Repair guide

Dust out the fan and refresh thermal paste on a hot console

Years of dust and dried paste make consoles run hot. Cleaning the fan and refreshing the paste is basic maintenance.

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Cleaning · Careful · about 60 minutes. Worth doing. Reports say this fix helps on many machines.

You are in the right place if: The console is loud, runs hot, freezes or shuts down after a while.

Before you start

Never touch cleaned surfaces. Fingerprints reduce heat transfer.
Do not use metal tools on processors.
Do not over-apply paste.

Parts you may need

Thermal paste. fresh paste Amazon · eBay
Isopropyl alcohol 90%+. cleaning Amazon · eBay

Tools

Plastic spudger. scraping Amazon · eBay
Compressed air. dust Amazon · eBay
Lint-free cloths. cleaning Amazon · eBay

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Step by step

Power down and unplug Let the console cool.
Open the case Photograph the layout and keep screws organised.
Clear the fan Blow dust out of the fan and heatsink fins with compressed air, holding the fan still.
Remove the heatsink Undo the screws evenly and lift the heatsink straight off.
Scrape old paste Use a plastic spudger on both surfaces.
Clean with alcohol Wipe with 90% isopropyl alcohol on lint-free cloth and let dry.
Apply new paste Use a small amount following the maker's pattern.
Refit the heatsink Tighten screws gradually and evenly.
Test Run the console and watch for noise or shutdown.

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us.

Tip (Medium confidence). iFixit recommends 90% or higher alcohol with coffee filters or lint-free cloth. Source
Story (Low confidence). A Dreamcast has built-in thermal protection that shuts it down on fan trouble. Source

Manuals and technical documents

Service manuals, schematics and datasheets for this machine, kept in our own library. Check your own board and part numbers against them.

PlayStation 2

Sony PS2 PlayStation 2 Level-1 Service & Procedures Manual Version 4.0, Sept 2003 (Service manual)
Sony PS2 Service Manual, SCPH-30000 - SCPH-35004 Series, 4th Ed. - GH-013 (Service manual)
Sony PS2 Service Manual, SCPH-30000 Series, 2nd Ed. - GH-004, GH-006 (Service manual)
Sony PS2 Service Manual, SCPH-30000 Series, 6th Ed. - GH-010, GH-012 (Service manual)
Sony PS2 Service Manual, SCPH-30001R - SCPH-30007R, 4th Ed. - GH-015 (Service manual)
Sony PS2 Service Manual, SCPH-30001R, 6th Ed. - GH-015 (Service manual)

All 10 documents for PlayStation 2 in the library

Original Xbox

Xbox v1.0 Schematics - (Launch) (Schematic)
Xbox v1.2 Schematics - (Xblade) (Schematic)
Xbox v1.6 Schematics - (Tuscany) (Schematic)

All 3 documents for Original Xbox in the library

Guides we used

We wrote the steps in our own words from these. They have the photos and the full detail, so please read them and support their authors.

How to Apply Thermal Paste (Guide) by iFixit. Cleaning old paste and applying new, with what to avoid.
PlayStation 3 Potential YLOD Fix (Guide) by iFixit community. Full PS3 teardown to the board, heatsink removal and NEC/TOKIN capacitor swap.
Xbox 360 Laser Replacement (Blog) by hitmanmcc (Hitman's Museum). 360 that would not read discs: dust, warped belt, tired laser, thermal paste.
Dreamcast repair write-up (Blog) by Gigazine. Dreamcast that lost its clock and read only one disc, fixed with a battery holder and a laser pot turn.

Boards and models vary, so check what is in front of you. A repair can involve hot tools, chemicals and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.