Resolved iMac G4 bottom housing removal

[jaydennz]

Hey guys,

I got another imac g4, super cheap.

In the process of upgrading the internals but the bottom case is pretty firmly closed, I think the thermal paste is acting as glue. Any tips on opening her up without damaging?

Thanks

 

[tom vilsack]

You wanna pull straight off (no twist),,,Maybe run it for a while to heat up the old paste?

 

[Intell]

Use a plastic tool or your fingernails to break the bond between the two halves of the dome. Do not use a metal tool as you will scratch the iMac's dome.

 

[jaydennz]

You wanna pull straight off (no twist),,,Maybe run it for a while to heat up the old paste?

Thanks that worked a treat.

 

[jrsx]

This probably wouldn't work with an iMac G4, but on laptops and things when the heatsink is glued to the CPU, you can use a hairdryer to allow the thermal compound to lose it's seal somewhat.

 

[catzilla]

Good to know. I'm going to a local recyclers selling G4 iMacs for $35.

 

[jrsx]

Whatttt? I'm jelly 😀

 

[catzilla]

Turns out the 15" were $35, I splurged and spent $10 more for a 17". No HD, seems like a bad SD, won't boot from a DVD from the internal. Installing 10.4 on an old external FW400 HD. I got a nice Duo 270C for $20 also.

Followup: It has a HD, just not connected. I reattached it and the HD and SD work fine. Loaded Tiger and all the updates.

 

[fhall1]

For $45?!? Wish there was a place like that close to me!