How to Fix an Analog Stick Drift in an Xbox One Elite Series 2 Controller

Written By: Aliyah Castaneda

Comments: 61

How to Fix an Analog Stick Drift in an Xbox One Elite Series 2 Controller

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

10 - 15 minutes

Introduction

Does the analog stick of your Elite Series 2 (model 1797) Xbox controller drift onscreen without you moving it? If so, it probably has what is called “analog stick drift.”

There are multiple causes of stick drift. Sometimes it can be caused by damage—like dropping it—for example. Other times it can be caused by normal wear and tear. Fortunately, a lot of the time, it is simply caused by a buildup of debris in the sensor.

This easy-to-follow guide requires no special skills, and will take you through the process of fixing it.

Tools

Parts

Xbox One Elite Controller Series 2 Joystick

Step 1

Place a prying tool in the crease of the right side of the controller.
Slide the prying tool until the controller begins to pop open.

Seriously.. No.. this is CRAZY hard to get a pry tool into.. Explain more!

Napster6 -

You have to put a little force to get it into the crease and pry the bottom away from the body while gently pulling up on the face.

It's good to note that the tabs are on the front cover and pointing toward the outside of the cover for this part.

Jacob Buffington -

Die Nägel könnten mal wieder gemacht werden. ;-)

anonymous 7992 -

I came here to say that.

Megen Ashley -

Better to start in the top or bottom center of the shell, rather than where the rubber is, because the rubber will get damaged.

Walter Wu -

Step 2

Insert an opening pick into the space to keep the controller from snapping shut.

Step 3

Continue to use the prying tool down the side of the controller.
The bottom right handle will pop open.

Step 4

Slide the prying tool along the crease of the bottom of the controller.

Just for reference, there is a tab in the middle on the front cover (just above the accessory port) that points towards the inside of the controller. Pushing in a little on the plastic above the accessory port (on the backplate) may help separate seam.

Jacob Buffington - 19/01/23

Aaakaoakakakakakakakakkaka

Albert Einstein -

Step 5

Place the prying tool in the crease of the left side of the controller.
Slide the prying tool until the controller begins to pop open.

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Albert Einstein -

Step 6

Insert an opening pick into the space to keep the controller from snapping shut.

Step 7

Continue to slide the prying tool in the crease of the controller.
The bottom handle will pop open.

Step 8

Place the prying tool into the space at the top of the controller.
Slide the prying tool until the entire top half of the controller is loose.

Step 9

Remove the top half of the controller.

There is adhesive tape on the top cover above both of the rumble units and on both sides of the Xbox button. The ones above the rumble units may stick to some wires (black and gray) below the ABXY and left joystick. Be careful that they are not pulled out when removing the faceplate.

Refer to the second picture of step 10 as the black wire has come out of it's channel.

Jacob Buffington -

Step 10

Twist the analog stick counterclockwise until it comes off.

How are you twisting this off? I have tried and tried but it won’t come off

Adam Jenkins -

When unscrewing the metal dome and it keeps repeating on loop, the metal rod is twisting inside, not the metal dome. To solve this problem, I used small needle-nose pilers to hold the rod in place and another pair of pilers to twist the metal dome off. Just move the stick forward or back to see the metal rod. On the rod where the metal dome is screwed in, look for a rectangular section for the pilers to hold onto. It may take some force to get it off, due to the thread-locking adhesive others posted about here.

Matt Bolek -

@mattbolek My metal dome won't stay screwed on. How acn i fix that

Yelir -

For anyone who finds this step difficult, you may not be able to hand-loosen this part. I used pliers carefully.

Jeremy -

I spent probably around 45 minutes trying to take the thing off. Got it turning with some pliers but it always locked back into place after a full turn to the left. Eventually I gave up and realized it’s possible to continue without removing the stick at all…

cdom -

I am currently facing the same issue, but now I notice the joystick physically grinding and sticking when I push up where it won't snape back into place. How did you get around that?

Nathan Ujda -

Great tips here - a pair of gentle pliers did it for me as well.

Garland Smith -

You can actually skip this step entirely by just moving the dome the left or up (for whatever sensor you're blowing out) and using a pair of needle tip tweezers to open the sensor cover to blow it out. This will help avoid damaging the dome.

If you do elect to using pliers instead, wrap the tips in electrical tape or rubber bands to avoid damaging the dome's teeth.

