Thermal Paste Question: Computer Only Stays on for 5 to 7 seconds

deanj20

deanj20

New Member
Hey guys,

So I bought this eMachine T3522 off of Craigslist for $50, because it came w/ a 13" LCD screen - which I've been looking for for some time. But I decided I would clean up the computer real nice and get it in proper shape, and then turn around and sell it on Craigslist for $100 OBO w/ one of my CRT monitors.

So I cleaned the sucker up immaculate-style, and even cleaned the old thermal paste off of the heatsink and processor (w/ a coffee-filter and rubbing alcohol) and applied some Arctic Silver (about a pea-sized bead right in the middle, like the instructions suggested).

I put everything back together, but when I start it up, it only stays on for about five or seven seconds, then turned off. I let it sit for a while, trying to figure out what I did wrong. Then I tried another power-supply (I happened to have the exact same power-supply from another eMachine in my "stash"), but got the same results.

So I tried different RAM, resetting the CMOS battery, holding my tongue in the right place, etc. But nothing worked.

I just tried it again and got the message "The computer has recently recovered from a thermal event" and then it shut down again.

So what's the deal? Not enough Thermal Paste? Should I apply more? Do I have to remove the Arctic Silver that's already on there - it's still pretty much brand new. Also, since the computer still boots, do you think I did any damage or ? :confused:

Thanks Computer Forum... ;)

[edit]It's a Celeron D processor[/edit]
 
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I feel like you should add more TIM because the heatsink is not like today's super polished heatsinks that conform to the CPU itself.
 
I went ahead and made a nice even pad of paste and put it back together - seems to be running fine now... I hope it stays that way...

Just removing the tons of malware installed on it... may just do a factory restore
 
Holy crap - it's idling at 70°C... That's not a healthy temperature is it? The thing has got a air duct coming off the fan on the heat sink and another fan blowing out the back... intake through the PSU... Is this normal - every computer I've ever had idles around 48°-50... I've always heard 68°C+ was "danger zone"... I can't add anymore thermal paste I don't think - it would just squeeze out the sides at this point... What do you guys think?
 
Yeah - the way it's set up, it can't really be seated improperly - the fan and duct fit over it and are attached to the mobo with four screws - there's no wiggle-room... it got up to 87°C just now (I'm running a ton of scans and add/remove programs) - I thought it was going to shut off any second... but then the fan kicked into high gear and now it's at 73°... Never seen a setup quite like this... I'm afraid I'm gonna fry the processor or mobo - but hopefully the board will shut off before that happens...

[edit]I wish I would have checked the temps before I re-seated the heatsink, just to see if I made it worse (couldn't possibly be better?) - Any ideas on what I should do? I don't want to sell it w/ the temps running that high... Should I add *more* Arctic Silver 5??? I'm afraid it will just "squish" out the sides as soon as I tighten down the heatsink and make a big mess and possibly cause problems... whaddya think?[/edit]

[edit2]I can stick my fingers all the way down to the bottom of the heat sink, right where it's sitting on the processor - it feels nice and cool... my internal temp is 37° - could it be that the processor temp sensor is wrong? I'll check BIOS when I finish what I'm doing[/edit2]
 
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Well, I dunno - it killed-out again - I was just about to finish a scan and reboot. I don't know what I'm doing wrong - I pulled the heat sink again, cleaned off all of the old paste with a coffee filter and alcohoI. Then I made a nice even thin pad of thermal paste, emulating what was on there before I decided to "fix it" (since the instructions I tried previously from the Arctic Silver site didn't seem to do any good)...

Then I slapped it all together and booted up, and my processor was running 85°C! Then it climbed to 97°C!!! :eek:

So I did what any responsible computer tech would do. I closed out of SpeedFan, and walked away hoping that the problem would resolve itself. :D :good:

So now I'm over here typing on my Slackware server, listening to the fans blow full throttle on the eMachine...

Any ideas? Because I'm about out.

I've applied thermal paste before - it's been a while, but I don't remember it ever being that big a deal - just kinda got it on there nice and even, set the heatsink and the fan carefully on the processor and that was it. No special technique or voodoo... So IDK WTF :confused: But I'd sure hate to turn this one in to another scrap-box - I've already got one dead eMachine... plus, I really need to try and get this thing sold by tomorrow or the next day... bummer... maybe when I go back over there, the temp will be down to around 47° or so... :rolleyes:
 
I would suggest beating the evil heat spirits out of the computer with a bat/plank of wood :P

When applying time do it this way:

Clean the old stuff off both surfaces with lint free coth (toilet papyer works okay) and rubbing alcohol.

Put a rice grain sized of TIM on the CPU.

Put the heatsink on top and do not pull it off again. Screw in (screw diagonally... just like a car wheel)/push in the heatsink (if using pushpins)
 
linkin said:
I would suggest beating the evil heat spirits out of the computer with a bat/plank of wood :P

When applying time do it this way:

Clean the old stuff off both surfaces with lint free coth (toilet papyer works okay) and rubbing alcohol.

Put a rice grain sized of TIM on the CPU.

Put the heatsink on top and do not pull it off again. Screw in (screw diagonally... just like a car wheel)/push in the heatsink (if using pushpins)
Click to expand...

That's precisely what I did the first time - and it wouldn't even stay on for more than 10 seconds w/out shutting off from overheating... so I added more thermal paste and that worked out for about three hours... but then it kept getting hotter and hotter, and finally shut off. So I cleaned it all off again (using a coffee filter and alcohol) and made damn sure I did everything right. I just tried to match the amount of paste that was on there from the factory...

