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| Click here to select a new forum. | | Can't open up PB 160! | Posted by: JRL on 2008-04-07 18:02:32
On both of my new PB's, the bottom screws are stuck and don't budge when I use my Torx screwdrivers! How can I unstick these screws so I can take the dead floppy drive out on one of them?
| Posted by: Dan 7.1 on 2008-04-07 19:39:25
well are they "stuck" or stripped? if they're stripped...i'm not sure. the screws are countersunk to the point where you would not be able to easily dremel a line for a flatblade.
if the teeth of the screws are still in good condition then you might try some WD-40. its worked for me in the past.
keyword is some. just spritz a little into the holes and shake the laptop a little bit to work the stuff down in there and let em sit for a minute or so. then try again.
| Posted by: JRL on 2008-04-09 16:41:01
Not trying to act stupid, but the can says it shouldn't touch electrical connections... Do I risk setting the PB on fire?
| Posted by: Franklinstein on 2008-04-09 23:43:50
One of the bad things about old PowerBooks is that sometimes the screws were installed a little too tight, either by the factory or an overzealous repair person. This can lead to two conditions: broken screw mounts, and seized screws.
WD-40 would probably be the best bet for trying to get those screws out. If I were you, I would grab a box of Q-tips. Then, I'd take one of the Q-tips, soak one end in WD-40, and dip it into each screw hole. Maybe spin it around some in there, and resoak it for each screw.
Then, I'd let it sit for half an hour before I went in there and tried to extract the screws. Assuming this works, I would then remove the screws and take a dry Q-tip to each hole and attempt to soak up as much WD-40 as possible.
This may need to be done on some of the interior screws, as well. Be careful near the logic board. Make sure to clean up any excess WD-40, particularly near ESD-sensitive devices.
On reassembly, I would then install the screws to the point that they are snug, but not really tight. The plastic on those things is often quite brittle by now.
There really isn't a risk of explosion from WD-40, so long as you remove the battery and power adapter before you start spraying that junk willy-nilly. That warning is there mostly so people don't spray it in live light switches or electric motors or other such things.
Good luck!
| Posted by: JRL on 2008-04-10 19:36:10
I've only gotten the port screw to loosen. I will try again later, though.
EDIT:Uuurghh! I've just realized that one of the bottom screws are actually damaged too! If I try to turn on the PB at this point, will it be alright? I haven't used WD-40 on the internal screws yet.
This is what I did so far:
1:Carefully sprayed WD-40 on a cotton swab
2:Rubbed each hole plus the port screw.
I've since cleaned the screw holes with a cotton swab.
Suggestions?
| Posted by: JRL on 2008-04-14 14:19:01
Oh great! Now I have to take the ram out of the other PB 160, and WD-40 isn't really helping! Is there another solution?
| Posted by: equill on 2008-04-14 15:35:33
The nut-in-a-pillar inside most 100-series PBs is made of brass, and it is embedded in a pillar of ABS plastic which is integral with the case top or bottom at each location. The externally-accessible case-retaining screws are not brass, but they are metal-thread rather than a coarse pitch for plastic. It takes only the slightest corrosion between the dissimilar metals to form a 'cement' between them.
If you exert too much force when you attempt to undo a case screw you risk turning the brass 'nut' within its ABS pillar, which immediately smashes the plastic pillar. End of utility of the pillar, and it is a pain to reconstruct one using Araldite or the like, if you ever find the fragments of pillar.
The approach most likely to produce successful deconstruction (as opposed to destruction) is as already suggested to you. Spray a little release-agent onto your Torx-8 screwdriver tip to form a drop on its tip. Then place the drop of WD-40 or RP7 into each recess in the case where you need to free a screw. Try to let the drop run around the screwhead and down the thread. Now, as Burl Ives used to sing, "Let the old Earth take a couple of whirls". Time is the essence to let capillarity and the low surface-tension of the solvent work their joint magics. (Pun intended if you like.) The solvent is volatile, so, if necessary, apply another drop half a day later, checking for loosening each time. Use moderate force with the driver, first clockwise and then anticlockwise, to check for loosening of the joint. There is no alternative, short of destroying the case, for getting the case apart.
Of course you have the main battery out of the case already. If not, you need to know that the battery also holds the case halves together. If you have not yet inspected the insides of the PBs, perhaps it is premature to be concerned about turning either of them on.
de
| Posted by: JRL on 2008-04-14 16:43:14
Yes, I do have the battery out.
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