Xbox 360 Controller - Disassemble and clean - Fixing eBay Junk

I've got a gross crusty Xbox 360 controller that badly needs some care. I show you how to completely disassemble it, clean it and put it back together. #RetroGaming #RetroRepairs #FixingEbayJunk
Want to buy me a beer? Or a broken console? Hit up the donate link (But only if you want, don't feel obligated). www.paypal.com...
Thanks for watching

[@CarnageDaddy]

Please please PLEASE never delete this vid. In 15, 20 years, you're gonna get a flood of new age 'retro' gamers, that are gonna wanna fix all their old controllers and stuff themselves. Crank out as much of these vids as you can, cuz if youtube is still payin out by then, you've kinda got a video r.r.s.p. goin. Lmao.

[@RetroRepairs]

Ha, perfect! I wonder if i can claim my costs as contributions

[@CarnageDaddy]

@@RetroRepairs lmao, y'know, you probably could. You could probably claim all the Qtips, rubbing alcohol, dishsoap and tools on your taxes too... Not totally sure, but worth lookin into lol

[@RetroRepairs]

I definitely could as a business expense.

[@inamecomeunico8935]

Well I got there early, I wanted to reuse my controller differently and I need to look how to opening it up

[@ryanfester2824]

✋replaying games that aren’t backwards compatible

[@krillarbran]

I just bought a Wii U. I look forward to 10 years time and you showing us how to clean the gamepad/screenpad on one of those bad boys.

[@RetroRepairs]

Deal

[@ComputerTechnic217]

RetroRepairs What a man.

[@tanakasensei3450]

Glad to have come across this video. A former roommate I had gave me an old controller of his that is gunked up with a sticky substance that I'm pretty sure isn't the pop and food particles he claimed got spilled on it. (let's just say that controller is going to glow brightly if I shine a black light on it...)

[@ComputerTechnic217]

lmaoaoa it’s like Hotel Hell

[@charabie423]

Hol Up

[@goofygoober7183]

God damn thats disgusting. Who tf does that on a game controller

[@theshawnkelly]

Cum turns hard when it gets old, not sticky. Just to ease your mind a bit. I think.

[@NotALotOfColonial_SpaghettiToG]

holy fuck someone enjoyed the motors a little too much, eh?

[@custos3249]

Replacement joysticks is one thing, but if you had any pointers on how to fix a wondering/drifting joystick, you'd be my hero

[@jace4370]

blow in it

[@foreskinracer8753]

@wes eat it also

[@earlspencer7863]

Not really worth the repair. Unsoldering is a pain.

[@norielmartinez8556]

@@foreskinracer8753 suck it too

[@foreskinracer8753]

@@norielmartinez8556 spit it aswell

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Replace those security screws with regular Philips screws.

[@gmcnewlook]

The Annoyed Mr Floyd want to hear something baffling, the wired version of this does I own use Phillips screw (and I bought it new, just before I had 360 ironically , bought for it computer games and was planning on getting a 360 eventually) .... the Wireless uses a security screw ;) bizzare.....

[@SgtPnkks]

@@gmcnewlook i just checked and yeah... my wired controller (also bought primarily for pc gaming) has phillips while one of my wireless has security torx (my other wireless i don't know where i put it so i can't confirm what type of screws it has)

[@GoldSrc_]

@@gmcnewlook Yup, my wired Xbox controller has Phillips screws.

[@chefkdowg]

Did that on my boys ds lite.

[@demoninblack6011]

chef souffle bruh, was ya bois ds lite blue? Like navy blue?! Mine was navy blue!

[@jba2048]

I bought a compatible screwdriver to work on these controllers. They are very cheap on eBay. The 360 controller is probably the easiest controller to disassemble/reassemble that I’ve ever worked on. I love this controller.

[@nathanmead140]

Original xbox model S controllers are a little easier than the 360 controller but the 360 is probably easier than the ps4 Dualshock 4

[@SprunkCovers]

As a controller repairman, I can confirm that Microsoft controllers are the best to work with (OG Xbox, 360, One and Series) since they are easy to assemble and dissasemble, plus they rarely break to the point that it is easier to buy a new controller, imo Xbox controlellers are worth what they cost for how well made they are

[@shininggodmsbeyblader8284]

Dreamcast controllers are definitely easier to work with in the space they have

[@sofianegaming9872]

i love the 360 but it kind old controller and not compatible with pc and the analgos slowly and not smoothly enough

[@threefiveseven]

they work with PC. You just have to go in an edit the drivers on test mode and itll work fine. Just google it. Using my 360 controller on my PC right now.@@sofianegaming9872

[@Junkman444]

Bottom line: don't dump the wash water until the controller is fully reassembled. I usually wash the parts in a Tupperware container instead of in the sink.

