Problem with PowerBook heatsink screws

[Zotaccian]

So, today I disassembled this horrible machine that is PowerBook G4 12". Swapping hard disk was relatively easy, didn't even have that much problems with power switch and microphone cables.... but, I cannot get that heatsink off. Those two screws with spring just seems to be pain.

When I get frustrated I also start to lose my precision and patience much faster than average person, I'd say. I used some force and managed to get the left one to come off, but I think that something else did come off too, maybe the thing where the screw is attached. The right one is still in place and that bloody heatsink cannot be removed.

I did put the whole machine back together just to see if it still works and it does, however heatsink is currently not in place well enough since the machine runs hotter than before, I don't even have OS installed but the fan revs up even during installation which I think it didn't do before. My second Tiger disc is missing so I cannot complete installation at the moment and the DVD drive cannot read my Leopard disc. I tried USB boot before and it failed even though it started to read the stick... so missing installation media pisses me off even more!

My goal was to swap hard disk (which I did), reapply thermal paste and try clean the optical driver (both of which failed, atleast for now).

I have disassembled couple iBooks before and they had similar screws, somehow I didn't have any problems then so I am amazed. Any tips? I can't remember how it looks under the heatsink, but I guess the left screw / mounting might be damaged and cannot be repaired?

 

[Intell]

The two screws just over the CPU in a 12" Powerbook can sometimes be problematic. The male part of the screw that is supposed to stay affixed to the logicboard can sometimes get detached from the logicboard resulting in a captive screw feeling. That may be what happened to you. Once the screws have broken off of the logicboard, they cannot be reattached. There are other screws near the screen that hold the heatsink in place. You must remove those before removing the heatsink. Look at the guide on iFixit to locate all of the screws for proper removal.

To get to the optical drive in these machines, you must remove nearly every internal part.

 

[Zotaccian]

Yeah I have looked iFixit guide and it surprised me when the guide said just unscrew to those two screws but it turned out to be much harder task. I am surprised that I haven't damaged anything yet, I guess I just need to continue grabbing the screw with pliers and trying to unscrew it while pulling up, the left one finally gave up while doing so....another solution would be to give up try to figure something to create pressure over the heatsink / G4 to make sure good contact is formed...

 

[Intell]

Do not pull up on those screws. That is a very good way to pull them off of the logicboard or damage the logicboard. Simply unscrew them. If you turn them more than 20 full counterclockwise turns and they still don't come out, then they've already broken off of the logicboard and can be left in place.

 

[Zotaccian]

I didn't count turns but they just didn't come off at first even though I turned them several times. With iBooks they didn't take that many turns. Probably those both are already broken and the only way to get the right one out is to continue using force.

PowerBook G4 looks amazing outside but inside it is hell, filled with strange and design which make maintenance very difficult. Especially when it comes removing the optical drive...

If I stop what would be good solution to apply pressure? Right now I don't think the heatsink touches the CPU that well. I could put something between the heatsink and the topcase and then screw the topcase in place.

 

[Intell]

If they've already broken off of the logicboard, they'll come right out with the heatsink. Do not pull them out. You will damage the logicboard or heatsink.

 

[jrsx]

Just had this exact issue!
They popped right of the logic board without hardly any effort, so I just put the heatsink back on without them and it's working fine.

 

[Zotaccian]

I don't know what happened with my machine, but I couldn't get them off so I gave up and made a kind of pad which I placed on the other screw which I apparently broke. Now after I screwed the topcase back it presses against the screw and hopefully creates good contact. I installed Leopard yesterday and today after the machin has booted and Leopard has done Spotlight indexing for a while the fans kick in and keep temps at 55C, 73C seems to be the upper limit so I guess I am safe. With iMac G5's that Leopard indexing revved up fans rapidly so I guess it yes pretty heavy on CPU. I haven't tested Geekbench or any other test which taxes the CPU to the max, if it can handle that then I'd say cooling is fine.

 

[hamis92]

I just yesterday acquired a 1,33 GHz PowerBook G4 12" and I was in the process of taking it apart – I was hit with this exact same issue.

The left spring screw came out just fine but the right one is just turning with a squeaky sound, I can't get it off. Any suggestions?

I was trying to work my way into the display assembly because to me it sounds like there's something loose inside it. The Mac works fine so if I can't get further than this I'll just put everything back together, just thought that while I'm at it (I removed the topcase to straighten the aluminium near the SuperDrive) I would check on things.

Edit: I found it's easy to get inside of the display without opening the lower part of the computer at all. The two hex screws at the bottom corners of the display were easy to unscrew with everything in place.

 

[Intell]

If you have turned to screw more than 20 complete turns, ignore the heatsink screw and move on. The screw has broken off of the logicboard and is just spinning freely in the heatsink.