Jacob Buffington -

How do I can I fix it if it doesn’t snap back into place ?

OG WICK -

Is this some kind of joke? I'm pretty sure my stick is broken now. It's not "unscrewing" at all.

xnamkcor X -

This was VERY tight for me as well. I used pliers on a rubber glove to give it grip without the plier's teeth causing damage to the cover. Once it was loosened, I put the thumb stick back on and slowly unscrewed it.

Will Maiden -

I used the long stick (the single one comes with the controller) and twisted to have this work. Pliers was not necessary on my attempt. If you only have regular stick, it may be necessary for you to get the plier.

Seung Woo Lee -

The metal domes covering the sticks are held in place with a thread-locking adhesive (something like "Loctite"). The way to defeat thread-lock is with heat to loosen the glue-bond. If heat is used, it would be advisable to use damp cloths to surround the entire controller to help dissipate heat from the plastic in the controller. Use a hairdryer or heatgun on it's lower heat setting first and direct the heat onto the center of the dome. Try not to apply too much heat if possible.

Use the long stick if available to help offer more surface area to grab, and twist. Try twisting by hand first. Only resort to a wrench as a last resort. Too much torque on the stick may permanently damage the stick mechanism.

If the stick mechanism is damaged during the dome-removal process, the entire controller is NOT permanently destroyed. The stick mechanism can be replaced, and it can be done with a bit of relatively light investment in tools or with tools already owned.

Sheldon Erickson -

I think my dome is busted from this - cant get it off anymore. Can you point me to a guide to forcibly remove the dome so I can replace it? I can't seem to find a guide covering this specific problem,

Jack Reitman -

Rather than say, "Twist the analog stick counterclockwise until it comes off."

This should be worded, "Unscrew the analog stick counterclockwise until it comes off. To aid in unscrewing this you can put a joystick on it for a better grip."

Scott Ellison -

I'm stuck here. Used a pliers to carefully unscrew the stick because it was too tight, but now it feels like its stripped - when I unscrew, the dome starts to back out and then then suddenly tightens back up again way too much. Just repeats on this loop. Pretty sure I busted the dome, which I don't mind replacing, but now I don't even know how to forcibly remove the dome. Is this even possible?

Jack Reitman -

I followed what you said , very tight was this , but still is as now it’s Brocken the white plastic centre, there is 2 underneath the dome and now 1 has snapped.

So this process is not very good. I am left with a true broken elite 2 controler. Thanks

Gts2pro -

Umm guys the end of a screwdriver with the replaceable tips that like 1/4 in six point end that looks like a socket end. Put that over it without the thumb stick on it press firm and twist counter clockwise. Only will damage if you don’t press firm and you let it slip.

Erik Henson -

Step 11

Use a spudger to open the sensor.

Just a note:

The sensor on the right (pictured being popped open by the spudger) controls the X axis (left and right)

The sensor on the bottom (not touched by photos) controls the Y axis (up and down).

Depending on which way your stick is drifting, make sure you clean the appropriate sensor. I cleaned both of them just for thoroughness.

Lord Meowmers -

The spudger included in the essentials toolkit was too large to fit in the small holes. The smallest size flathead bit that came in the set was the perfect size though.

cdom -

Step 12

Place the tip of the straw from the can of compressed air into space near the sensor.
Spray the can of compressed air until the sensor is free of debris.
Do not get the liquid from the can of compressed air into the sensor or anywhere in the controller.

I used a can of Contact Cleaner. Worked great.

Scott Ellison -

Step 13

Use a spudger to close the sensor.

The joystick is now getting stuck on the right side. Anybody else experienced this?

Jaji -

It's as if just poking a stick into a joystick assembly and prying off a part to clean under it is a bad idea...

xnamkcor X -

To fix my issue I needed to leave a 'tiny' gap between the sensor and the body helped. I slid a little electrical tape between the two to keep a small separation which did the job.

Will Maiden -

Step 14

Replace the analog stick, and twist to the right until it tightens.

It is really, really important at this step to apply some threadlocker or other mild adhesive to the threads of the joystick before threading it back on.

Brett -

Step 15

Place the top half of the controller back onto the bottom half.
Push on the bottom, top, and sides until they snap together.

Twisting the Joystick to the left did not work. My controller is now broken. Awesome

Ryan Jacob -

This is NOT fixing stick drift- this is replacing a stick- learn how to properly say what you're doing- this isn't a FIX it's a replacement- morons

Gary Busey -

Perfekt, Danke für den Tipp.

