Vizio 70" E701I-A3 - Picture went out like *snap* that! No picture, have tried replacement boards!

[farnell121]

My dad got this TV about 5 or 6 months ago and he has had no issues with it at all. The TV would probably be on for about 3 to 4 hours a day maximum. About a week ago, he was watching something and right before his eyes the picture went out (no popping noise or any electronic failure sound). Audio was going through Home Theatre system which continues as the TV speakers had been set to off.

When powering the TV on, The power light comes up and seems to be solid with a slight flickering. The back-light comes on but the display remains black. When using the volume buttons on the TV or remote, the back light will brighten and then fade to normal brightness. At this point I assumed the video board might be bad, and that there really wasn't any power issue. However, at the cost of the TV and the components only costing about $60, I bought a replacement power board and Video Board, none of which solved the problem.

My next bet is to buy a T-con board, but everywhere I've seemed to look doesn't really show that this will solve the problem. I have even tried resetting the TV via button combos but nothing seemed to do anything. Could the actual display have gone out?? Please, if anyone has any suggestions for us to try it would be much appreciated! And we no longer have the receipt to this TV so I dont think there is any way to return this for repairs. Thanks again!!

 

[moyism]

Got my certified replacement 701i-A3E today!

I wasn't home but had a good friend be home for me so he could walk the delivery crew through. Was through Manna which got outsourced to Ultimate Logistics. They called me late afternoon the day before confirming delivery today between 12-4PM; shortly got an text it was from 1-5PM instead.

Anyway due to them running late (at least their dispatch called to let me know), they got to my place around 5PM. Heard the process was pretty quick, they tested all connections and took just the old TV itself... so now I have 2 remotes and spare power cord LOL.

So far so good after testing/watching for a good hour. Everything looks good and pretty much brand new (yay no more white/lighter spots). Also pretty sure the firmware on the TV is newer than my old one, which is nice.

Probably going to wait a week or two before I call and confirm how much extended warranty is but otherwise I'm pretty happy with the process. Good to have a working Vizio set again

This was exactly my same experience. My 701i-A3 was purchased on Amazon in October of 2013 and my set has all the same symptoms. Sound and backlight are on but no picture. I called Vizio customer support and gave them my model and serial number and was informed that this model is eligible for a 2 yr replacement with a certified replacement program that "is not a recall". I uploaded the shipment invoice from amazon to the rep while on the phone and she processed my replacement immediately. I should have my new TV in a few weeks.

I know this is sort of an old thread but just wanted to put my 2cents in as well...

Just like a lot of folks in this thread, I picked up a Vizio 70" E701-A3E during Walmart's Black Friday sale in 2013. Worked great for 1.75 years and just this past week I saw my TV display die like everyone else here. Audio fine, see display power on but no actual picture.

Called Vizio technicial support which didn't give much help and said it was out of warranty. Was given the 3rd party vendors mentioned in this thread, but even the vendors were like "we don't support the model and generally repairs due to the display panel don't work out". Called my CC (Visa via CaptialOne) and confirmed I had extended warranty so started going through their claims process... part of it being trying to get a quote from the vendor for repair etc.

Contacted Vizio again but this time went to customer support. Rep i spoke to basically said I could get a free repair if I show proof of purchase which was still 10x better than no help at all from Vizio. 24 hours plus one trip to Walmart to reprint a receipt later, contacted Vizio back again and this rep said the model was extended for an additional year warranty (due to the issues mentioned here). So instead of a repair, they're sending a certified replacement (which is not as great as some of the users here getting a newer model but can't complain). Also once I get the replacement TV, I'll have an 90 day warranty on it which I can extend if I want (still on the fence but most likely will do depending).

Will know how it goes hopefully in a few weeks as it's suppose to be delivered by Manna. But just wanted to say thanks to all who put their stories in and gave folks like myself a guide in trying to get their TV working again

For those reading and have the same issue, all I can say is try talking to customer support vs technical, since they seem more willing to help... and pray if you bought the Vizio 70" in 2013, if it does break it happens soon since that additional extended warranty will only last another 2 months...

