulty. You wont be able to see that or repair it but it could be sending a faulty current to the console. Maybe try a friends AC adapter or take the console to a store who sells second hand Wii U's if you have one nearby to test.

 

[Chuardo]

Yeah.

The only other option is to try another AC adapter as the original one could be faulty. You wont be able to see that or repair it but it could be sending a faulty current to the console.

I'll try to get another one later on, maybe that's the reason, I have had TPHD running for like half an hour and it's doesn't seem like anything weird it's happening.

Is the ribbon cable for the disc drive connected right? It is not bidirectional and has to be in the right way. I remember getting a blinking red when I had it in the wrong way and had to flip it. If not connected at all the WiiU will boot up but give a fatal error, but if not connected right it wont even boot.
Also when my WiiU overheated once due to bad thermal application it blinked blue not red. It needs the thick thermal pad to make full contact with the heatsink, if you took it off and replaced with grease it might not have good contact.

I actually changed the thermal pad because this was happening so it's not like changing the thermal did anything. I used a thermal grease paste, is that bad tho? I took some pictures of when I added it, I don't feel like a did a bad job, it didn't feel like it was too warm before and it doesn't feel like that now, is it a bad idea to use thermal grease paste on a Wii U?

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

I had this problem. All I did was clean it and dust vents, then it hasn't happened since. Hope it helps.

 

[Chuardo]

I had this problem. All I did was clean it and dust vents, then it hasn't happened since. Hope it helps.

I already opened it wide completely and cleaned it up, maybe I'll try to get it even cleaner

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

I already opened it wide completely and cleaned it up, maybe I'll try to get it even cleaner

Well I mean, Just be careful not to get the chips or wires wet. I didn't have to open mine. Just dusted the vents on the case, blow air into the vent to hopefully clean the fan too. Maybe try turning it on the side. The black wii u came with little stands to prop it up vertically, but there is a vent under that. Flat side it may not be a problem. Could just be the fan worn out or something inside not doing the job keeping it cool.

 

[Chuardo]

Well I mean, Just be careful not to get the chips or wires wet. I didn't have to open mine. Just dusted the vents on the case, blow air into the vent to hopefully clean the fan too. Maybe try turning it on the side. The black wii u came with little stands to prop it up vertically, but there is a vent under that. Flat side it may not be a problem. Could just be the fan worn out or something inside not doing the job keeping it cool.

hmm, I have a friend that's going to send me his Wii U AC Adapter from a bricked Wii U to try if another one fixes it, but if that doesn't work maybe I'll have to see if getting another fan does the trick, maybe I'll get his Wii U fan too

 

[AlphaMayo]

Does the heatsink quickly get warm to the touch when you turn it on (when it actually does boot up)? It should, and should be pretty hot after 2-3 minutes. If your heatsink has poor contact then it wont heat up very fast and the CPU will overheat. Luckily seems the WiiU does shut itself off when it overheats to prevent permanent damage (or I lucked out), though any time it overheats there is a risk of permanent damage.
I would also examine the solder joints and see if they are cracked/corroded/cold and touch them up, maybe us Pb/Sn solder if you aren't afraid of using a little lead-based solder as it works the best. the WiiU seems to use lead-free solder, I had to really crank up the iron for it to melt, and i was able to revive an old wiiU that had corroded joints on it (turns out my roommate's cat from 5 years ago had peed on it before i put the wiiu in storage, and the SD reader/sync buttons did not work plus it randomly would shut off - works perfectly since i resoldered it and reflowed in the oven).

 

[Chuardo]

Does the heatsink quickly get warm to the touch when you turn it on (when it actually does boot up)? It should, and should be pretty hot after 2-3 minutes. If your heatsink has poor contact then it wont heat up very fast and the CPU will overheat. Luckily seems the WiiU does shut itself off when it overheats to prevent permanent damage (or I lucked out), though any time it overheats there is a risk of permanent damage.
I would also examine the solder joints and see if they are cracked/corroded/cold and touch them up, maybe us Pb/Sn solder if you aren't afraid of using a little lead-based solder as it works the best. the WiiU seems to use lead-free solder, I had to really crank up the iron for it to melt, and i was able to revive an old wiiU that had corroded joints on it (turns out my roommate's cat from 5 years ago had peed on it before i put the wiiu in storage, and the SD reader/sync buttons did not work plus it randomly would shut off - works perfectly since i resoldered it and reflowed in the oven).

The plastic part near the fan does feel a little hot but only slightly, not too much. When I opened it up it didn't look corroded to me but I could check more closely maybe, I took some pictures when I had it wide open

 

[Chuardo]

For everyone interested, I have left my console turned on for 6 hours straight on some games and it hasn't died on me while turned on, it doesn't feel that much hot either, it only starts blinking when plugged to the wall and being turned off, it's not doing it now, it's still turned on, I have that orange sleep mode turned off by the way. It's pretty weird I think.

 

[standhk]

Hi. Do you have again the blinking light.

Today I turned on mu Wii U after not using it for about a month and get the red blinking light while booting. Disconnect the console and turn it on again, and worked well. I'm afraid ir happen again.

 

[Ryan525]

Mine turns off after about 5 min.s then starts blinking red. Idk what's wrong with it. Can someone help who can relate to this?

 

[SDIO]

Since it only happens after some time in your case, I would suspect overheating. Clean it and replace the thermal pad with fresh thermal paste