E74 error, can it be permanent?

Ok, so I'm repairing a friend's 360 that's got the E74 error with one red light. the detailed code is 1022, pointing to the GPU or ANA chip.
I just did the no drill x-clamp replacement, did the 2 minute bake, super tightened the new bolts, let it cool, and the dsmn error is still there. I've also tried putting extra pressure on the ANA chip with a stack of pennies under the duct. Should I try replacing the clamp on the CPU even though the 1022 specifically points to GPU or ANA?

Is it just possible that the E74 is just pointing to a non-repairable error anyway?

 

Ok, so I now know the short bake probably won't help. I'm trying the "fan over CPU" bake now for about 15-20 mins to try to better reflow the GPU. I'll post again if this doesn't work.

 

I had the same error. Simple let it bake on its own won't generate enough heat, you have to use heat gun, I fixed this problem by blowing the ANA chip with heat gun and holding it down with screw driver.

 

Actually, it was the GPU after all, I just hadn't done enough reading and only did the useless 2 minute bake where the overheat lights come on. I did a 15-20 min bake on the gpu with the fans over the cpu heatsink, re-tightened the new bolts, and after even a short cooling period it works like a charm now. thanks for the advice though, I may try a heat gun for my next repair just to see if it makes thing simpler, but too many people recommend against it because of the risk.

 

dont use a hardware store heat gun for anything electronic. The poor regulation, excessive temps, inability to concentrate on one area, and the thermal shock or heat rise ramp rate of the capacitors are all reasons why to NEVER use a hardware store heatgun. Hot air work stations designed for "reflowing" lead free solder are the best way to go for a permanent fix without damaging other components or the board itself.

 

Pretty much why I'm hesitant to use a heat gun anyway, thanks for the detail, BD. Have you ever heard of the griddle method? Supposedly you buy a cheap electric aluminum griddle, drill into it and mount some bolts as standoffs, and use it to evenly heat the air under and around the board. Obviously a hot air workstation is a bit outside the average gamer's price range, but I'm branching out into game system repairs, so a MacGyver version of a better reflow solution would be of great use to me.

 

never heard of the griddle but sounds like the concept is there. What you are describing is a "pre-heat" station. My first pre heat station was a bit macgeyverish, I used a small 120vac/200 watt ceramic heating element(i.e. resitor) inside an empty 360 metal chassis. Then covered the chassis with metal tape. I used to place the board on top of it for about 20 mins before using the the hot air reflow station on the gpu and cpu. The homemade preheat staion would get the board evenly warmed to about 105c. Having preheated the board allows for shorter reflow times and prevents warping of the board and breakdown of the capacitors. Keep in mind you need both a preheat station and a reflow station with the proper size nozzles to properly fix these things, permanently.

 

I'm not too keen on using paint heatguns to fix the Xbox 360. Find someone with a real BGA rework station to do it for you. My Xbox 360 had the E74 but lawdawgs X-Clamp fix and the 2-minute bake (GPU only) fixed it. I didn't even replace the clamps on the CPU.

 

I'll be avoiding heat guns, but getting someone else to do it for me cuts into my profits, hehe. I'll probably try the griddle method for a preheat to keep the board temp even and prevent damage to the cores and finish with the usual bake methods.

 

hi, look up these codes in microsoft.com and this is whot they say, i hope this help you!
E74: AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV
cable. If the cable is known to be working then there is a 90% chance it’s a scaler
chip problem (the “ANA” or “HANA” chip connected directly to the AV cable) in rare
cases it is the GPU.
1022 AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV
cable. (could also be a problem with the encoder chip)

 

Thanks for the reply, Bronco. I'd already got it working though. I guess I wasn't clear in one of my replies saying that I just didn't do a good enough bake.

bd911, I sent that PM about the HDDs, not sure if it made it through.

 

I dont know what this 2 minute bake thing is but I am also having the E74 error and when I opened up the xbox, it already had some pieces glued to the ram chips. What did you do exactly to fix this error McMutt?

 

Viper, in my case the problem was with the GPU, but an E74 can also point to the ANA chip that's behind the GPU. I'd recommend checking the secondary error code as outlined in the first part of the Ultimate RROD sticky located here

Mine was 1022, which meant the ANA or GPU. So, I first played around with the penny trick on top of the ANA chip and got no result. heavier finger pressure on the ANA also did nothing, so I just did the x-clamp replacement procedure on the GPU. I'd been following some youtube guides that had bad information on the bake process, so at first I got no result from the x-clamp replacement, but after following the correct bake method for the GPU it worked like a charm.

Most, if not all of the info you need is in the thread I linked to up above, hope this helps.

 

I got the 1022 code just like you (1422). Can you provide a link on your source of how you did it?

 

HERE IS A LINK TO FIX IT FOR GOOD

http://360mods.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17296

 

Wow what a ghetto fix.

Don't attempt that hackjob repair, send it to bhetrick and get a proper reflow.

 

why would you tell someone to pay to get it reflowed? it will cost atleast 40-60 bucks. might as well buy a new one for 200 bucks or less. This is a fix for someone who has a old machine who don't got enough money to buy new and just want to get alittle more use out of there xbox. It only cost 5 bucks for the fan and you can just wire it to a cheap power adapter or one laying around.

 

Why?

To do it right and make it a legit fix. Moving around components is just a dumb way to solve the problem since so many of us customize the consoles and have no hardware issues at all.

Maybe you don't understand the whole troubleshooting process but relocating the dvd drive is just a retarded idea. You can do it if you want but the current design works if you know what you're doing.

Also bhetrick does reflows for 30 dollars, if you're too cheap to get your console reflowed you can try this supposed "fix" and have a xbox looks like you bought it in pieces at the flea market.

I take it you're inexperienced with troubleshooting electronics and only decided to join the forums to learn how to flash the 360. If you are going to remember something for the rest of your life remember this.

DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN LATER

Ask any other senior member on this forum and they'll agree, relocating the dvd drive to fix heat isssues is just retarded.

 

Yeah, and that guy from 360mods does that fix for paying customers! It isn't even a fix, it's just a way to prevent it from happening again.

It'd be easier just to get a talismoon whisper max of ebay for $20 than rearranging the dvd drive.

$30 ain't bad for a reflow, I would just pay to get that done if i had e74.

 

Wow. Guess there is no big difference between $40 and $200 ?? And that's even shipped back. I can tell you from experience that reflows work. I sent mine in and got it back perfect with stock clamps.