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Thermal paste in my socket...

W

Whisperfang

Gawd
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
860
How do i safely remove Arctic Silver 5 from the pins on my LGA socket? It's been pushed down in between several pins (dont ask).
 
The only thing I can think of is remove the battery and poor rubbing alcohol into the grid. I don't know though so wait for other feedback.

You're probably screwed.:(
 
I have arctic cleaning fluids, but none of their instructions say it's ok to put on the socket.
 
Ouch that is indeed a tough one, I haven't really looked at the socket in detail (I generally don't spend a lot of time with my proc out) but if the pins look sturdy enough see if you can use some fine pointed object to get it out. Also perhaps if you could find a way to spray alcohol on it, do that with the board upside down. Totally guessing here, as I have no idea how I would even deal with that problem, aside from cry lol.
 
find a very soft toothbrush (the box should say very fine or very soft bristles), dip it in 90% alcohol and slowly work your way through the pins...
 
screwballl said:
find a very soft toothbrush (the box should say very fine or very soft bristles), dip it in 90% alcohol and slowly work your way through the pins...
Click to expand...

And don't rush. Work, rest, repeat, etc. Keep us posted.
 
Look, I'm not going to sugar coat this. Are you sitting down? The prognosis is not good. Even the world’s best Arctic Silver 5 removal surgeon would give you maybe a 50 / 50 chance for a full recovery. :(

Actually, what I would do is remove the board from the case. Flip it upside down and place it between two tables so you can work on it. Use a little alcohol on an ultra fine brush to dab the thermal grease out. Working on it upside down should help keep the alcohol from flowing into the socket. Your biggest issue is that Arctic Silver 5 is conductive and you have to get it all out to have any chance.
 
i got some AS5 on my ds3l board, cleaned up fine with 90% alcohol and fine tip quetips. mobo never even noticed that i stuck goo and a quetip in its socket......
 
I'd use some isopropyl alcohol (90ish% is okay to use, but it'll take longer to dry). Invert the mainboard, surround the "socket" area with a cloth or other item to catch overspray. Spray the IPA with a squirt bottle up into the "socket" until it is all flushed out.

Spray with some compressed air, then let dry for awhile.
 
Those pens bend very very very easy. You need to be extra-extra-careful when even touching them. They're also practically impossible to bend back.

Had to RMA my P5E-VM HDMI after bending pins.. Newegg wouldn't take it, took ASUS 3 weeks to get it back. :rolleyes:
 
Jonnycat99 said:
Spray with some compressed air, then let dry for awhile.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about compressed air as well. Then I thought maybe not, because the compressed air would probably drive any residue deeper into the socket.
 
msabo said:
I was thinking about compressed air as well. Then I thought maybe not, because the compressed air would probably drive any residue deeper into the socket.
Click to expand...

The compressed air was only recommended to be used after the heatsink compound had been dissolved out with the alcohol.

It is only used to facilitate a faster drying of the IPA.

My apologies for not making that more clear.
 
this has happened to me twice, sadly, i just pay the $25 fee and get the motherboard replaced to save myself the headache of trying to fix it myself
 
CedarScott said:
I'm sorry, but I must, HOW did you do that exactly? Sorry for asking, but I dont want to make the same mistake? :eek:
Click to expand...

For those wondering i guess i'll explain. I had too much AS5 on the cpu/heatsink but it was fine. What happened is that there was enough extra around the edges of the heatsink to get on the bracket that forces the CPU into the socket. I didn't really notice it and after take the CPU out the bracket fell down, depositing some AS5 onto the pins. I grabbed a can of compressed air with the intention of blowing it out, but it wasn't powerful enough and only served to push deep into the pins. Hence, my problem.
 
DO NOT use rubbing alcohol, it has water in it, which makes it a little risky(for me anyway). USE denatured alcohol(methylated spirits)
 
Jonnycat99 said:
The compressed air was only recommended to be used after the heatsink compound had been dissolved out with the alcohol.

It is only used to facilitate a faster drying of the IPA.

My apologies for not making that more clear.
Click to expand...

