Ok thanks mate, I've been experimenting more with mine and if definately never comes on when I first boot up. Sometimes later but seems weaker than I would expect. Pretty sure a new fan is needed!

In my experience anyone you get on the phone just gives the same troublshooting information as on the website. Is it in a well venitllated spot? Is the power supply plugged directly to the wall? Etc, etc. Well you better send it to us.

Are you able to confirm how the fan behaves on your Wii U?

So my Wii U has been having the 'flashing red light' issue and I have been trying to figure out/solve the problem. Specifically I'll be using the Wii U and it will suddenly power off and the power light flashes red. The console will not power on again until I unplug the power supply and plug it in again (yes I know to wait 90 seconds!).

Before people say 'send to back to Nintendo' know that it is out of warranty (launch model), so before I go though the cost of sending it to the other side of the country (I live in Perth, Western Australia) I want to see if I can fix the problem myself.

However researching the issue online I've found it hard to find good information. So I'm wondering if anyone here has answers.

Specifically:

Does anyone know exactly what the red flashing light means? I have read that it can indicate overheating or issues with the power supply, but can ayone confirm this? Anything else it could be indicating?

Is the Wii U's fan supposed to come on as soon as the console is turned on? Or does it come on only when the console is starting to get hot? I suspect this is the source problem with my Wii U as the fan on mine does not come on right away. Only noticed this today so I don't know if/when the fan does turn on. I image anyone with a Wii U (everyone here?) could check what their system does, I never thought to see what mine did when it was working.

Anyone know where I can get a replacement Wii U fan?

Thanks for any help!