Hello PlayStation 3 Owner,
If you have run into this issue, I am aware of how frustrated you are. I’ve been there and just recently fixed mine and my brother’s PS3 (Fat Body). We both encountered this same issue.
Back-story on my issue: My PS3 ran into the Yellow Light of Death (YLOD) issue and after much troubleshooting; checking cables, powering down for days, trying again… I gave up and purchased a replacement rather than paying for a repair via Sony or some third party. My PS3 has been in a box for about 2 years or longer. Recently my brothers encountered this same issue and I quickly thought, perhaps I should experiment on my old system to see if I could fix it, and if I was successful, fix his also.
Now I have read that the PS3 YLOD is caused by either too much heat or extreme cold temperature causing the solder connections to get cracked. These conditions might also loosen the connections and now you have a PS3 with the YLOD issue. That said I attempted to preform the “blow dryer method”.
You will need the following YLOD Fix it Kit:
- 1 small screw driver
- 1 small flat head screw driver / or in my case finger nail
- 1 blow dryer (borrow one from your mom, sister, girlfriend, or wife)
- 1 towel or in my case a small blanket (such as the one my son uses for naps)
Now that you have your YLOD Fix it Kit follow these steps:
- Unplug your PS3 from the Power, Video (HDMI), USB attached devices
- On the left side of the PS3, you will find a little tab, lift it out to reveal the hard driver holder
- Unscrew the little blue screw in the center, then pull out the hard drive, depending on the model you may need to slid the hard drive hold to the side then pull it out. *note* place the hard drive, cover, and little blue screw someplace safe.
- Wrap the PS3 in a towel or blanket, cover the whole unit but expose the vents in the back. *note* turn the PS3 upside down during the process so that the bottom of the PS3 is facing up
- Using a blow driver on high heat, blow hot air into the back vents, go slowly side to side for approx. 15 minutes.
- Remove the towel or blanket, you will notice that the bottom will be very hot. Allow the PS3 to remain upside down and cool for about 15, 20, 30 minuets. Don’t attempt to cool it faster by placing in the freezer, allow it to cool to room temp on its own. **note** there is a reason for this, and I’ll go into that later
- Once the cool down is complete, re-install your hard drive, screw and cover tab.
- Attach your Power, Video (HDMI),USB attached devices
- Turn your TV on and change to the proper input
- Finally we are at the moment of truth; power on your PS3. If all went well you will see the green light and the PS3 XMB will be disabled on your screen. You are now back in action.