Do we actually know that alcohol is a solvent for AS5? That's the important thing if you want to use solvent action to clean it up.

I'd be more tempted to start trying with a zero residue contact cleaner/degreaser spray - it isn't just alcohol but the spray itself leave no residue. The other solvents would probably be better at removing AS. Most thermal pastes I've come in contact with are oily, which alcohol won't really do anything for. It's only benefit would be quick evaporation compared to water.
 
Like i said, i have Arctic Silver cleaning solution bottles (both 1 & 2). But the instructions do not mention a CPU socket. I do not want to put it in the socket and have it ruin traces or something.

Does anyone know if its safe to put a few drops of it into the socket to dissolve the AS5?
 
99% Isopropanol would be the best bet.It's safe for most electronics.Also , electronics degreaser would work as well (mostly iso) , and it's easy to use as it's in a spray can.

Also , yes Isopropanol will dissolve as5.

I would avoid actually touching the pins with anything , they are fragile beyond belief.
 
BrainEater said:
99% Isopropanol would be the best bet.It's safe for most electronics.Also , electronics degreaser would work as well (mostly iso) , and it's easy to use as it's in a spray can.

Also , yes Isopropanol will dissolve as5.

I would avoid actually touching the pins with anything , they are fragile beyond belief.
Click to expand...

thats why I suggested a very soft toothbrush... I have seen this before and cleaned up up the way I mentioned above
 
Whisperfang said:
I have arctic cleaning fluids, but none of their instructions say it's ok to put on the socket.
Click to expand...
Because they probably assume your never going to let it get in the socket.

Bottom line is, you let something get somewhere it doesn't belong. There is no 'safe' method to clean it because it's not supposed to happen.:D

I like the idea someone posted about using a soft bristle tooth brush. Maybe one of those baby ones.
 
Hey , if you've seen it work , it's a great suggestion , by all means.

I myself have brushes that would probably be ok too...but having actually been able to destroy a socket 775 board , I tried out various methods of damaging those little pins.If that brush is too stiff , it's over.

-----

:D
 
If you find Anhydrous Isopropyl Alcohol (You can buy it a huge ass bottle at Fry's for around $7) doesn't work on AS5, try Simple Green, diluted to a 3:1 ratio of Hot Water/Simple Green in a spray bottle. Then rinse the board in distilled water, and let it air dry out on the patio or something. I've had good luck removing nicotine and other nasties (including the Arctic Silver cleaning kit) from motherboards with that combo.
 
airbatica said:
If you find Anhydrous Isopropyl Alcohol (You can buy it a huge ass bottle at Fry's for around $7) doesn't work on AS5, try Simple Green, diluted to a 3:1 ratio of Hot Water/Simple Green in a spray bottle. Then rinse the board in distilled water, and let it air dry out on the patio or something. I've had good luck removing nicotine and other nasties (including the Arctic Silver cleaning kit) from motherboards with that combo.
Click to expand...

Considering the nearest Fry's is over 7 hours away, that wont work. At this point i'm thinking i may just toss the board. It's most likely fried anyway (read my thread in the Intel Mobo section), but if it turned out the CPU was fried instead i wanted to clean it up and get it running. At this point though, it looks like a ton of work to remove this stuff and if my CPU turns out OK it wont be worth it.
 
I would use brake parts cleaner:

http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=028810&h=080304009&p=1

Be careful with it though! It's not exactly good for your health. I would tape off the other areas of the board. Then, take the board out of the case, and go outside with it. Carefully spray the stuff onto the socket, where it will remove any and all AS5 and any other oils that may be present. It should dry very quickly.

That's all I'll use to clean heatsinks and CPU's. It works so quickly and so much better than alcohol it isn't even funny. Even a little bit on a towel will clean off a heatsink or processor almost instantly.
 
If you use Simple Green, brake cleaner, whatever - you can rinse with distilled water, THEN with isopropyl alcohol. Water and alcohol dissolve in each other, the alcohol will evaporate much faster (taking water with it) and make the process faster and more complete. You want to be sure any water in the tiny nooks and crannies of the socket is gone.

