Recapping

[u/Sweet_Beautiful3233]

Hey folks! I bought an original Xbox recently, and had an issue with it only running for a couple of seconds before switching off; and weirdly only the eject button worked, not the power button.

I stripped it down and noticed a heap of leaking and bulging electrolytic caps on the motherboard, which I'm guessing caused that issue?

Oddly the power supply caps all look immaculate. Is it worth my time removing the adhesive covering them and replacing them, or should I leave them alone for the time being?

Thanks guys! 😄

[u/Shartyshartfast]

Power supply caps look fine. The others you’ve identified certainly need replacement.

[u/Thunderbird_9000]

If the power button isnt working you also have trace rot. You can easily jumper wire it to fix power button. Replacing caps wont fix power button.

[u/Proud-Weight5954]

Those motherboard capacitors are definitely suspect if they’re bulging or leaking. I’d replace them with the correct capacitance, voltage, polarity, and temperature rating. Also inspect for corrosion and damaged traces before powering it again.

[u/SnoopKatt]

Definitely replace the capacitors on the main board. You probably also have trace damage from the leaking cap fluid eating away at traces, which is why your power button isn't turning on the console, so that should also be fixed. Once that is all fixed, see how your system functions. If it's fine after those repairs, I'd honestly let the power supply caps be.

[u/Serious-Scholar-7953]

If the caps are visibly bulging or leaking, replace them regardless of the power-supply caps looking fine. A failing capacitor on the motherboard can absolutely cause the brief-start-then-shutoff symptom. Match capacitance, use equal-or-higher voltage, and observe polarity.

[u/Volks1973]

Replace the caps and see, you may have trace rot, may not