Ek Predator 240 problem

[Uaon]

Okay so a few weeks back my Ek Pedator has developed a water injection/squirting sound on boot up.I have tried removing the unit and shaking it around and cycle the power to it in hopes that it may just be tapped air, to no avail.

It's becoming more and more audible, any ideas?

A video to demonstrate what I am talking about can be found here

 

[BluD]

Maybe there's not enough fluid in there, have you tried tilting the case forward to force any air into the other end of the rad, then cycling the power a few times. If the noise stops then i would guess air is going back into the pump every time the system stops.

 

[Uaon]

Maybe there's not enough fluid in there, have you tried tilting the case forward to force any air into the other end of the rad, then cycling the power a few times. If the noise stops then i would guess air is going back into the pump every time the system stops.

Yes, have even gone so far as removing the unit to do so,tilted forward it just becomes even more audible,regardless of what way I tilt it and cycle the power it still does it. I am going to the local hardware now to purchase some allen keys to check the fluid level

 

[Deathjester]

Yes, have even gone so far as removing the unit to do so,tilted forward it just becomes even more audible,regardless of what way I tilt it and cycle the power it still does it. I am going to the local hardware now to purchase some allen keys to check the fluid level

If the fluid levels are high enough I'd look at RMAing it.

 

[Uaon]

Okay so I opened the fill port and can't really see any fluid, what I do see is a plastic mesh type material that I assume is some sort of filter.Tilting the unit I still do not see any liquid.

I imagine that this unit should be pretty much full to the brim no?

Not a great picture I know but this is what I see just a mesh type filter

 

[EK Luc]

I will check on my Predator at home tonight but I think it should be pretty full and viewable from the fill port.

 

[Uaon]

I will check on my Predator at home tonight but I think it should be pretty full and viewable from the fill port.

That would be great if you could, and yes I should imagine it should be almost brim full I would have thought so anyway.

 

[EK Luc]

That would be great if you could, and yes I should imagine it should be almost brim full I would have thought so anyway.

Sorry for the awful delay of response

I did check my Predator, and when I opened the port to check the fluid, I had to almost had my unit upright to see the fluid. So I guess your level should be fine.

But if you have some distilled water available, you could add some.

 

[Uaon]

Solved

I meant to update this but had been busy.Just in case anyone had a similar problem. I bought some distilled water and in my case took 40ml to top it up. I did this by filling it to fill level and turning on the pump and rotating the unit and topping it up until it no longer was low.. The noise has left and everything appears to be okay since

 

[nmurrells]

if you find that you have this problem again i would check your cpu block is not leaking, EK has reported that some of the predators have faulty o rings in the blocks.

''Dear EK customer!



Unfortunately we have detected potential issue with our EK-XLC Predator 240 and EK-XLC Predator 360 units, manufactured after November 1st, 2015.



The unit might not work as intended, due to defected O-ring. The issue can occur on a CPU water block after it is heated up and pressure rises between copper cold plate and bracket.



We would like to ask you if you can examine Supremacy MX CPU water block for any potential water markings. Look for small water drops or small green marks on copper cold plate. If there are no signs then there is no need to worry at all as only small percentage of all units were affected by this issue and those with issues are identified right away.



If by any chance you do notice some water markings on your unit, please discontinue the use of the EK-XLC Predator unit in order to avoid any potential damage to your computer components that could happen if water would get in touch with them.



Contact our support team at [email protected] and they will arrange for you a new Predator unit free of charge! Identified problem has been a temporary production issue and has been already resolved with new units being flawless again!


We are really sorry for the inconvenience caused!''

 

[Uaon]

Oh wow I had no idea, well mine was a preorder I got it on release day.When I first opened it the whole unit felt damp, I just assumed it was condensation of some kind. I will remove the block after work tomorrow as it is getting late here right now. I will report my finding's then, have to say that's quiet a scary prospect.

Edit: After doing some reading just now, it looks as though many owners received that email but I did not.

Edit 2: Well I got worried so decided to check tonight and sure enough my block is indeed leaking water, so it seems it is not only units manufactured after Nov/Dec but even the preorders like mine also..

I'm going to remove the unit and throw on a stock cooler and remove my overclock for now.I hope no damage has been done

Edit 3 : Video showing the leak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecDhqdC-CeY

 

[nmurrells]

If you find that the faulty predator has caused damage to your system they will cover this.

