My Swiftech GTZ water block is stuck to my Mobo! Please help

!TIMMY! · 18 Nov 2010 at 14:25

I was cleaning out my loop and reinstalling the Swiftech GTZ water block, and when tightening one of the screws, it broke into two (right screw):

So I loosened the other screws to find out that 2 out of the 3 also moved the nut at the bottom of the backplate (top two):

I cannot get the other 2 screws off! Is that because the pressure shifted when the one screw broke? Has anyone got an ideas of how to get the remaining 2 screws off? I have tried holding the nut with some pliers but that didn't work.

Swiftech are kindly sending me a replacement backplate / screws, but I need to get the old one off first.

Amidar · 18 Nov 2010 at 14:28

You will need to hold the nut in place with a pair of pliers then unscrew the screw.

Diggsy · 18 Nov 2010 at 14:28

Needle nose vice grips would probably be your best bet.

!TIMMY! · 18 Nov 2010 at 14:33

Amidar said:
You will need to hold the nut in place with a pair of pliers then unscrew the screw.

I tried a pair of normal pliers and could not grip it enough to stop the screw from turning it.

Diggsy said:
Needle nose vice grips would probably be your best bet.

I will have a look for some.

Will something like WD40 help at this stage?

Diggsy · 18 Nov 2010 at 14:41

WD40 will usually only help if the screws have corroded a little. I would try getting the vice grips on the nuts 1st and if they still don't budge, apply a small amount of WD40 in the centre of the nut and allow it to seep into the threads for a few minutes before attempting to unscrew them again.

EDIT - oh and it might be worth trying to tighten the screws a tiny amount before removing them. Sometimes helps to get them moving.

!TIMMY! · 18 Nov 2010 at 15:05

I will give it another bash when I get home. Gutted that my PC is out of action for a while. I'm on an unlucky streak as my monitor just died on me a few weeks ago (I hope things don't come in 3's).

JonJ678 · 18 Nov 2010 at 23:00

Lovely engineering by Swiftech there. I don't think I'd want WD40 anywhere near a motherboard personally.

If holding the nut with pliers isn't going well, my next step would be to epoxy the nut onto the backplate, leave it for a day then try again. I tend to see epoxy as the answer to most problems though.

Good luck with whatever you try

Bubo · 19 Nov 2010 at 08:34

Correct me if I am being noobish here but aren't those nuts actually welded to the backplate in the first place, look at the bottom left one in the second pic. This being the case can you not simply undo the other two intact screws which should allow the backplate to come away from the mobo leavig you free to remove the sheared screw at your leisure? Or is this one of those boards with the backplate permanently fixed to the mobo?

edit: re-read, "nuts moved", oh dear.

andicole0 · 19 Nov 2010 at 08:39

You probably need a proper nut spanner.

Andi.

Biffa · 19 Nov 2010 at 10:01

Considering the screw replacement kit from Swiftech probably has a full set of screws, or that you are probably going to get a new block because I certainly wouldn't trust one again after something like that happened to me... I'd just get a hacksaw and cut the other two screws off.

!TIMMY! · 19 Nov 2010 at 16:08

Didn't have time to do it last night, I will be trying again on Saturday night. As a last resort I will have to try and cut through the other 2 screws.

Edit: I finally managed to get it off my using some different pliers. Once I had managed to loosen it, it came of pretty easily. Got some replacement screws free from Swiftech

and fitted the block back on. Just need to put it all together again and leek test.