PS3 Problem: Overheating and Smell of Smoke

[Smolderin]

I just got a PS3 Slim, completely brand new on Black Friday. It has been working fantastic, but today something weird happened and it's gotten me a bit scared. Today I plugged my PS3 into the same wall socket I do every day, and then turned it on. It was working fine. Now since I was in a area with wi-fi I pretty much decided to download a whole bunch of stuff, one of which in particular was Marvel vs Capcom 2. So I redownloaded it, and then it said I needed to download the latest update for the game. No problem, so I downloaded the update...this is where it gets concerning.

Immediately after the download hit a 100%, the PS3 turned off and it didn't come back on. I pressed the power button, but the red light wouldn't even come on signaling that it had power. So I switched the plug to another socket. The red light then came on signaling I had power, so I pressed the power button and....POP.....I hear a quick pop noise followed immediately by the smell of smoke. Quickly I sat the PS3 down and checked all around the sockets and power cords to make sure a fire hadn't started...luckily everything seemed normal.

Now I am really worried, and I so desperately want my new PS3 working. After waiting about 10 minutes or so, I plugged it into yet another source and this time it came on. Though for some reason, it was now asking me to reset the time and date. I did so and it went into system recovery mode, but after the half-way point I get a system message telling me that the PS3 is to hot and will shutdown. It does just that...and now I am really really really worried.

I feel around on the PS3, the bottom seems slightly warm but nothing to hot. However, the smell of the smoke I smelt earlier was emanating from the PS3 so I now I know something sparked within the PS3. That alone does not bode well...I really just hope it got real hot and it didn't fry anything. Good news is I tried again another 10 minutes later with the system back to normal, logging into my account and everything...everything seemed operational....but it came back with that Overheating system message again and shut off.

I really hope it is just a heat problem caused by a slight power surge and it will be completely cooled off in the morning with no more issues. Does anyone know anything about dealing with this kind of situation? Am I wrong in my assumption of what just happened? Any tips or tricks?.....Would really love some advice on this considering I do not want to be more than 200 dollars down the drain.

 

[Supernova1138]

I'd send it back to Sony under warranty or see if the retailer is willing to do an exchange, smoking components are never good. Something in there probably shorted out and started to burn. Even if it does work for now, it will probably burn itself out again in short order, and will eventually stop working altogether. Bottom line is you can't just ignore this and hope for the best, if you are getting smoke and burning smells out of your console something is going to fry at some point.

 

[Smolderin]

I'd send it back to Sony under warranty or see if the retailer is willing to do an exchange, smoking components are never good. Something in there probably shorted out and started to burn. Even if it does work for now, it will probably burn itself out again in short order, and will eventually stop working altogether. Bottom line is you can't just ignore this and hope for the best, if you are getting smoke and burning smells out of your console something is going to fry at some point.

A bit early to jump that gun. It may just have gotten really hot, really fast. I won't consider sending it back to Sony unless it keeps giving me the overheat message.

 

[Supernova1138]

Well if you insist on continuing to run it because the video games are serious business, keep a fire extinguisher close by, best you not burn down your home in the process.

 

[Smolderin]

Well if you insist on continuing to run it because the video games are serious business, keep a fire extinguisher close by, best you not burn down your home in the process.

Your snark has gone unappreciated. While I appreciate your attempt at advice, I would now rather hear advice from someone more qualified to give it. Like I said, appreciate the attempt though. Oh! Also, have a happy new years!

 

[Smolderin]

(Apologize for the double post)

Alright, I have waited 2 hours since the incident and turned on the PS3. It went through a file recovery and everything started to work fine again. I put in Mass Effect 3 to check if it can play games. It gave me the Overheated message again at a load screen. This confirms that there is now definitely something wrong within the system. Hopefully since the system was recently bought, it has a automatic manufacturer's warranty on it or something of that nature....I will check tomorrow through Sony's customer support. If through one way or another that they are going to charge me money for the fix, I'll seek out local repair shops to see if they can offer me a quick and hopefully inexpensive solution. Since pretty much all the system components seem operational, I am hoping the damage isn't that significant.

Once again, if anyone has any inkling of what just happened to my system and has any advice to give, I will still continually welcome it.

 

[Frezzato]

snip

If at all possible, and I do think it's possible that you're still under 30 days from purchase, I would return it to where you bought it and get it exchanged for a new one. That's really the best first step for you since you're replacing your unit. I find it's much easier to return something via retail before you try and go through manufacturers. Unfortunately places like Best Buy only give a 15 day window for an exchange right then and there. I would check the receipt from wherever you bought the PS3 first.

 

[Muchashca]

If it were an older system I'd describe what likely happened to it and how you can fix it, but since it's a new one, I'd recommend sending it back ASAP. From what you said, your house's power may be unstable, and could have sent a bit too much voltage into your PS3, causing damage to one of the circuit boards. Older power grids tend to fluctuate and send spikes of power periodically, so I'd definitely recommend using a good surge protector at all times.

Try trading it in where you bought it. If that doesn't work, contact Sony directly, their PR on defective units is usually pretty good.