DealStartsHere: Most Common Playstation 3 Problems/Issues/YLOD

We at DealStartsHere though we'd point out the Most Common PS3 Problems/Issues/YLOD. It seems that a large volume of PS3 have either died from overheating, broken DVD drives, or power supply failures. When dealing with these failures and/or defects, it's important that you DO NOT attempt to fix the PS3 on your own, unless you have proper documentation and know-how on repairing electronics! Typically the warranty on your PS3 is only good for 1 year from the date of purchase printed on the actual receipt.

Here are the top 5 Common Most Problems a PS3 can experience:

1. No Audio or Video. distorted Video, Interlacing Lines, only HDMI displays Video, or HDMI doesn't display video. Typically if you have one of these problems it's due to the YLOD (Yellow Light of Death).

2. XMB Bar or Menu freezes or crashes.

3. Overheating. The PS3 is designed to shut off if it detects a certain temperature. Usually it's because of poor air circulation (location of PS3 relative to space) or years and years of dust built up inside the system (it's almost like suffocating a PS3 of oxygen!)

4. DVD Drive does not read games, blu-ray movies, DVD's, and/or CD's. Several users have experienced extended load times, freezing in-game, noticeable choppiness, or the DVD drive sometimes working, other times not.

5. No power. PS3 does not show any signs of life what so ever, three beeps, or red blinking lights.

Possible Solutions to Fixing One or More of the Above:


1. NO AUDIO OR VIDEO: If for any reason you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, the first step would be to perform a manual display reset. You can perform a manual display reset by holding down the power button after powering up your PS3. You can release the power button after you hear 2 beeps and the PS3 will try to reset the video.

If manually resetting the video doesn't work your PS3 may have been subject to the YLOD or Yellow Light of Death. Basically, the Yellow Light of Death happens, when your PS3 overheats and causes the Graphics Chip (RSX Chip) to separate from the motherboard. Once the chip separates from the motherboard, your PS3 will detect this and give an error.

The YLOD is one of the most common problems experienced by users. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to fix on your own and any or all tutorials on how to fix this problem are only temporary.

Fortunately, you can purchase a new RSX Graphics Chip HERE and ask a repair shop to remove the old chip and put the new one in. We found that http://www.gadgetgrave.com was a reliable and effective source to fix your PS3 or Xbox 360.

2. XMB MENU FREEZING: Although this is a very common problem, it's also the easiest of the five to fix! You perform a System Restore by going into SETTINGS -> SYSTEM RESTORE.

Unfortunately, it will erase everything and reboot the system. I have heard of several users who have removed their PS3's Hard Drive to backup some data.

3. OVERHEATING: The number one cause of overheating is dust accumulation! Dust will build up in the fan and the vents, restricting the flow of air out of the PS3. Luckily this fix isn't too difficult either. You can take your PS3 outside and blow compressed air all around the vents to break up the dust build up. If this doesn't work you may have to replace your fan, as it has lived its life to the fullest and is dying slowly! You can purchase some replacement fans HERE.

Another, more dangerous, solution would be to clean and reapply the thermal compound on the GPU and CPU of your PS3. You can look on YouTube or Google for tutorials on how to do this.

4. DVD DRIVE DOESN'T READ DISCS: It seems a large number of users who are experiencing this problem are victims of the Sony defect. The DVD Drives typically last an average of 1 to 3 years with average usage.

The number one solution to this problem is to replace the entire DVD drive itself! you can find a lot of PS3 repair parts HERE.

Another solution would be to clean the lens itself with a Q-Tip and cleaning solution. CAUTION: the lens is extremely sensitive, clean with care! If you do mess up the lasers lens, you can buy some replacement ones HERE.

5. NO POWER: Usually power failure isn't a big problem, so you haven't much to worry about! You can easily swap out this power supply by yourself! Open up your PS3 and remove the power supply and write down the model number. You can buy replacement power supplies HERE.

Hopefully this small guide/tutorial will help you with whichever common PS3 problem you have. Again you can buy a lot of PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, DSi, iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Laptop Repair Parts HERE.