It's hotter than hell in this room, too - so I now have the computer hanging half out the window like a swamp-cooler :P - it's running at 71°C - but it's just idling, and I really need to be doing some work on the thing if I'm to sell it soon...

I'm thinking of just leaving it where it is until the morning and see if the temps don't get better as the Arctic Silver settles in... I would just go buy a new bad-ass fan from Alltex, but I'm trying to make money off of this thing, not sink more into it.

Better check the weather... :eek:
 
Hey Deanj20,

It may be that the heat-sink is cracked and deforming when loads are applied, such as when screwed down. Also the heating/cooling the heat-sink is experiencing may be exacerbating flaws in the material. So in this case, the irregularity (cracks, etc...) may be causing the heat-sink to deform and lose contact with the CPU.

(Flaws in materials can happen for various reasons. Sometimes its because of sub-standard materials were used in manufacturing or there are natural (unavoidable) irregularities in the material. These flaws in the material can lead to failures, such as cracks.)

One way to check for problems in materials is by running a test using a visible dye liquid penetrant. You apply a liquid dye to the part/surface in question. After the excess is wiped off and a developer is added, the surface flaws become visible.

This is one of the ways to test for flaws visibly and it is a relatively inexpensive method. There are other ways to check for suspected flaws in materials, such as with x-rays, but most other methods increase in testing expense.

I used to utilize penetrant dyes at my last job as a welder to check for cracks/laps/pinholes in welds and repaired mating surfaces. The dyes are fairly easy to use, just some upfront costs for the testing materials which can be purchased in kits (normally about $80).

Just search for "Dye Penetrant Kit" in Google

In a situation like you are having, I would test both the CPU metal cap surface (if it has one) and the heat-sink.

Sources:
1. Personal experience
2. http://www.contech.com/Dye_Penetrant.htm
3. http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=Dye+Penetrant+Kit&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=JZDWS7DoGpKu9gS2xZWLBw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQrQQwAA
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I've found that turning the heat sink over so that it actually makes firm contact with the processor instead of the capacitors next to the processor really works wonders... :rolleyes: :P

Now I'm idling @ 50°C with the old Arctic Silver on there... Thinking I may clear it all off and try the "middle dot" method once again (instead of my patented "smear the shit all over the top of the processor in a thin layer and cross fingers" method) - Not sure I have enough of the stuff left for another do-over. Might have to choke up another $9 and buy another syringe full...

Thanks again to everyone who replied... please forgive my id-10-T error... ;)
 
Well, like I said in my first post - I bought the whole setup on the cheap ($50) from Craigslist b/c I've been wanting a small LCD monitor for my desktop server machine (I had been using a 17" monster-sized CRT). Turned out it was an eMachine. I decided I would fix it up as nice as I could (w/out replacing any parts), and turn around and sell it for $100 w/ another 13" CRT monitor I have lying around. So this way I get an LCD monitor, a DVD drive (I swapped w/ my CD-R/RW) and make $50... sounded like a good deal to me... it's got some pretty tough specs:
from eMachines.com said:
Specifications

CPU : Intel® Celeron® D Processor 355
64-bit technology with Intel® EM64T
(3.33GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) Operating System : Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Chipset : Intel® 915G Memory : 512MB DDR2 (1 × 512MB), 533MHz (PC4200)
Expandable to 4GB
4 DDR2 Slots (Total), 3 DDR2 Slot (Available) Hard Drive : 100GB (7200rpm, 2MB cache) Optical Drives : CD-RW/DVD combo optical
48x max write (48 × 32 x 48 × 16) Video : Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Up to 224MB of shared video memory
PCI-Express® (PCI-E x16) slot available for upgrade Sound : 6-Channel (5.1) High-Definition Audio
Amplified Stereo Speakers (USB-Powered) Network : 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port) Modem : 56K ITU v.92-ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port) Peripherals : Standard multifunction keyboard
2-button wheel mouse Ports/Other : 6 - USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 4 rear)
1 - VGA external connector
1 - Parallel port
1 - Serial port
2 - PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse)
5 - Audio ports (2 front, 3 rear) Dimensions : 14.25"H x 7.25"W x 16"D Weight : 22.5 lbs. Warranty : 1 Year Parts and Labor
Click to expand...

Supposedly the power supplies are crap. I don't know about the rest of it - it looked like an OK machine to me (aside from the fact that it said eMachine on the front of it... *shudders*) - it just needed a little TLC... ;)

I think someone will pay me $100 as is (only 512MB RAM, old CRT monitor and no DVD) - it would make a great office/general use computer... I guess we'll find out...
 
If you could put a video card and also add more RAM it would be a decent computer, other than that celeron cpu. And I would just drop a new power supply into it, but I can see why you dont want to sink too much money into that thing.

deanj20 said:
I don't know about the rest of it - it looked like an OK machine to me (aside from the fact that it said eMachine on the front of it... *shudders*)
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha ha
 
But why? I wasn't trying to sell it here? I just thought someone would be interested in the pictures and the ad itself... :confused:
 
Well you posted a price and a link to a resale site, it certainly looked like you were trying to sell it. I know the rest of the post doesn't make sense on it's own, I think I can move that part back if you'd like.
 
It's all good Cromewell... I'll sell it here if anyone actually wants it, but they'll pay out the ass for shipping. I doubt anyone would want to buy an eMachines box on a computer forum though... :P
 
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