[@bsanchez3563]

Oof do not wanna even imagine the kind of sonic rage kid or arthur fist meme kimd of feelings thatd cause... or the shirtless bill daughterieve meme where he flails you know like no joke hehe

[@billwood1372]

Perfect,couldn't have cleaned mine without you,that screw hiding under the sticker was holding me back

[@LuisFernando-pq4bq]

Managed to easily repair mine after watching this. Thanks, You just earned another Subscriber, nice channel!

[@stevenyoell6214]

I feel like you should have mentioned at the beginning that you'd never done this before...

[@DieselWeazel]

Should have

[@kypham6292]

Yeah this guy seems like an idiot

[@Datastreamx]

Wish we got a better look at the individual parts so it's easier to judge which replacement parts from china are better quality than the others.

[@ceejayszee]

God I love this controller. You could probably show us how to replace the analogs, these are the peskiest to replace! That'd be sweet

[@Lovecraft530]

When you reassembled the controller when you laid the d pad plunger mat down there was divot meant to clear the thumb stick.

[@rsolsjo]

Planning on doing this with two controllers, this guide is a godsend, thank you!

[@giovannidannolfo6869]

Man that popping out the security pins is awesome. Never thought about it. Done to all of the screws and they lose like butter. Thanks!

[@jonnycraft5514]

The motor in the right hand side of the controller isn’t set in properly. There is a little slit on the top and bottom that line up with a line in the plastic of the shell. Used to hold the motor in place so it doesn’t spin when it rumbles. Other than that. Solid work.

[@JoeyDNo3]

Cheers nice 1 , 🍻🥃🍻

[@heoioh]

I needed an idea on how to free those triggers in order to finish my cleaning! Now I can put aside a clean controller shell and buttons and move on to my mod in clear conscience, thanks!

[@toddphillips7113]

i'm glad videos like this exist to show how to take apart video game controllers but as for me i'm scared to do it because i don't want to mess something up,i would let a professional do it for me,somebody who knows what they are doing.

[@bsanchez3563]

Like a "professional screen stabber" heheh nah just kidding

[@simplechannle3045]

Thanks so much the lighting was perfect and the camera was closer so I could see everything better this guided me through for my first time. I am trying to play again but had to clean up the controller and replace the thumbsticks

[@emory6027]

you know, it's funny i've been looking for tutorials on how to open one of these babies up and cleaning it i love your videos man, keep doing what you're doing

[@Kimdah_]

I’ve been opening up these babies for quite a while already. I even fixed controllers with abused shoulder buttons.

[@emory6027]

yeah, i've got a controller that either needs extensive cleaning or a new left trigger

[@Kimdah_]

Benpai That’s pretty easy to do. At least for me it is. And the dude in the vid forgot to remove a part of the controller before he threw it in the water. My advice; Never clean up a controller too hastily. Take your time. The more time you put into it, you are less likely to make mistakes

[@RetroRepairs]

Curious, which part are you referring to?

[@Kimdah_]

RetroRepairs The ring that goes around the Xbox button 😅

[@branham7761]

I would highly suggest investing into a Ifixit tool kit, they have all kinds of these strange bits and they come with a lifetime warranty on all the bits.

[@donwald3436]

chris branham Yeah mangling the screw seems like a really bad idea, stripped screw in a deep hole is not fun.

[@TheBrokenPast]

Mmmm, decaying skin cells.... The best thing to find when you're repairing a gunked up handheld you buy online! Thanks for another great video!

[@tanakasensei3450]

I wish that was all my gunked up one had... guy that gave me his old one was a major porn addict...

[@brendanmcbride6292]

Thank you heaps Bro for sharing your knowledge about these. I didn't have the Cahunas' to try anything like this until I watched your Video. Now I have a Controller that's working like new! You're a good Teacher, Appreciate your Time, Cheers Dude! :D

[@holdscene]

it helped me, especially to build it (close up) to factory look - the order in the video matters, thanks!