 

[LaLa73]

We also bought this TV black friday 2013 but from amazon. I tried calling the customer service number a few posts up but was told since the TV is outside of its 1yr warranty all they could offer is a discount on another TV. Why would we buy another 2,000+ tv from this company when the other didn't even last 2yrs. No thank you. So now we are also stuck with a 70" TV that doesn't work. Was also told there was no recall on their M series TVs only the E series and it was a misconception put out by a news outlet. Horrible product and horrible customer service. I filed a complaint with BBB.

 

[budwich]

wow, alot of posts about this tv model (E70). Recently, guys on www.badcaps.net forum which is kind of "service forum" for DIY'ers and tech's have been able to "save" this sets from the dump in some cases. It appears that these sets may use Sharp based panels. Basically, they (forum) have found that the set develops an issue with the panel drivers which ARE NOT REPLACEABLE... :-( When the problem happens, it tends to take out the TCON card. Replacing the TCON is no good as the new card dies rapidly thereafter (seconds, minutes). However, the "save" that they found and most service centers will likely NOT DO (as its doesn't not repair the set back to manufacturer spec), is permanently remove the driver cables from the "bad side". The TV is designed with drivers on both sides. Once the "bad drivers" are removed and the TCON card is replaced (or can be repaired by component replacement), they have found that the TV comes back to life and basically looks like "new". The forum doesn't know how long it will operate in this mode but there are a few that have carried this out and the end result has given their set new life for now. NOTE: this type of operation is a "LAST RESORT" as once the drivers have been removed (they are bonded to the side of the panel), they can NEVER be replaced.
Anyways, I thought I would post this for information sake for those that have no recourse thru warranty or otherwise but might have the "DIY capability" with electronics or a "quest for higher hands-on learning" to save something from the e-dump.

 

[LaLa73]

Bud, I didn't mean to give you a vote down... nor do I know how to undo it! Can you give me a link to said forum? My husband is an electronics tech and we were just discussing opening up and seeing if there was anything we could play with besides the boards.

 

[teeman]

My Vizio 70" TV has experienced the same failure. Sound but no picture.
Purchased TV 12/28/2013.
Started 2 months ago with a thin horizontal line appearing near bottom of screen. This line went away about two weeks ago.
Monday the screen failed, leaving only sound, no picture. Wife said that she saw a notice on the screen earlier in the day stating the TV had just received a software upgrade or something.
Vizio did agree to replace the TV with a refurbished one because they have extended the 1 year warranty to 2 years because of this issue. Fortunately, (i guess) ours failed in 23 months rather than 25. Currently waiting the 2 weeks for delivery.
Not feeling real confidant about the replacement TV's quality at this point, but we will see.
I am very curious about the upgrade message the TV displayed a few hours before the failure. This seems unusually coincidental.
How exactly did Vizio send a "upgrade to my TV? Through my provider? Through the smart TV WI-FI? Any thoughts on the connection between the upgrade and the failure 2 hours later?

 

[budwich]

sometimes things happen as a coincident... but the "tell tale" sign was the horizontal line. That is likely an indication of a driver failure (beginning) on the side of the set. That usually takes out the TCON card at some point. Lucky you had some warranty still left.

 

[Michael_121]

sometimes things happen as a coincident... but the "tell tale" sign was the horizontal line. That is likely an indication of a driver failure (beginning) on the side of the set. That usually takes out the TCON card at some point. Lucky you had some warranty still left.

I have one of these black Friday TVs and was just about to order a tcon board from shop jimmy but have spent last two nights doing research and none explain much about bad panel other than kill tcon. well then I find this thread and don't place order but want to find out more about removing part of panel then replace tcon.

 

[Doug_user]

Thanks so much for this thread!

Mine went out last night and after finding this thread I was loaded for bear when I called Vizio. I had the best customer service you can have. The guy at Vizio took all the info then transferred me to a supervisor who confirmed it was an affected tv set and sent me an email to post my proof of purchase, which was just under the 2 year window by 2 weeks!

