N64 Help!

Squishy

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Well, it has come to my concern the my N64 needs refurbishing. First off, I do not want to get a new one because I am the original owner of the one I have now.

I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can get my system refurbished. I have checked the Nintendo website and they said that the system is too outdated and no body makes the parts for it (That is a bunch of crap).

Any ideas?
 
i know this doesn't help...
but my N64 is working just fine.

other than that i have no idea.
 
specifically what do you need fixed on it? controllers? does it jsut need cleaned inside? If you tell us whats wrong, we might have some ideas :)
 
It shouldn't be hard to get your hands on a used, working N64 in this day and age. I wouldn't look to get it refurbished unless you found a specialty store. Like yourself, I'm Canadian, living in Hamilton, Ontario, and I know exactly how difficult it is to replace a console. But, being the proud owner of all (even multiple) Nintendo consoles since the NES and Game & Watch handhelds, I know how to get my hand on even more if I wanted. Just check friends of friends, and remember--The 64 is no longer in our time. Some older teenagers and young adults probably have a Nintendo 64 put away. If it were summer, I'd suggest checking garage sales. Instead, I'd stick to flea markets and video game retailer stores (not EB Games/GameStop preferably).
 
I'm not sure you have these, but they may let you ship it in. Check out a Play N' Trade. They do old system repairs for sure. And they're pretty cheap.
 
Squishy dude, I don't know about canada, but here Gamestop has like a sister store called Game Xchange and they can repair Nintendo stuff. Other than that Sticky Finger might have you fixed up.
 
specifically what do you need fixed on it? controllers? does it jsut need cleaned inside? If you tell us whats wrong, we might have some ideas :)

Well, it's the system. It won't read cartridges at all! I've checked all the connections everything! I've even played games on my friends N64 and they work fine!

But when it does read a cartridge (which is about the same odds as winning the lottery) it freezes up in about 3 seconds.......I don't get it!!

I've cleaned the games, I've cleaned the pins, I've tried my friends N64 AC adapter, I've tried my SNES and Gamecube AV cables. I'VE TRIED TO TAKE IT APART AND CLEAN IT AND BEAT IT WITH A HAMSTER! NOTHING IS WORKING!
 
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oh there you go...
now i know what you're talking about...
something similiar like this happens to my N64, especially if i don't play it in awhile.
first things first get a can-of-air from your local mega-store or computer place (don't use an air compressor because they often shoot out humidity and/or oil)
and blast the hell out all the vents. Dust = bad.

secondly. what i do (and it always works) is, turn off the N64, and take whatever game you want to play, insert it and remove it quickly about 3-5 times.... firmly. but take care to move it correctly in and out (you don't want to damage the game or the connectors) then slam it in (figuratively) one more time and try turning it on....

this works for me. i know it sounds like a voo-doo ritual. but what i'm believing happens is oxidation collects on the connectors in the N64 port, and unless you take the bridge out, and scrub them with a solvent (which i do not suggest you do) there is no other way to clean them properly. even doing so with a q-tip is only just really doing nothing.

moving the cartridge in and out a few times removes the micro-corrosion, effectively using a game cartridge to "sand" the surface clean. and that makes a good connection... well not really sanding, more like buffing. so don't let that word scare ya.

its like using aluminum foil to buff chrome. good stuff
 
Last edited:
oh there you go...
now i know what you're talking about...
something similiar like this happens to my N64, especially if i don't play it in awhile.
first things first get a can-of-air from your local mega-store or computer place (don't use an air compressor because they often shoot out humidity and/or oil)
and blast the hell out all the vents. Dust = bad.

secondly. what i do (and it always works) is, turn off the N64, and take whatever game you want to play, insert it and remove it quickly about 3-5 times.... firmly. but take care to move it correctly in and out (you don't want to damage the game or the connectors) then slam it in (figuratively) one more time and try turning it on....

this works for me. i know it sounds like a voo-doo ritual. but what i'm believing happens is oxidation collects on the connectors in the N64 port, and unless you take the bridge out, and scrub them with a solvent (which i do not suggest you do) there is no other way to clean them properly. even doing so with a q-tip is only just really doing nothing.

moving the cartridge in and out a few times removes the micro-corrosion, effectively using a game cartridge to "sand" the surface clean. and that makes a good connection... well not really sanding, more like buffing. so don't let that word scare ya.

its like using aluminum foil to buff chrome. good stuff

THANK YOU SO MUCH RELLIK! I now <3 you :)
 
In the Marines we used eraser pencils to clean the contacts on our radios, it buffs off the oxidation pretty good and you then have nice shiny "like new" connections.
 
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