[@holdscene]

and yeah - button with sticky juice now fixed

[@NiGHTSaturn]

Just got a set of controllers for cheap. I won’t play till they are super clean. Thanks for the video! 😄

[@altairps3HFW]

You are awesome! I found your guide because I want clear my white xbox360 gamepad (I going to give xbox for my friend) now it looks like as new! Never delete this video

[@cabroncete]

Struggled sandwiching it back on, did it from the lower tips and fixed the motors in their slots on the opposite cover (super tricky not dropping anything out of place). Just wanted to see the insides, clean up. If you have like crunchy dirty buttons or wanna swap sticks, then do it by all means, but anything else, personally would just save that time.

[@tuinstoel77]

that one sneaky screw underneath the serial nummber sticker.. .

[@CreeperSlenderman]

they did a good job plugging the motors instead of soldering loosely cause plugged in it will not break off the pcb but soldered right away just the wires to the pcb it would fall and unsolder

[@OctoberSkys]

Thanks my dude! This video was perfect for me to restore an older xbox 360 controller

[@damsen978]

Still works in 2024 (as if anything would be different lol), did it with my wired X360 controller for PC.

[@FutureOfHalo]

Thank you! First video I found with trigger removal. I started to do that exact same thing but was afraid of doing it wrong and breaking something

[@MikeleKonstantyFiedorowiczIV]

it should be some foam under wibration engines, i need clean my 10 years old pad too, nice work and that 22:50, 200iq move.

[@sorrowcult]

Can confirm this is the same with a wired 360 controller. However, it was a little more tricky to put back together.

[@vlakx]

you are the man ...i just repaired my controller ... not need to buy new ... screwdriver 2euro, joysticks 2 euro

[@gc9575]

Love your channel and videos! . Requesting urgent ps2 controller and console cleansing as they were super popular here in Argentina. Saludos!

[@RetroRepairs]

I can probably do that.

[@mariehassett247]

10:29 is actually start and back buttons. PS3 start & select Wii U positive and negative buttons ( start and select )

[@Dropbear237]

I always use a wooden toothpick to clean the grooves on the controllers.

[@RetroRepairs]

Anything is better than nothing. Gets pretty nasty in there.

[@emeroxo]

I can’t wait til I learn to clean my full touchscreen interface device for XBox Ultimate in 2030.

[@momfiethehunter504]

I got a lot of 4 ps3's for 7.50 euros Because the guy was a scrapper and dident know what their value was. I got 3 ps3 fat system's and 1 ps3 slim gen 1. 2 ended up being un repairable because those had a lot of rust in them '_' however the third ps3 fat I managed to fix using the coin trick and it had a hdd in it, I also had another ps3 slim before that lot that was broken and it had a game in it. Guess what is was..... call of duty black ops 2 my favourite ps3 game :) lucky me, I ended up playing it on the fat ps3

[@momfiethehunter504]

If you are wondering what happened to the ps3 slim from that lot , same type as my other one and also the same problem

[@thunderinvader9031]

I've just cut all of those posts on top of the screws and unscrewed them with regular torx screwdriver

[@NotALotOfColonial_SpaghettiToG]

thanks bro, my xbox from 2012 went to hell so i stole one from the boys. He pointed out his controller was acting fucky so now I'm going to pray to whatever deity that i don't break it while watching this!

[@Reoddadai]

The button-reassembly is a perfect example for poka Yoke (Baka yoke)

[@expgretaillegacy]

Speaking of Xbox 360’s, I’ve gotten some $10 Xbox 360s from a video game store that i go to sometimes. They have all had the RROD (red ring of death). I have also gotten a broken wii, Atari 2600, nes, snes, a PS3, and more!

[@KyleRVeenstra]

Planet Gaming - Fix them! :D

[@momfiethehunter504]

What kind of ps3 do you have and what error codes are the 360s spitting out

[@expgretaillegacy]

Momfie The hunter It is a fat ps3 CECHA01 60GB PS2 backwards compatible unit that I got for 20 US dollars. One of the 360’s is spitting out 0020 secondary error code. My 360 S spits out 0013.

