PlayStation 3 Yellow Led of Death (YLOD)
Today I got a Yellow Led of Death on my PS3. The PS3 does not turn on and the all you see is the power led going fro Red to Green, then to Yellow, then you hear three fast beeps, and finaly the LED blinks Red and nothing else happens.
I seems that the only solution is to send the PS3 back to Sony. They will do it for free if your’s is still under warantee if not you’ll need to spend $150 USD. The RMA process should take about 10 days.
If this happens to you, and like me you have a Game disk inside the PS3, you’ll also find out that the eject button will not work, and you will not be able to remove your disk.
Some people reported that Sony did not send their games back with the new console, so I was worried about loosing an additional $50.
I found a way to eject the disk:
- Power off the PS3 on the main switch on the back of the console
- Press and hold the Eject button
- Turn on the main power switch
- The PS3 LED will go green and the fan will spin at max speed
- Wait a few seconds and press the eject button a couple of times, the disk should now eject
- watch the PS3 die after 30s or so…
This procedure did not fix my PS3 but at least I got my disk back before sending it to Sony for repair.
Let me know if this worked for you?
it worked! thanks. u find out what the problem was?
Elliott
February 20, 2009 at 2:09 am
I called Sony sent the PS3 and they sent me a new one without every explaining what really happened or why it happened!
bigdiver
February 21, 2009 at 6:40 am
Damn that doesn’t work for me. I even tried holding my PS3 upside down to get the disc out, but no luck. That yellow light comes on then all hopes lost. I lost my Killzone 2
. Well Sony will send it back, but from what I read the disc will come a while after I get a replacement unit. That just means I won’t be playing that game any time soon 
.
Andre
March 1, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Doesn’t work for me either, have any other ideas?
Killzone 2 is a ps3 killer
Amp
March 5, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Happened here too…
Fuuuu
March 20, 2009 at 9:48 am
No ideas then, my PS3 is now fully functional so I cannot try the procedure again. When I first tested it it took something like 10s for the LED to flash, after the FAN was spinning at top speed. Then I pressed the eject several times and it popped out.
Is your fan speeding up?
Do you hear the disc spinning up?
Try to press and hold the Eject instead of just once or twice.
Good luck!
bigdiver
March 29, 2009 at 4:37 pm
After reading the article, I feel that I need more info. Could you suggest some resources please?
How to Get Six Pack Fast
April 15, 2009 at 2:36 pm
If you are looking for PS3 YLOD repair contact me via my website. dwdpcrepair.com
Derek
May 8, 2009 at 2:48 am
Wow. My PS3 has the YLOD and this worked! It took about three tries, but suddenly the disk ejected, the green light stayed on for about 20 seconds instead of just 2 or three, and then I got the beeps, yellow light, and then the flashing red.
Thanks alot for the advice. I’ve called Sony and they said they would replace the PS3 and also give me another 12 months warranty free as compensation for the fact that the machine broke. Yay!
Paul
May 20, 2009 at 6:01 pm
guys its so simple to fix yellow led of death. just take out your ps3’s mother boad out. get a hot gun and heat sink compount.. give 350 degree heat to prosseser for 15 sceconds.. it works. you can see full guid in you tube.. just sech yld fix. enjoy
faisal
August 19, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Outstanding site.. I will definitely come back again:D
Terfruthbruch
May 20, 2009 at 9:21 pm
i think the power of death only happens to 60gb ones????
now im put off buying one (if thats the case!
360eater
May 25, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Nah, I have a 20GB one and it did the exact same thing.
What did you end up buying?
Giulietta
November 8, 2009 at 10:05 am
no i have an 80gb and it happened to me yesterday
mememe
June 6, 2009 at 11:41 pm
yeah i have a 40gb and it got the YLOD , 3 days ago. good thing im under warranty!
bobo
June 11, 2009 at 8:02 am
Tried that fix but ejecting the disc didnt work! Might just throw my ps3 out my window at this stage!