FYIMG Chemicals makes a huge line of purpose-specific cleaners, degreasers, contact cleaners and enhancers which are often at your local electronics supply store (NOT computer supplies, NOT chain stores). I use one of their zero-residue cleaner/degreasers and it's a great product. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel this would be more effective than straight isopropyl alcohol.
 
My thoughts are to use a electronic cleaning solvent spray (pressure can style with long tube nozzle). More the force of the spray to move the stuff out once its softened is more the idea here. Give it a good flushing. The stuff I buy drys very quick and no residue.

They say AS5 is non-conductive but has some capacitance effect (still not the best for fast, small signals).
 
The only correct answer is to dump the motherboard and get another one by whatever means possible. Do not even mess with trying to clean it out. The way I see it is I would rather replace a mobo then a mobo and a processor. I could be wrong but I see the chances of frying the processor quite high.
 
had once AS5 on the pins of a CPU , used lighter fluid and a soft toothbrush to remove it.Worked perfectly fine and dried out fast. Would be carefull not to get it near plastic parts on ur mobo though.
 
From the Arctic Silver website, this is why I wouldn't use any compressed air. Just let it dry naturally....

Arctic Silver 5 was formulated to conduct heat, not electricity.
(While much safer than electrically conductive silver and copper greases, Arctic Silver 5 should be kept away from electrical traces, pins, and leads. While it is not electrically conductive, the compound is very slightly capacitive and could potentially cause problems if it bridges two close-proximity electrical paths.)
 
Surly73 said:
If you use Simple Green, brake cleaner, whatever - you can rinse with distilled water, THEN with isopropyl alcohol. Water and alcohol dissolve in each other, the alcohol will evaporate much faster (taking water with it) and make the process faster and more complete. You want to be sure any water in the tiny nooks and crannies of the socket is gone.

FYIMG Chemicals makes a huge line of purpose-specific cleaners, degreasers, contact cleaners and enhancers which are often at your local electronics supply store (NOT computer supplies, NOT chain stores). I use one of their zero-residue cleaner/degreasers and it's a great product. As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel this would be more effective than straight isopropyl alcohol.
Click to expand...
yeap, clean it with crc brake clean
317PKWWY7WL._SS400_.jpg
 
Oh I forgot to mention in my previous post, that you'll want to have the board upside down so when you spray the socket the stuff will drip / fall off instead of running down on the rest of the board.

Brake cleaner leaves no residue of any kind if you get all the contaminant (AS5) removed, so there should be no need to rinse. Let it dry and go.
 
I'd be worried that ALL types of brake cleaner that the OP may find may not be compatible with all of the parts on the mobo, since brake cleaners are very powerful degreasers, compared to some of the milder ones from electronics chemical companies. There are at least two major categories of brake cleaner sprays - chlorinated and non-chlorinated. Beyond that there could be numerous formulations.

I am sure, however, that it will clean the AS5 off :)
 
High purity isopropyl or arctic cleaner would work just fine to clean it out. Just use small q-tips or a soft toothbrush to _slowly_ clean it off. Assuming you haven't turned it on like that, it should work just fine.
 
I had this happen once. Luckily, I had a very "pasty" thermal grease. I took a Mag glass to see better, and a safety pin to gently pull excess crap out of the pins. It worked like a charm.

Sadly, my kids saw me working on the board and decided that they could fix it better than me while I went to answer the phone. It made it to the test bed, but never back to the case :(
 
yah dude those pins are VERY fragile. i bent one with my socket 775 PLASTIC COVER before i RMA'd it. luckily the RMA wasn;t refused. i barely put any pressure, the edge of it just slipped and pressed on a pin and then i was like oh crap...
 
Turn the board upside down...(you can hang it between two tables), after removing the BIOS battery. Soak the socket with acetone based fluid...but do not use any tools or brushes to 'rub' anything or you'll certainly disturb the pins. Blow dry with canned compressed air from a dust-off cleaning sprayer.
 
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