[@momfiethehunter504]

@@expgretaillegacy has anyone worked on the ps3 fat yet, with that I mean it someone has tampered with it before. I had luck with my one of my fats I got from a lot, 3 fat 2 had been "repaired" before. Currently disassembling one of the "repaired" ones but the blue ray drive cable connector had the lock of the connector broken off :l. The 360 prob needs a ram reflow with a heatgun

[@momfiethehunter504]

Little bit of an update. Ps3 has seen some shit poor thing. Anyway had termalpaste on it but it's is a bit yellow and I found some traces of black thermalpase near the gpu so I think it has seen 2 different people before it got thrown out, the bios battery was also missing but part of the connector was still connected to the board. It also seems to have the usual water damage near the edges of the board but that's not the problem

[@sarmadahmadkhan3516]

Thanks to you I cleaned and fixed my controller.

[@charabie423]

It’s an awesome Video, but I kinda got worried when he repeatedly got confused 😂

[@garykulovics7705]

Great Video Am always looking forward to your videos Have learned so much Can't wait till your next one

[@480i2]

Wow that button pop was something I have never seen before

[@mcgarnacle21]

Thank you so much for the tip on those screws at the bottom. They surely are fiddly to unscrew, but your tips and help were invaluable!!

[@elitetruegamer2432]

Very detailed assembly amazing job my friend. Keep up the great tutorials. Wat hed in full.

[@KISSbestfan]

I never owned a Xbox, but if Id ever buy a current gen console, itd be surely a Xbox. Im getting a bit tired of Sony stuff

[@davejones538]

eBay Junk ? Or your Xbox controller?

[@GoldSrc_]

I just broke off the center pin from those annoying screws lol. nvm, you showed that in the video lol, you need to put the board over the buttons first xD, there you go. Good stuff, thumbs up.

[@MrMan-bq2uj]

Instead of a flathead screwdriver I used a small drill bit to pop the middle out but if you do this be careful not to drill into anything else.

[@bsanchez3563]

Use a hammer XD nah just kidding do NOT use a hammer

[@Damian-cilr2]

i have one in decent condition.though the buttons are a bit sticky,otherwise it works well,just sometimes the buttons feel a little weird

[@Kimdah_]

I have the correct torx screwdriver. As a screwdriver. There’s a reason I LOATHE bits. I prefer a regular screwdriver.

[@dumahdrummer654]

Which size is it

[@irregularmana6216]

Just an FYI. If you buy a ps3 / ps4 screwdriver it will work on this controller no problem.

[@emanuelvlad8722]

Thank you so much

[@ashsattva]

Thank you for making this :)

[@meto4837]

Thank you good sir! Extremely helpful and detailed. You da man!

[@randomgamer24x65]

I used a flat head on those screws had a Xbox controller that had the analog stick always toggled to move up and right even if it was straight

[@krillarbran]

I'm not surprised someone's controller has got into that condition. I am very surprised you allowed your controller to get into that condition. 😁

[@RetroRepairs]

Well, i never used to bother opening and cleaning this stuff either. My 360 has sat mostly unused for the last few years, turned it on the other day and noticed the button. Enough was enough

[@krillarbran]

@@RetroRepairs I guess if your not planning to sell it and your not playing it, of course your not going to take notice. You done a great job as usual cleaning it too.

[@Hyper-Linkman]

Do you have any recommendations for testing controllers for joystick drift, or just in general? I have an RGH'd 360, and 5+ controllers that I've accidentally gathered; curious to start cleaning, fixing, and selling them. Thank you for this video! Very helpful info.

[@BamF905]

I had drift on the analog thumb switchs took it apart and cleaned them and now every thing works other then both analogs

[@Crazylegoman3791]

For me, I’m just going to put grips on my thumb sticks. I can still use mine.

[@Ryan-vq2hv]

Great vid again!

[@Tyler_Flynn28]

Thanks for confusing me at the end

[@alessandromancini8885]

Good job 👍

[@giorgostsamouris4061]

I'm pretty amazed with how good the built quality of the xbox controllers are compared to the PS controllers. All the PS controllers have these shitty contact membranes that are guaranteed to go bad after some time. Never had one xbox controller stop working on me, on the other side I have dissasembled many PS controllers (PS1 to PS4) and 99% of the time they were unfixable due to the shitty contact film membrane. Makes me think Sony does that on purpose so that we continue to buy new ones of their shitty controllers.

