removing dialetic grease?

[hardw1re]

Ok, i've come across a problem. The reason why i was getting that condensation on the back of my case was caused by too much dialetic grease, causing the seal string to not make an effective seal. So yesterday i took the lot apart and spent ages trying to get as much of it off as possible, but this stuff is a right b**ch to remove and i have gotten some in between the pins of the cpu and in the socket it self - thus i have done numerous tests with my motherboard. The board will turn on without a cpu in it. but wont with a cpu in. - i used the A64 stock hs to speed up the tests. So the question is this, a) my cpu is either dead from me refitting the mach II head or b) it cant work as pins cant make contact due to being greased up - i'm expecting it to be cause of the grease in the socket and on the cpu pins. So, i really need to know this: how do you effectively remove dialetic grease?

Thanks,

HW

 

[Master_G]

The CPU should work fine with dielectric grease in the socket, vapochills use this as their method of condensation protection so it doesnt stop the CPU working.

To remove it my prefered method is white spirit and kitchen towel, with an old toothbrush (ie soft bristles) for the socket.

To clean the CPU pins, put a bit of the solvent in the bottom of a small plastic tub, and then you can swill the pins in the stuff and that gets the stuff off very quickly, and use the toothbrush to get any large bits out from the pins.

There are many things you can use with dielectric grease, pure alcohol, white spirit, any contact cleaner suitable for electronics, everyone has their own favs.

Hope this helps.

G

 

[HARRY]

i used pure alcohol and cotton buds to do my gpu

 

[hardw1re]

cool thanks guyz. think its too late to get down to B&Q tonight i think its just that the grease is none - conductive and so i think its kinda caused the pins to not be able to make electrical contact. Might be wrong though. If i clear up the grease and the board stil dont turn on then the cpu itself must be dead. Anyway once i've sorted it all i'll let you lot know whats happened.

 

[Master_G]

If the grease was conductive then your CPU would definately be dead, it would essentially connect all the pins and all their contacts together, which would not be good.

The pins and their contacts work through contact, and the pins should be able to push through the grease to get to the contact as long as it is pushed down firmly enough. Grease should only really cause problems when you have put a tonne in the socket and cant the chip in properly.

Good luck with the cleaning, fingers crossed for the chip.

G

 

[hardw1re]

think i've killed the cpu when putting the mach head back on to be honest

 

[Master_G]

Do you know what you did to it to kill it? Now they have IHS's and thermal probes to shut down if they get too hot they are generally quite hard to kill.

G

 

[Wingz]

to remove the grease, get some Electrical Solvent Cleaner from maplins which does the job nicely (when i had my Mach II) and get a tootbrush to remove the grease from the cpu pins.

 

[hardw1re]

i've read somewhere that if u screw them on too tight you can crush the corce.... which i think i've done....

 

[Wingz]

i've read somewhere that if u screw them on too tight you can crush the corce.... which i think i've done....

the heatspreader on the cpu is there to stop the core from being crushed. so unless there is a indent on the heatspreader i doubt the core is crushed.

 

[hardw1re]

oh right. then there must just be something stopping it from working..... ( ? )

Any idea's what i could try to get the cpu to work?

 

[fatty]

You said the mobo works without the cpu in it?? If so the cpu if it is damaged wont stop the mobo working it should just throw up a fault.....Clear your cmos....are you sure you used dialetic grease and not someat out of the old chip pan ??? as the other guys said dialetic grease is non conductive i used a contact cleaner spray to get mine off you can buy it at either auto shops or hardware shops make sure it is the stuff that leaves no residue it will say on the can check to make sure you havent shorted anything on the mobo also check to make sure you havent pulled any components off with seal string

 

[hardw1re]

lol. yeah im sure this time i havent removed any of the components through seal string. the grease was making a think layer over all the components so it wasnt amazingly sticky. The grease is proper stuff i had Phil send it to me, (well i purchased a tube). Dow Corning DC4. You reckon B&Q will sell this stuff as its a 2 minute walk round the corner and i can't be ****d in going all the way into sheffield center. I'll try some white spirit on the pins maybe. Yeah with the cpu in tthe board it won't power up. i have checked the board and this msi one is very hard to make a short on it.

 

[fatty]

Yeah b&q should have someat for you its electrical contact cleaner I use in a spray can

 

[hardw1re]

Had to do the trek into center and get the electrical solvent cleaner from maplin. Also picked up some pcb laquer to use this time round. In reguards of the solvent cleaner and the pins on the chip, whats best spray the chip or spray a brush and run the brush through the pins. wot u think?

 

[cavemanep]

Dude - as you saw - I'm going through the same thing - I used the spray out the can and it worked wonders - just blew the Dow Corning away - wasted most of the can but it was most satisfying and v. effective!