I uploaded last night and called this am. The customer service rep said it only had a 1 year warranty! I pushed back, he did more research and confirmed it had an extra year of warranty.

They have scheduled an onsite swap and we should be receiving a brand new tv in about 7-10 business days.

 

[Cheech0407]

Ok. My vizio went out 1day prior to the 2 year warranty coverage. I called too late to make a claim and get coverage by 4 days. They will not honor warranty so I brought it in to a repair servicer. They said it's junk and the components are all sharp products. FYI My backlighting went first. I called vizio when I noticed the problem. I was told it was not covered by 1 year warranty. Walmart does not keep records of proof of purchase past 13 months as I have lost mine. I also bought mine Black Friday 2013. I am getting the run around big time. I just want to know what exactly I need to getting it up and running again. I really don't want to buy another tv. I will keep badgering them for warranty coverage though.

 

[jasonvett]

My E701I-A3 just went out. I had a thin horizontal line across top portion for a couple weeks but now it's out completely. Bought it in Aug 2013 from Best Buy. Did not purchase extended warranty so I am simply out a lot of money. Will never buy Vizio again. Called tech support at Vizo and they said it sounds like a power supply board. LED power light comes on and I get a black glow screen but then it fades and powers off completely. Was thinking about purchasing a $40 power supply board online and replacing it as I have the back off already but all the threads here are making me it's simply junk and thinking it would be a waste of time and more money. So I dropped about $1,500 and now I am out with nothing. Frustrating as I even did my homework before buying. Back in 2013 it had good Consumer Report reviews. My old big box Mitsubishi 50" lasted almost 10 years!

 

[budwich]

don't waste your money on the power board. You have the "classic symptom".... horizontal line, you have a panel problem which takes out the tcon card. It likely can be saved as I indicated in my earlier post.

 

[deimzig]

Mine died too. Same problem as everyone else. Couldn't find the receipt and Target doesn't keep records past 12 months. So Vizio offered to sell me a 65" for $750 which is a good price but my setup is for a 70"-75". I'm shopping other brands simply because I'm so upset.

 

[yodea3ma]

don't waste your money on the power board. You have the "classic symptom".... horizontal line, you have a panel problem which takes out the tcon card. It likely can be saved as I indicated in my earlier post.

I also had the same problem, screen went black but still have audio, but I have a 70" M series and Vizio said the only thing they could do would be to send someone out at a discounted price to fix, but I had to sign that i understood if that didn't work they would not do anything else. Hell no! I paid $2200 for this POS and it want it to last more than 2 years. We did have someone come out and replace a board with no luck. He offered to pay us $40 for it. Laugh.... Anyway, I am interested in your solution for the E series. Vizio says this is a different problem but sounds exactly the same to me. I bought it in January 2014, and about 2 weeks ago the screen went black. You can see the faint blue backlight and the audio is perfect. Do you think it is the tcon card as well? Thanks for the post. I am sick about this and am willing to try anything at this point.

 

[budwich]

Although I don't know specifics about each vizio series, the likelihood may be high. The only way to know is to follow some of the troubleshooting described at badcaps.net. Most of the effort is dealing with such a large item but the actual "science" behind the "investigation" is pretty easy and a number of people (some with little understanding of TV's) have been successful in resurrecting their TVs.

 

[yodea3ma]

Although I don't know specifics about each vizio series, the likelihood may be high. The only way to know is to follow some of the troubleshooting described at badcaps.net. Most of the effort is dealing with such a large item but the actual "science" behind the "investigation" is pretty easy and a number of people (some with little understanding of TV's) have been successful in resurrecting their TVs.

Thanks, I am going to try. Have nothing to lose.

 

[tjmethod]

Hi are you looking to sell the tv and if so where are you located?
Thanks

 

[tjmethod]

Hi are you looking to sell the tv and if so where are you located?