[@dazza724]

Everyone should have a security drill bit that wants to do this.. not like they expensive.. got a whole set of these bits at my hardware store for only 80bucks, think was like a 95pc bit set and came with a bunch of different security bits .. im always buying new tools haha.. never know when ya gunna need them. Have 4 huge tool boxes that are higher then me and still have no room in the draws😂😂 think i may have done overboard but oh well haha.. people spend money on much sillier things, me i spend it on gaming and tools.. haha

[@ronaldhenson6560]

I fixed four Xbox 360 wireless controllers and they work fine

[@LangZ1988]

A big help! Thank you very much

[@mythicnytro6518]

You didn't even explain how to put the lb and rn buttons on now I'm sitting in my floor wondering how to put it on

[@jj_zeroshiki]

Are those pins on the battery slot the same ones used for the cable in the wired 360 controllers? I actually have both a wired and wireless controller, so im wondering if its possible to gut out my wired controller and replace it with the insides of the wireless (my wired controller drifted after heavy use, and the wireless receiver is hella expensive here in my country, which is unfortunate since I play on pc)

[@yournamegoeshere7584]

You mind doing mine? It kinda had a busted joystick and a broken D-pad. Its the same controller as the one you have though.

[@bsanchez3563]

Man now 3:05 feels like otd merely bend the screwdriver in my experience no joke as if they were not akready annoying with tri wing screws exostong it has always kinda bugged me that specialty or tamper resistant screws exist that I do not have a way to as much open well when compared with the regular types you know what I mean?

[@TerminatedAccount.]

I wished for the sticks to be drifting because I've always wanted to know if that's repairable or you just have to replace them for new ones. Love your content btw, cheers.

[@RetroRepairs]

I think these stickboxes can be adjusted, but I've never had to so not sure what's involved in that.

[@momfiethehunter504]

@@RetroRepairs I needed to fix a black 360 controller with a broken left bottom stick, the post where the sick was support to be fixed to broke off and I managed to repair it with superglue and some water. After I fixed it I gave it a good clean but both sticks ended up having stickdrift so all that work for nothing :l

[@erick3003lel]

You can replace the whole stick but you need a solder sucker or something to get rid or all the solder in all the *14* joints, is not really that hard with the right tools

[@momfiethehunter504]

@@erick3003lel would a electric duo pump desoldering gun work

[@erick3003lel]

@@momfiethehunter504 yeah just get rid of all the solder until every pin can come out easily

[@dianerobinson6424]

I just bought a refresher x box 360 from Walmart and control won't let me in to set up

[@henrydiaz720]

Where do you get that special tool for removing the screws?

[@ronaldhenson6560]

I did that same thing to fix the left and right triggers

[@jacksonbrown5900]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@charlesrazon1843]

Thank you men

[@nutella6321]

Ty man I fixed my controller

[@gloodgy2774]

When i removed the screws, bottom part, and even the bumpers, the circuit board still isnt coming off, help?

[@LynxStarAuto]

Horrible freight has long security torx sockets for chump change 🤷‍♂️

[@tozovbb91letsplaymultigami28]

Hello men i got a troble the LB button can't push that while I was clean and well closed. In fact the LB button does not make any click it is hard to press and we feel nothing when we press on it you think its need to change the button ?

[@Phosphor66]

11:20 2006 was 13 years ago.. :(

[@sorrowcult]

14 now

[@ajgreen868]

I just got done taking one apart and cleaning it. Weird!

[@someone-qm9zr]

I have a 360 controller that is rusted where the batteries go how, can I fix it? (it won’t turn on)

[@Rankings-Revealed]

Thank you

[@Shyghost22]

Is anyone else disappointed that the Xbox ball isnt an actual ball?

[@nicolasrodriguez300]

Hey could fix anxbox one controller? Mine stopped working one day when i was using a cable that didnt work well and kept turning the controller on and off constantly till it stopped working after a minute of that.

[@YoIsthatJuiceboxSupreme]

Any substitute screwdrivers for the screws?

[@thatgirlkriseana]

Use a flat head screwdriver that matches the size of the screws. It should work. :-P

[@garywutube]

one of my white X360 controller (2006) was dead after cleaning >_< I think ESD kill it

[@Rollo95]

thanks man

[@MaulScarreign]

A seller on Amazon is trying to tell me you don't need this two clips on the D-pad. They told me to remove them because it was a factory error and to just connect it without the two clips. I don't have the two screws to see if it works but does anyone know if that's true?

[@mhmdbilani]

That's too scary to watch..

[@matt4193]

Good job

[@Exanthos-is7xe]

Can the bumbers be replaced

[@Token-Cat]

Are North American consoles different from European consoles as far game playing