Ab Schritt 11 hat's funktioniert. Gummi war etwas verschoben.

2 Pads wieder einsatzbereit 🙌

Gato Negro -

This will likely damage the rubber surface of your controller DURING STEP #1. Think about whether it would be better just to pay the $80 out of warranty repair to Microsoft vs. the ratty junkyard appearance that will result with a DIY cleaning attempt.

Walter Wu -

Official XBox support actually put out a repair video - and in that video the repair person started prying off the top shell from the top center, then worked his way around each side. If you do that, you won’t damage the rubber. Step 1 of thus video is a massive fail for iFIXIT.

Walter Wu -

Author

Aliyah Castaneda

Member since: 17/11/21

1285 Reputation

22 comments

very good guide way easier to follow then others i’ve seen :) Thanks

munch483 -

Maybe im just too scared to totally ruin/ rip/ snap or otherwise DESTROY this thing or stab myself with a pry tool but it seems like this is WAY harder then the pictures/guide make it out to be. The top face plate is FAR FAR FAR harder to release then the guide says.. Its not like a regular controller AT ALL.. I have cut myself to the point of blood now with the sheer effort of trying to push a pry tool between the seam EXATLY where the picture shows.. It did NOT help at all.

Napster6 - 23/09/22

Hey Napster, You are very right. I bought this controller preowned and there are slice marks in the rubber where the person tried to open it and failed. I was able to open with out a terrible amount of difficulty by using the thin metal wedger tool thingy from the ifixit kit while simultaneously holding portions open with the blue triangle. Try pushing the tip of whatever your using to the bottom half of the controller then in a little more and then pry up. (near the b button). If it pops the top half out a little then wedge a placeholder in there then try the other side. Once you get both sides try a little lower near the vibrator then same for the other side and by then it should be easy enough to open with your hands. I struggled heavily the first time but found this was the easiest way. Good luck!

Jake H -

This is such an awesome guide! Fixed my controller drift and a saved me a ton of money in the long run. Thanks so much!

Lord Meowmers -

I had issues with numerous parts of this guide.

As others mentioned, opening the case is quite difficult. I found that using the metal Jimmy tool included in the Essential Electronics Toolkit helped to loosen up the right-side seam enough so that the middle of the right-side seam was where I was first able to insert a pick. Once I was finally able to get the whole thing open, I noticed there was a small amount of adhesive which the Jimmy may have helped to slice apart.

I was not able to remove the joystick at all despite being able to rotate it as instructed. I found that I was able to access the sensor for cleaning as described without removing the stick at all. But, on that note, the spudger included in the Essential Electronics Toolkit was too large to open the sensor gap. The smallest flathead bit included in the kit fit perfectly. FWIW, the spudger pictured is not the same one included in the toolkit…

cdom -

&&^&@@ my controller up opened it good and could not twist it off so i grabbed a wrench moved the black joystick to the left clamped on it and pull up popped out did it yo the other and blew so hard with my mouth made me feel like i was gonna die from not having air in my body so after i do that i mess with the sticks and it’s sticking to the sides like spider man so i’m like wtf is goin on so now i get the wrench and try fixing it by pulling it to the middle and pushing it down and the middle long metal part is bent so i was trying to level it in the middle with the wrench and when i did i went to high flew past it with the wrench and hit my fingers cutting it made me bleed so now i’m bleeding my controller is &&^&@@ so after i decide to hit it with a jack hammer to hope it goes down and it did a little so i popped the frame back on and closed and and try to turn on the controller the &&^&^$^ home button is pushed in stuck and csnt even use my controller and yes my sticks is still sticky with a bad drift

o p -

Or you could get a vacuum and suck the debris without opening the controller lmao

Nuri Ali -

Well! This guide helped a lot! I almost bought new joysticks and about to replace the one that was drifting. When using the spudger on the sides of a new controller (step 3), I found it easier to "pry" the bottom out while pushing the top up.
Another tip, you don't need to remove the domes to access the sensor covers. You can move the dome aside and us a pair of angled fine point tweezers to pry off the sensor cover and blow it out.