''Hi guys,

I am totally aware you are dissatisfied with this situation and I would be too. That's why EK is committed to cover all damages occurred because of the faulty O-ring. Please, everyone who has damaged hardware, start the RMA process here: http://www.ekwb.com/rma/

I can assure you, that EK will cover all shipping costs and other expenses. We only require some of your time to go through the RMA process. Everyone affected will be offered a brand new Predator, Revision 1.1 that is updated version and comes with extra improved mounting mechanism.

We'll go through with each individual to resolve this and correct our mistake.''

 

[Uaon]

If you find that the faulty predator has caused damage to your system they will cover this.

''Hi guys,

I am totally aware you are dissatisfied with this situation and I would be too. That's why EK is committed to cover all damages occurred because of the faulty O-ring. Please, everyone who has damaged hardware, start the RMA process here: http://www.ekwb.com/rma/

I can assure you, that EK will cover all shipping costs and other expenses. We only require some of your time to go through the RMA process. Everyone affected will be offered a brand new Predator, Revision 1.1 that is updated version and comes with extra improved mounting mechanism.

We'll go through with each individual to resolve this and correct our mistake.''

I honestly can't thank you enough mate for bringing this issue to my attention.Under further examination today in the daylight, I can see water in my top pcie slot where my gtx 980 is, it explains why I was experiencing some artifacting in game last week possibly. What worries me is that it's an Asus Z77 pro, a motherboard that is no longer available.

Honestly this predator has caused a lot of stress up to now, initially I had to buy lower profile ram as my previous ram would not clear the rad.My predator has always been noisy while browsing and I could never manually set the fan rpm even though the unit was plugged into the cpu header, to add to that one fan used to spin lower than the other at times.

I went with the predator as I wanted custom watercooling performance without the noise of my previous corsair units.

Honestly I am really bummed out right now

 

[Diagro]

take mobo out.

Get some isopropol Alcohol spray.

Spray the slot.

Use a soft toothbrush to remove water residue.

The above is what i would do

 

[EK Luc]

Sorry about all this Uaon

The leak issue isn't only for the units produced after November 1st. It's just that the ones produced after this date were all faulty while the units before are way more random.

Like nmurrells pointed out, we will cover all the damage and shipment costs.

 

[JediFragger]

Not being funny but it looks like EK have a *lot* to learn before releasing a product such as this for retail!! I know all the other AiO manufacturers have had similar issues in the past, but it was thought such a quality manufacturer such as yourselves may have been different and a little more prepared!

I'll personally only be considering your AiO products after another 12-18 months

 

[Uaon]

Hi Luc , I really appreciate that yes and I received this email last night in response to my ticket:

EKWB USA [Ryan] (EKWB Support)

Jan 8, 19:33
Hello,

Thank you for contacting EKWB Support. I am sorry to hear you are having issues with our product. Please fill out the RMA form at rma.ekwb.com and we will work to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Thank you,

EKWB USA Support

I am worried mostly about my components however as there is quiet a lot of liquid in the pcie slot and along the rear of my video card and really don't know the extent of the damage it may have caused. There was approximately 40-50 ml of liquid lost..This probably explains why I was losing audio during Skype calls and why my Ethernet port became unresponsive over the past two weeks.

I was thinking of ordering some ipa spray and cotton buds.I will try get some photos of the damage this evening when I am home if I can.

Honestly I am on the fence about watercooling after this :/

 

[MrMD]

I saw akiras post about the o-ring on issue on OCN the otherday,i dont understand how this is happening as he said the o-ring starts to fail if the loop temp goes above 60c.But a loop temp of 60c would indicate the pump and tubing ect are being running out of spec anyways?

What am i missing here?

 

[Uaon]

So here is the damage from what I can see so far :

Hard to see in the photo but there is liquid inside the pcie slot and on top, there is also a slight swelling on the right of the pcie slot, also notice the watermark/ damp around the wifi go text on the motherboard

Im unsure of how much seeped into the video card as I have not opened it as I fear it would void any kind of warranty etc.

What is the longterm damage of this, I think the fact I dust out my case weekly possibly prevented possible further damage maybe, but that slight swell in the right of the pcie slot is worrying.

 

[theaterix]

I would 100% send that to EK, they should almost certainly pay for your new parts.