Shagster
June 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm
If you have the yellow light of death there is no quick fix you can do by pressing and holding buttons. The system has overheated and needs repair. The thermal paste needs to be replaced between the processors and heat sinc. You may need to reflow the processors as well. I have done the repairs on my own as well as other systems. If you would like your PS3 repaired feel free to contact me via email – dwdpcrepair@gmail.com
Derek
June 16, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Yea the disk eject trick only works on the 60gb models. I have a release date 20gb model and I got the ylod a few days ago. Fixed it myself and got my game back.
Heff64
June 28, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Nah i t didint work. ps ive got a 60gb
m8uby
August 3, 2009 at 6:07 pm
My 40 gig ps3 got the ylod last week. I had it for a year and 3 months.
thomas
July 7, 2009 at 7:36 pm
My 40gb ps3 got the ylod one month after warranty was up. Sony agreed to repair but if you mention the yellow light they will send you a replacement without ever trying to fix it. I got a refurbished one and had to format hard drive. Post above is right about replacing thermal paste for ps3’s w/ ylod. You can do it yourself with youtube videos -watch gilsky’s videos.
kushblower
July 9, 2009 at 4:41 am
Had a rented movie stuck in there when i got the yellow light, this worked like a charm, now i dont have to pay blockbuster for the disc haha
Rhayes
July 20, 2009 at 8:25 am
i just got the ylod yesterday on my 60gb ps3 i have a 160gb hdd in it tho i was playing battlefield badcompany when i got it i tryed the disk eject trick didnt work looks like im calling sony:(
zb2000
August 8, 2009 at 6:54 am
I was playing Battlefield : Bad Company when I got the ylod also. When I play it on the refurb model they sent me the fan goes on high the entire time, but the disk or system never get hot thought. I have had the refurbihed one for about 1 1/2 months and its going strong. Make sure your next ps3 stays well ventilated and hopefully it will withstand the test of time. The 60 gb models have ylod the most and sometimes on the refurb too, good luck to you!
kushblower
August 8, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Just figured out I had the YLOD after not playing it for a week. Well, at least I managed to get the disk out on the first try using this trick.
To be honest, I didn’t think this was going to work at first. Thank goodness it did though. Oh yeah, and of coarse thank you BigDiver.
Raiyuu
August 17, 2009 at 12:45 am
i have a 60 gb and this didn’t work for me
my cod4 game is still in there =[
John
August 19, 2009 at 8:18 am
I got the ylod this morning, searched the internet and found that it may be an overheating issue so i found a vid tutorial on youtube and cleaned all the dust out of the system, when I plugged it back in it wouldn’t even turn on this time just flashing red led. So I searched some more and it looks like I will be sending it in to Sony plus 150 USD to get it fixed. My COD4 was stuck in there and the disk eject trick did not work. Since my warranty is up anyway, and I heard about people having problems getting there games back from Sony, I opened it up and removed the disk manually. Not to hard but you do need a small screwdriver set and patience. Good luck to all with this issue
darkdeviant7
September 19, 2009 at 7:16 pm
it worked 4 me.. im stoked skate 2 is mine again thanks brother
daniel
October 16, 2009 at 10:07 pm
my 60 gig got ylod this mournining it ate my resistance 2
beatyou
October 27, 2009 at 11:39 pm
It worked!!!
I have a 20GB PS3, and it died at 9am this morning as I was watching a music video on it. There was still a DVD stuck in it, Angel Season 5, and I can’t bear with the thought of losing that DVD, seeing as it belongs to a collector’s item box…
So, I Googled, found this, tried it out, and now my DVD is out.
Not going to Sony to get it fixed, though. There’s a guy in my country(Holland) who fixes this problem for a small amount of money. This way I won’t lose my save-data, either. Next time I’ll save that to my external hard-drive approx every week, just in case.
Anyway, I really recommend doing this to get out the disc. Thanks a lot to the person who posted this. You’re a genius!
Giulietta
November 8, 2009 at 10:02 am
I meant 40GB.