I took a few images to share if possible. Of using the tweezers to access the covers and an overall shot of the under the top portion to see where the tabs are to avoid breaking them when removing the cover (broke two tabs on a previous controller since there was no guide at the time)

Jacob Buffington -

Is there such thing as reporting a guide for being damaging?

xnamkcor X -

Great guide, easy to follow but my controller is still drifting :'(

Charlotte (Chiru) - 13/04/23

Dont reccomend as now i have done this other than my left stick and rt and lt nothing responds now 👍waste of £150

Conner Hitchcott -

Obviously we are very sorry that your analogs are no longer responding but following this guide it is very difficult that they broke. Unfortunately the repairs are like this, you have to be very precise, for this at the beginning of each guide there is the level of difficulty, next time if you notice that a guide is considered very difficult consider the repair by experienced people. I wish you a good stay on the site and the best for your controller🙂

Andrea Alfani -

I appreciate the guide and pictures. I used a plastic guitar pick style spudger to pop open the right side (I am right handed) and put heavy guitar picks in the gap to prevent the faceplate from clicking back into place. I worked to the bottom and got it undone first, then did the top portion above the Xbox button. Once those were done getting the left side of the face was very simple. There was also foam pad adhesive between my faceplate and just above the rumble motors in the grips. I too used a small flathead to pop the sensors to the side. I am surprised that all it took was a few blasts of air to get it back to good again. Do remember to hit both sensors pretty well. I just snapped the faceplate back on, starting from the left and finished on the right. This is an easy to medium difficulty. The snaps are pretty sturdy and forgiving, but not made of mythril so still do work on them carefully.

Nicolas Guerra-Contreras -

Did this a couple of times but still drifting unfortunately. I would really like one of these guides to actually try and explain what the problem is with the sensor because the amount of violence I've had to apply to this thing feels disproportionate with the lack of knowledge I have about what I am trying to achieve. Dust or debris does not seem to be the cause of the drift for me. "Drift" in fact feels more like the stick sensor just gets stuck on positive or negative y values with a huge dead zone in the middle so inputs will suddenly read or stick. X axis is fine.

If anyone could go into detail on how this sensor works and what would cause such stickiness it might be a bit more helpful than "wrench this thing open and blast some air into it ya nerd"

Andreas -

The guides are studied by users in the best way to make them as accurate as possible, if the drift still continues it means that you need to change the analog engine, you can find out how to do this by accessing your controller page and following the step by step guide.

Andrea Alfani -

I've physically taken one of these sticks apart as well as the sub-assembly of the potentiometers to study under a stereoscope. I've found that for whatever reason the UP/DOWN on the left stick develops craters inside the potentiometer, the carbon track rubs off, but particularly in the middle around the center ring that is supposed to stay in constant contact. The outer-ring contains the wipers that are responsible for finding the degree of rotation, the inner just passes that on but seems to wear out first. On one side the spring-metal that was supposed to touch this inner area, was physically malformed, likely by catching on the missing edge of said crater. But with those spots worn through you won't get any reading until you travel past the damaged track and it will suddenly jump.

Roobotics -

Really awesome guide for opening any official Xbox controller. The only thing I'd add would be a note to explain to people the feel and sounds of opening the controller. At times it feels/sounds like you're genuinely going to break something but in actuality they're extremely durable when opening (just not when using LOL)

My first time opening a controller I was so scared to break something more than I could fix and had so much anxiety, but gotdayum they can take a lot 🤣 all the popping and clicking is scary at first but it's completely normal so don't worry guys and gals!

Oscar Hobson - 16/02/24

The removal of the face plate and unscrewing is a million times more difficult than this makes it out to be, but it's definitely worth it.

I took the risk and used a damp toothbrush for it and went on a rollercoaster after accidentally disassembling and breaking the up/down potentiometer, but I managed to push it all back together - just a warning to anyone trying to do this.

And yes, the joystick does unscrew, it just takes a lot of force and takes quite a while.

undefined0 -

how do we get new sensors?

Jomel Jones -

Does anyone know where I can find the contact pins (J15-J22) for the paddle buttons for the elite series 2 that go on to the analogue board. Been trying for days and still can't find them

Stretchable -

Just pretrace the pattern with a screwdriver or utility knife, then the top pops right off.

Timothy Humeniuk -

I used a boxt hat plugs into a wall for charging phones ect to open my controller, I see other people might be scared to damage it but started from the RB and went to the LB down, and used a strong needle to get the sensors off and back in! did it fix my stick drift idk yet to find out

Gauge smith -