How to Fix Xbox 360 Controller Right Bumper Not Working?

Whenever the Xbox 360 controller right bumper not working, probably the micro switch is displaced, therefore the bumper doesn’t make good contact.

In this guide, we’ll focus on a homemade solution that will help you extend the micro switch and fixate the component in place so the bumper can make contact.

Keep in mind that most of the solutions below will void the warranty so proceed at your own risk.

To fix the right bumper on the Xbox 360 controller at home, users need to open the controller and extend the micro switch by using glue or cardboard. When the micro switch is simply displaced, it can be manually adjusted without inserting any objects.

Why Is The Xbox 360 Controller Bumper Not Working?

One of the most common causes for a 360 controller bumper to stop working is that it doesn’t make contact with the micro button.

If you’ve dropped or damaged your controller, the spring may have gotten out of place.

Even when pressing the bumper, it won’t make contact with the micro button!

In addition, damage to the motherboard of the controller may also cause similar problems with not only the bumpers but other buttons on your controller.

There are quite a few homemade fixes that we’re about to review and discuss so wait before purchasing anything!

Let’s jump into the methods to help you fix the right or left bumper of your Xbox controller:

How To Fix Xbox 360 Controller Bumper?

To fix a non-working Xbox 360 controller bumper, we’re going to use a few chronological methods to see if we can solve the problem without much effort.

However, in case more complex solutions are required, you can find them later in the post.

Let’s begin with simply tightening up the controller to see if that will help:

Method #1 Tighten The Panels of Your Controller

If the bumpers are not working (the left or the right), it may be because the panels have come loose.

While gaming, your grip over the controller can be impacting the panel or make it loose due to continuous usage.

The first thing you should do is make sure all panels are tight so the bumper can make contact with the micro switch:

1. Grab the controller and apply force to the handle’s panels until you hear a click.
2. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws on the back panel of the controller.
3. Once done, make sure that the top panel (that holds the RB and LB), is also tight.

Note: The top panel of your controller doesn’t have a screw on it. You must apply force to make sure that the panel clicks back into place if it becomes undone.

Method #2 Clean The Controller’s Insides

There could be an obstruction that’s preventing the bumper from making contact with the micro-button and creating an input.

Before more complicated methods, you should first clean the controller’s insides!

Here’s how to clean dust and debris that is obstructing the button from making contact.

You will need:

• Torx T8 security driver
• Mini flat-head screwdriver
• Philips-mini driver

Now follow these steps:

1. Remove the battery case.
2. Unwrap the serial number on the back of the controller.
3. Undo the 5 screws on the back of the controller (the screw under the serial number is also included).
4. Pull the back of the controller towards you until it comes off.
5. Apply tape to the front buttons so they don’t fall off.
6. Take off the bottom plate.
7. Remove the circuit board along with the vibration unit.
8. Use cleaning materials to clean the controller (ear sticks or microfiber cloth).

Note: If any of the buttons of your 360 controllers fell off during the process, keep the front panel upside down, place the buttons, and put the bottom plate and back plate.

Method #3 Pull The Micro Switch Closer

Before putting any objects inside of the controller that will help the bumper reach the micro switch, you must first attempt to manually pull the switch closer.

That will help the bumper make contact with the switch and make an input with a normal press.

Alert: Opening the Xbox 360 controller voids the warranty!

Here’s how to pull the micro switch closer to the bumper so it can make contact:

1. Take off the back cover of your controller once the screws are undone.
2. Locate the plastic cover that holds the micro switch near the problematic bumper.
3. Grab a pair of tweezers (the smallest pair you have in your home).
4. Find the white micro switch under the plastic cover in the bumper compartment.
5. Use the tweezers to grab ahold of the micro switch.
6. Use a mild force to pull the switch upwards.
7. Re-build your 360 controllers and test.

Alert: If you pull the micro switch too hard, it may actually break apart from the base and leave your bumper button completely broken.

Method #4 Glue The Micro Switch

An adhesive solution that will resolve the problem with your 360 controller’s bumper is to make the micro switch longer using glue.

Said in simple words, the bumper button has a certain reach and a plate that must contact the micro switch.

If the bumper’s plate doesn’t contact the micro switch, there won’t be any input from the bumper button.

Here’s how you can extend the micro switch to make is pressable with the bumper:

1. Disassemble your Xbox 360 controller (explained in detail in solution #2).
2. Grab a liquid glue bottle with a small opening.
3. Find the problematic bumper’s plastic bed.
4. Look for the micro switch (painted in white, made out of plastic).
5. Use the liquid glue to make a little pile on top of the micro switch.
6. Wait for the glue to tighten up.
7. Re-build your controller and check if the bumper is going to work now.

Be careful with the glue insertion not to impact other components near the motherboard!

Note: The feel when pressing the bumper may be different now because you’re pressing the glue instead of the plastic micro switch cover directly.

Method #5 Use Cardboard Extension

Another smart solution is to use cardboard to make the micro switch reach further.

If you don’t have glue at your disposal or just don’t want to glue the insides of your controller, then a piece of cardboard will fix the bumper of your 360 controllers.

Here’s how you can use a cardboard piece to extend the reach of your bumper:

1. Open up your controller.
2. Grab a small piece of cardboard (around 2 centimeters long on both sides).
3. Locate the plastic cover of the micro switch beneath the bumper compartment.
4. Insert the thin cardboard piece ABOVE the plastic cover.
5. Re-attach the back panel so all parts can click back into place.
6. Rebuild the rest of your controller’s parts and test if the issue is fixed.

Note: Make sure that the cardboard piece is static. Once you close the compartments of your controller, the piece must not move.

Xbox 360 Controller Bumper Still Not Working…

We’re sorry to hear that you’re still experiencing troubles with your 360 controller’s bumper.

If the problem persists, then one or more of your controller’s parts have gone faulty and require a replacement.

Since changing those parts can really be challenging and most untrained users find it really difficult for themselves, it’s strongly recommended to deliver the controller for repair.

The micro switch costs $3 and the service might add up a few more bucks!

Since all of the solutions above have the purpose of extending the micro switch so the number can reach, when the switch is broken, none of them would help.

Note: A complication with the motherboard is the most expensive Xbox 360 controller repair!

Quick Recap:

Thus, the solution to a non-working Xbox 360 bumper is to extend the micro switch upwards so the button can make contact. Users can either pull the micro switch to embed the component into the default spot or use external objects to increase the height.

Read Next: How to Clean Xbox 360 Disc?

Final Thoughts:

Now that we know why the Xbox 360 controller right bumper not working and what the solution includes, we’re ready to solve the problem at home.

It’s important to remember that opening the controller immediately voids the warranty so once there, you shouldn’t hope for a replacement unit.

We hope that this post was helpful and to discover more topics related to Xbox 360 issues, make sure to check our online tech blog!