PS4 loud fan and overheating: clean and repaste
A PS4 that sounds like a jet engine, pulses red or shuts itself off is almost always clogged with dust, has dried-out thermal paste, or has a worn fan. Check ventilation first, then strip it down, clean the fan and heatsink, replace the paste and refit the heatsink clamp evenly.
Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.
A PS4 that sounds like a jet engine, pulses red or shuts itself off is almost always clogged with dust, has dried-out thermal paste, or has a worn fan. Check ventilation first, then strip it down, clean the fan and heatsink, replace the paste and refit the heatsink clamp evenly.
Difficulty: Moderate · Time: about 1.5 hours
Also applies to: Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
Related codes / lights: Pulsing red light: overheating (PS4)
Symptoms
- Fan very loud even at the home screen
- Power light pulses red (overheating)
- Console switches off during games
- Grinding or rattling from the fan
Likely causes
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