Xbox 360 E74 fixed, but graphics problem

Hi I recently did the x-clamp fix on my xbox 360 console. It works now but the graphics now have lines in them and such when playing games. It's ok when im at the dash board, Just verticle lines down the screen when i play games. I checked the cables, and everything is ok. I was thinking about heat gunning it and see if that would make a difference. Has anyone ever had this problem before? If so how did you fix it?

 

Main cause sounds like overheating! I had this happening to me about a week before my XBOX RROD'd. Except in my case, it would have the lines for about 5 minutes and then the XBOX would freeze and after another couple of minutes I'd get the 2 red lights signfying overheating.

After doing an X-clamp fix (standard bolt replacement with ArcticSilver 5 paste) all these problems went away. Although I still get weird black anomalies in BF1943, but these are quite common amongst members of the community.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Yeah I did the x-clamp fix, It was weird though because after i did the fix, I started it up to over heat and it went green. Then i forgot to plug in the fan so it 2 red. Then i plugged up the fan and it works. Just graphics are screwed up. Im going to heat gun it tonight. I'll post my results, hopefully it will help someone in the future.

 

Don't heat gun it yet, tighten the screws more that you replaced the x-clamps with, the reason you have graphical glitches is because your E74 is coming back.

Tighten the screws at the back of the GPU really tight that should fix it.

 

In my opinion what i found that works is do the x-clamp fix and if you want do the heat gun method and pick a good one, but once that is done when you play on it leave it in the dashboard for at least 15 minutes otherwise you will always have problem with the box. X-clamp fix and the heat gun are not final fixes as a meter of fact i don't think Microsoft knows how to fix it.

 

I think the same to be honest, The best fix for it is the x-clamp fix because it puts pressure on the loose chip and the solder makes contact again.

Heat gunning should really only be done if nothing else works like different amounts of pressure, because heat gunning it wrong can bridge solder, break pads / traces and leave it unrepairable. So it should really only be a last resort unless you're good at it.

 

Thanks for all the replys! Im going to tighten the screws when i get home,(Im at work right now) I also seen a video on youtube where you wrap 6 pennies in electric tape and put that on the graphics chip. Im a try these different methods without heat gunning it. I'll post my results when i'm finished. If anyone has any other suggestions im all ears.

 

i have these same problems and it has helped so far! Knock on wood haha

 

Ok...tightening the screws didnt work....and after 5 mins of play the e-74 error returned. So I used the heat gun and then did x-clamp fix and now everything is working fine. Thanks for all the replys and help

 

Good hopefully it will last

 

I just got mine back after 30 days so now i need to do the whole thing again make sure you leave the box on the dashboard for 15 minutes at least after playing it to make it cool off or you are going to get it back

 

Sorry for bringing a semi-old thread back but I am having the same exact graphics problem after doing the x clamp fix. I tried to overheat the xbox without the fans for about 2 minutes but it didn't do anything. Not really sure what heat gunning is or other options. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

It's because you have broken solder that gives you freezing/red ring. The x-clamp causes the flexing which breaks the solder but just replacing it wont repair it. Do the heatgun method as mentioned and keep the gun constantly moving (not directly on capacitors or plastic) and do 1 minute on low on the bottom then flip to the top for 4 minutes. Let sit for half hour, reapply x-clamps (1 1mm thick washer on bottom for 3mm total with screw head and 2 1mm thick washers between heatsink and mobo) and you should be good to go.

 

Do you know any guides on how to do the heat gun trick? Not really sure what I'm doing with that. Thanks.

 

Go to youtube and search xbox 360 heat gun fix. I had success with heat gun fix but lately 3 red and e-74 keep returning. I seen theres another x-clamp fix by team Hybrid which requires more steps. The system I was talking about in the beginning of the thread got e74 again. Now it's in the closet lol. Good luck some systems never return.

 

Thanks. I'll give it a try then, not really a lot of options left now.

 

well some of the hybrid fix is right like you need 3mm of space between the motherboard and chassis so they have you use 3 washers and drill through the case. I dont think drilling is necessary though if your screws have 2mm tall heads then you can just use 1 washer and not drill. I've seen other tutorials which show to use 2 washers and not drill which is definitely not good because that's basically doing the same thing the x-clamp was doing: flexing the motherboard upwards. I see a lot of x-clamp fixes where people have done this and the rrod always comes back. When they do come back you can try a low temp oven bake (tut. at xbox experts) to get any flexing out of the motherboard then reflow again to fix the solder and reapply the x-clamp and make sure the spacing is correct.

The other thing about the hybrid fix i dont necessarily agree with is the shims. Some may disagree with me but I dont want to trap heat underneath the heatsink around the chip. Plus on the gpu there's all these little components and making proper sized shims so you dont put pressure on them is hard.

mr_shicka the reflow is really pretty easy, just avoid direct heat to the capacitors and plastic bits, keep the gun constantly moving and hit the cpu, gpu, ram, southbridge, and hana chips to give you even heat and hopefully fix any broken solder they might have. Warm the mobo on the bottom for 1 min on low then flip to the top and do 4 min on high. If that fails then try the low temp oven + reflow and if that doesnt work the last step to try is the high temp oven reflow (both tutorials also at xbox experts). Ones that dont make it through there need some sort of repair that requires more sophisticated equipment and if you're only fixing your own you'd be better off just buying a new (or used) working one.

 

I'm pretty sure the e74 is directly related to the ANA/HANA chip. Find it, heat it with a hair dryer for about 5-7 minutes and apply ample pressure to the top of the chip, pushing it down towards the board. You may also look into getting a small heat sink to place on top of the ANA/HANA chip after you get rid of the e74 issue as it will displace heat from the chip and help keep it cool thus preventing future overheating and solder melting. It took me a long time to find a working method to fix the e74 issue in my 360, but what I described worked and has been holding up for about 6 months now.

P.S. If you want a heatsink for that ANA/HANA chip look on ebay. That's where I got mine and it worked great, plus it came with a self-adhesive strip and only cost a few bucks. Good luck!

 

Yes e74 is related to hana and/or gpu but ersonally I dont really understand why people use a hair dryer. Think about it: if a hair dryer got hot enough to melt solder would they let you point it directly at your scalp? I dont really think putting pressure on the chip is a good idea either though heatsinks never hurt. If it's working i'd say it was probably because removing the x-clamps relieved pressure on the board but you probably have broken solder so I wouldnt be surprised if/when the rrod comes back.

 

Wow guys. Thank you so much for your help and suggestions. I'm going to do some research on look at the tutorials and see how I do. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again.