I got my TV a year ago to the exact date - 70in, same series, and this just happened! Unfortunately I have to wait until Monday to call and I am extremely upset about this. This is not right that the same thing is happening to so many people!

 

[tjmethod]

Hit the badcaps.net/forum/ and search for Vizio E701i, you will see a posting thats almost 20 pgs long started by 'freakaftr8. This will be the manual for fixing your tv- its how I fixed mine- great guys over there… the standouts are freakaftr8, budwich and tom66. If anyone needs the transistor thats gets blown on the t-con before the set gets fixed let me know, I'll send you one for free-
TJ

It may be a few days, the site is changing over to a new server but their stores still open…

quotemsg=16327997,0,2043886]I got my TV a year ago to the exact date - 70in, same series, and this just happened! Unfortunately I have to wait until Monday to call and I am extremely upset about this. This is not right that the same thing is happening to so many people![/quotemsg]

 

[tjmethod]

Hit the badcaps.net/forum/ and search for Vizio E701i, you will see a posting thats almost 20 pgs long started by 'freakaftr8. This will be the manual for fixing your tv- its how I fixed mine- great guys over there… the standouts are freakaftr8, budwich and tom66. If anyone needs the transistor thats gets blown on the t-con before the set gets fixed let me know, I'll send you one for free-
TJ

It may be a few days, the site is changing over to a new server but their stores still open…






quotemsg=17163622,0,2146705]

don't waste your money on the power board. You have the "classic symptom".... horizontal line, you have a panel problem which takes out the tcon card. It likely can be saved as I indicated in my earlier post.

I also had the same problem, screen went black but still have audio, but I have a 70" M series and Vizio said the only thing they could do would be to send someone out at a discounted price to fix, but I had to sign that i understood if that didn't work they would not do anything else. Hell no! I paid $2200 for this POS and it want it to last more than 2 years. We did have someone come out and replace a board with no luck. He offered to pay us $40 for it. Laugh.... Anyway, I am interested in your solution for the E series. Vizio says this is a different problem but sounds exactly the same to me. I bought it in January 2014, and about 2 weeks ago the screen went black. You can see the faint blue backlight and the audio is perfect. Do you think it is the tcon card as well? Thanks for the post. I am sick about this and am willing to try anything at this point.

[/quotemsg]

 

[tjmethod]

Hit the badcaps.net/forum/ and search for Vizio E701i, you will see a posting thats almost 20 pgs long started by 'freakaftr8. This will be the manual for fixing your tv- its how I fixed mine- great guys over there… the standouts are freakaftr8, budwich and tom66. If anyone needs the transistor thats gets blown on the t-con before the set gets fixed let me know, I'll send you one for free-
TJ

It may be a few days, the site is changing over to a new server but their stores still open…





.quotemsg=16362759,0,2048554]

My dad got this TV about 5 or 6 months ago and he has had no issues with it at all. The TV would probably be on for about 3 to 4 hours a day maximum. About a week ago, he was watching something and right before his eyes the picture went out (no popping noise or any electronic failure sound). Audio was going through Home Theatre system which continues as the TV speakers had been set to off.

When powering the TV on, The power light comes up and seems to be solid with a slight flickering. The back-light comes on but the display remains black. When using the volume buttons on the TV or remote, the back light will brighten and then fade to normal brightness. At this point I assumed the video board might be bad, and that there really wasn't any power issue. However, at the cost of the TV and the components only costing about $60, I bought a replacement power board and Video Board, none of which solved the problem.

My next bet is to buy a T-con board, but everywhere I've seemed to look doesn't really show that this will solve the problem. I have even tried resetting the TV via button combos but nothing seemed to do anything. Could the actual display have gone out?? Please, if anyone has any suggestions for us to try it would be much appreciated! And we no longer have the receipt to this TV so I dont think there is any way to return this for repairs. Thanks again!!

What does the model number start with? I had the same issue read about bad chip assembly and was told it was not my model. Waiting for my warranty people to call on the extended warranty to get it fixed. Wondering if there is an issue with certain model numbers again.

[/quotemsg]