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HELP! Stripped a screw on the new iMac

island said:
I called up Apple asking about what the deal was and they told me to bring the entire machine in for replacement instead of allowing me to get a new bottom piece or screw.
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OK, that's something that I hope changes in the very near future... I'll ask at the Apple store next time I mosey that way...
 
wakerider017 said:
P.S. Loctite dries in the PRESENCE of air... Or wouldn't it dry in the tube?
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Incorrect - it is an anaerobic adhesive and requires the absence of oxygen in the presence of metal to solidify. That's why loctite only half fill their bottles so that there is plenty of air in them.

http://www.loctite.com/int_henkel/loctite_us/index.cfm?&pageid=214&layout=2

I didn't bring up the issue about loctite I was just agreeing with the other guy who said it lubricated the threads during assembly! :rolleyes: Obviously it is only a lubricant until it sets. And you wouldn't use loctite on head bolts - usually you would just smear some engine oil on the threads or use moly if you have it handy.

Anyway, I'm not going to hijack the thread any more with talk about loctite.

The good news from my point of view is that I have just powered up my machine after installing 4GB of RAM and the screw was not a problem at all. In fact it was loose when I started and never gave me any problems when I was putting it back in. In fact the screw in my machine looks like it is made to resist overtightening by "camming" out when turned clockwise. It doesn't do this when turned anti-clockwise.

Also, I found a PZ2 was a better fit than a No 1 bit.

Cheers,
Craig.
 
So what if the screw head is stripped?

I guess I'm not used to such soft screws.
I used the tools I always use, and used what the manual said.
Now I can't open it, the head is stripped after only a couple tries.
Before I touch it again, what do you suggest?
tia.

(20" 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Aluminum iMac - 1 screw)
 
screwed

well after all this discussion and a bunch of BS about using Loctite on a 3mm tiny screw, no one ever answered the point of the discussion. How do you remove the screw with a rounded out head?
 
MatrixPrime said:
So I just got my new iMac last week, its my very first Mac, and I'm loving it. I'm loving it so much that I decided to buy some more RAM for it today....which turned out not to work in the machine for some reason, despite the fact that it was branded as working for the intel Mac (and had the same specs as the factory memory). Anyways, in the process of removing, attaching, removing and attaching the memory door on the bottom of the machine, I've now stripped the head on the screw. It isn't so stripped that I can't remove the door now, but all I can do is just start the screw, and then it just stops dead and the screwdriver just turns inside the screw head. Does anyone know what size/type of screw this is? I want to replace it with a flathead screw, something that is a lot harder to strip.

Thanks.
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Yeah first you make sure the screw is in and then you cut the head off thats how you fix it bye! don't bother to reply

Do I get any brownie points for this reply?
 
Last edited:
There's several ways to remove a screw with a stripped-out head. The standard method is to drill off the head, as another poster already suggested. If there is no exposed shaft for a vise-grip plier to grab, you'll then need an extractor bit to back out the rest of the screw.

However, if you're handy with tools and own a Dremel, another trick is to mill a convenient slot onto the head, and use a flatblade screw driver to unscrew.

Yet another trick I've heard is to put a rubber band between the Phillips driver and the offending screw. Supposedly it gives just the little bit of extra grip to get the job done. I have never tried this personally, so can't relate how well this works.

Incidentally I believe the reason for specing in soft metal screws is for the screw to be the sacrificial part. It is far better for the screw to strip out than the computer frame itself.

Good luck
 
Although I do not have any experience with the screws on the iMac, I have found that the screws on the Mac Mini are also pretty soft. I almost stripped one of the two screws fastening the antenna plate to the case when I put the antenna plate back into its place after installing the second SSD.
 
Tip: Nobody sees the underside of the iMac box. If the access plate is off the new memory simms are installed, simply leave the access plate OFF. And, this removed plate allows more natural air-flow into the bottom of the iMac box. If wondering, I purposely removed the memory plate from my iMac box. Works great with or without this 3-screw plate.

.
 
Another trick...superglue a Phillips driver onto the screw. Be very careful not to get any on the threads.
 
two screws on mine came stripped and I didn't notice it until I went to upgrade the ram. in doing so I may have completely borked the screws from ever being undone again but at least I'm rocking 12gigs now :)
 
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