The PS3 YLOD is a very annoying and all too common problem that owners of the console can experience at any time.
It seems to show up without any warning, it destroys your in-game scores, ruins the enjoyment of watching Blu-ray movies, and is generally a nasty problem to have.
So what is the PS3 YLOD problem anyway?
Well as you’re probably aware of now, the “yellow light of death” is a hardware problem that is caused by your PS3 overheating.
This sounds like a very generic statement to make, and in all honesty it is. But there isn’t just one cause of the PS3 YLOD, we shall cover the reasons in the next section.
You can tell immediately that your console is suffering from the error is by the little flashing yellow light on the front of the console (it’s the light nearest the outside edge). If you see this light flashing, then your PlayStation 3 has fallen victim of the YLOD.
What causes the PS3 YLOD issue?
In essence, when the console overheats to such a degree, a few things can happen inside the guts of the machine.
These can be;
- Heat Expansion – This is where the components that make up the actual hardware can become disconnected from each other due to the intense build up of heat inside the console. Think of your PS3 as a burger. The burger “works” best when the meat, salad and sauce are altogether. But if one of these ingredients falls out, the burger (your PS3) suffers from “disconnection” and it just doesn’t work…hope that made sense!
- Solder Melt – Another possible reason and rather more serious is solder melt. This is where the temperature inside your console gets so hot that the little metallic “droplets” of solder actually melt! This sounds altogether more serious, and believe me it is. If your console has suffered the yellow light of death due to this reason, then your options are going to be rather limited I’m afraid.
Simple steps you can take to resolve the YLOD error
A PS3 YLOD permanent fix is actually easier to implement than you first might think.
First and foremost, there are some easy checks and tasks to carry out, you should do these before deciding to do anything. These steps are;
- Give it a Rest! If you’re anything like me, you love playing games. And if you’re anything like me, you can play hours at a time, sometimes all day long. We won’t go into why this is bad for your health as I’m sure your aware of the advice on that already. But your console is a piece of electrical equipment that can reach very high temperatures during use. The longer you play it for, the higher the temperature can climb. So in the first instance of experiencing the YLOD, turn the console off and unplug it from the mains outlet. Leave it alone for around 30 minutes to let it cool right down. You might just find this is enough to sort the problem out.
- Air Quality – the PS3 is like you in this respect. It works best with fresh, clean air. If your room is stuffy and warm inside, then it’s the perfect combination to cause the PS3 YLOD issue. if possible, try to keep a window open in your room, check there is a good circulation of air within the room also. Keep the console cool with access to fresh air as often as possible
- Loose Connections? – It is always worth checking the wires between your console and the mains supply. If the cable is loose it “might” not be supplying a clean power connection to the console. Ensure all wires between the console and power outlet are secure at all times
- The Hard Drive – Remember we talked about heat expansion in the last section? Well this is a classic example. Remove and insert the PS3 hard drive as this is a common area where the heat expansion can strike. Push it home firmly (but not harshly) and try the console again
Hopefully now that you’ve read this article, you now realise that a PS3 YLOD permanent fix is not only possible, but could also prove to be rather easy to do.