*sigh*
Giulietta
November 8, 2009 at 12:17 pm
[...] } I wrote about my experience with the PS3 YLOD on this post, after getting a fixed PS3 back from Sony I thought that would be the end of it, but apparently due [...]
PS3 YLOD Followup « BigDiver
November 23, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Guys my PS3 is a 80G bought in 2008, and it works on it perfectly.
According to the some of the comments the trick does not work on the 60Gb, but it works on 20Gb and 80Gb.
bigdiver
November 24, 2009 at 5:00 pm
The forced eject doesn’t work for me
(60 gb ps3)
Hopefully Sony’ll return the game stuck inside!
But, another question, maybe off topic, but I really hope someone can help.. I need to back up before sending to Sony. I’ve removed and placed the hdd in an external enclosure, but only in DiscTools (hope my translation from norwegian is correct) can I see it is connected, but it doesn’t appear in Finder… And what software should I use to transfer content to another external drive?
Hallis68
November 29, 2009 at 1:08 pm
… I forgot to mention that I use mac with OS X 10.5.8 …
Hallis68
November 29, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Major bummer!
(
I’ve found out that there’s no way to use the hdd in any other machine/enclosure because the disk is encrypted and the original machine is the only excisting hardware key…
Hallis68
November 30, 2009 at 10:26 am
That is true, the HD will only work in its original Ps3. You can find a third party repair on craigslist for cheaper than Sony and you get to keep original files. I bought a slim Ps3 cause I got the ylod and my refurb was running sooooooo loud. Sony will only send you a refurb.
KushBlower420
November 30, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I think this has more to do with what malfunctioned to cause YLOD than which system you have…. I’m not going to send in my PS3 to Sony. I bought this launch unit as pre-release. One of the very first sold anywhere. I have fixed YLOD twice now. Its a 60GB unit with all original parts. I’m thinking of upgrading fan after I have it fixed this time and maybe getting an intercooler, though I should just tap a hole in the back of a mini freezer and keep it in there. Heard there are better fans than what is installed and my fan does not function properly. This is the third YLOD I have gotten on this machine. I will prolly fix myself, Whats it going to hurt if you try anyways? worst case you send your brick in for a refurb to the tune of $150 whether you messed it up further or not… there is always the chance it will work…. Mine lasted three months since my last repair and this time I will use flux in conjuction with the reflow. Should help a lot
Alex
December 3, 2009 at 4:30 am
I would have tried to fix it if the warranty wasn’t valid anymore, but here in Norway, the consumer law gives us 5 years warranty (even on cell phones), no matter what Sony says. According to the service guy, I’ll get a new ps3 in a couple of weeks.
Hallis68
December 3, 2009 at 5:52 am
Thank you so much!!!!
Mike G
December 24, 2009 at 2:48 am
mate, you are an actual legend, thank you so much just saved me like $50
Nick
December 26, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Don’t waste money to find someone to fix it yet! It may be a minor issue that you can be fixed by yourself. Remember, you are not the only one to suffer this problem! Because I had help so many people to fix the same problem now. You are so lucky to be there. I share a guide for you – It make me like a pro to help my friends and many people. It is too expensive to send back to Sony repair if your machine is out of warranty!
I had solved the yellow / red lights flashing problems after bought this guide. The author of the book is really kind and helpful to his customers. May be you can buy it and share what you have learned !
PS3 Yellow Lights Fixing Guide : http://bit.ly/8fksGD
Ronald
December 27, 2009 at 11:03 am
Stop trying to sell this lame guide. I have read this guide for free at another website and the fix it has does not work. Fix it through Sony or cheaper professional. I has the ylod and ended up getting a the new slim one. It is way quiter and does not not get near as hot because it uses newer technology. It also loads games faster and reads all discs quicker. This is the way to go if you can afford. I pawned my refurb unit from Sony for $260 and through in $40 to get a new one. @ years extra warranty was only $20 at Walmart. So now this bad boy is covered for 3 years!
Kush
December 28, 2009 at 2:06 am