MBP heat sink screw casings broke away from logic board - how to reattach?

[mustgroove]

This afternoon, I removed the heat sink and replaced the thermal compound on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), and in the course of doing so, I managed to break away from the logic board the metal thread housing that 2 of the heat sink screws screw into (not sure if that's exactly the right terminology for it). The below pic illustrates which screws are affected:

Basically when I went to unscrew these 2 screws, rather than the screws unscrewing cleanly from the threaded metal casing attached to the logic board, those metal casings broke away from the logic board entirely, with the screws still screwed inside.

The issue now is how to reattach them to the logic board - at the moment it's as if those screws aren't there at all, because they're not screwing into anything anchored to the logic board any more. I need to find a way of re-attaching the bottom of those metal screw casings to the logic board, so those screws are applying force to the heatsink again.

What is gonna be the best way to do that? Is there a type of glue that would suffice, or is it a soldering job?

 

[T5BRICK]

They're either pressed into the logic board or soldered down. Either way, a logic board replacement may be the only way to really fix it.

 

[Willo34]

Difficult one that.
Maybe this video helps, not sure it will, but might give some inspiration

 

[cerberusss]

In the past, I've bought metal epoxy glue. It's a two component epoxy that you can use to connect metal pieces. It was not cheap, something like €15 or so, but it's probably worth a shot.
[doublepost=1462262767][/doublepost]As an alternative you could perhaps simply find a proper sized bolt and screw. The bolt clamps the heatsink to the logic board.

 

[maflynn]

As an alternative you could perhaps simply find a proper sized bolt and screw. The bolt clamps the heatsink to the logic board.

The only risk there is to make sure that the screw/bolt doesn't touch anything else, as it may cause a short.

 

[Queen6]

@ mustgroove You need to epoxy the metal fittings back in to the Main Logic Board, make sure that the epoxy is fully cured prior to tightening the screws, also ensure that you don't get any epoxy on the fittings internal threads. As for the epoxy you need to ensure that it`s compatible with both the fitting & the board. A good electronics store will be able to advise or a spot of research on. Not too much of a big problem, just need a steady hand, a little patience and your RMBP will be good to go.

FWIW best to apply some heat before attempting to remove the screws, as they are likely held tight with a thread locker, applying heat helps to break the bond.

Q-6

 

[satishsarma]

Basically when I went to unscrew these 2 screws, rather than the screws unscrewing cleanly from the threaded metal casing attached to the logic board, those metal casings broke away from the logic board entirely, with the screws still screwed inside.

So I have the same problem however the casings were not holed or embedded in the logic board. They were in my opinion glued as the logic board underneath these casings are clean. Any idea which glue can be used?

 

[dcardoso]

Did any of you fixed this successfully? I have exactly the same problem. Upon opening my Macbook Pro I noticed the same metal casings in the picture were stripped away from the logic board. My Macbook was serviced so I believe they damaged it and didn't even bother to repair the damage since I've never removed the heatsink before :|

Does any expoxy glue do the job? Which kind of glue should I get? I found ones with only one tube and others with two tubes which I believe is the way to go.

 

[denizsagdic]

Did any of you fixed this successfully? I have exactly the same problem. Upon opening my Macbook Pro I noticed the same metal casings in the picture were stripped away from the logic board. My Macbook was serviced so I believe they damaged it and didn't even bother to repair the damage since I've never removed the heatsink before :|

Does any expoxy glue do the job? Which kind of glue should I get? I found ones with only one tube and others with two tubes which I believe is the way to go.

Unfortunately i have the same problem on my rMBP 15" Late 2013. You can see it in the photo.

To explain further, i stupidly spilled water on my mbp, i disassembled it rapidly to get the water out. While disassembling when i was removing the logic board the heatsink just came off. I was surprised as i did not unscrew the heatsink screws on the cpu, and i found that the whole screw casing just broke off from the logic board ! Thankfully there is zero water damage and everything is dried out, but i cannot assemble back the heatsink as i can't screw it back on the board. I tried to stick it with loctite power epoxy, it was not strong enough at all, after 24 hours it would move all the time which i found bizarre. Anyway i gave up on that and tried soldering it back on but my soldering skills are not great and i just tested myself on something else and decided i can't risk doing that. I am really desperate and i miss my mbp, it's been 3 days

 

[dcardoso]

Apparently those screw casings are really fragile :/ I tried to glue mine with some epoxy, they glued fine, I then assembled the heatsink with the screws and it held just fine. After a few days I opened my Mac to check if they were still glued to the board but they weren't anymore, probably the glue was not strong enough to hold the constant pressure of the heatsink. My problem is not as bad as yours since only two of my heatsink screw casings became loose.

I probably won't try to do it again because I'll probably do more harm than good.

Hope you can find a solution for your problem. If you're using epoxy I just advise you to clean the surfaces properly before and let it dry for a few hours before putting any stress to it. When I did it I also added a bit of glue on top of the bottom part of the casing in order to try for it not become loose again.

 

[Queen6]

Apparently those screw casings are really fragile :/ I tried to glue mine with some epoxy, they glued fine, I then assembled the heatsink with the screws and it held just fine. After a few days I opened my Mac to check if they were still glued to the board but they weren't anymore, probably the glue was not strong enough to hold the constant pressure of the heatsink. My problem is not as bad as yours since only two of my heatsink screw casings became loose.

I probably won't try to do it again because I'll probably do more harm than good.

Hope you can find a solution for your problem. If you're using epoxy I just advise you to clean the surfaces properly before and let it dry for a few hours before putting any stress to it. When I did it I also added a bit of glue on top of the bottom part of the casing in order to try for it not become loose again.

You need to use specialised epoxy for electronic boards, to mount the female threaded inserts. Once applied and set you need to allow a minimum of 24 hours for it to fully cure. Some epoxy also requires some heat to accelerate the curing process. If done properly the inserts will remain in place for the life of the notebook. It's also worth noting that they are also not designed for a great deal of force to be applied though them.

Best to speak with a local stockist of electronics hardware, you will also need a safe solvent degreaser as any contamination the bond may fail. If buying the epoxy in the local supermarket, again will likely fail as it will not stand the heating & cooling cycles of the board.

Q-6

 

[dcardoso]

You need to use specialised epoxy for electronic boards, to mount the female threaded inserts. Once applied and set you need to allow a minimum of 24 hours for it to fully cure. Some epoxy also requires some heat to accelerate the curing process. If done properly the inserts will remain in place for the life of the notebook. It's also worth noting that they are also not designed for a great deal of force to be applied though them.

Best to speak with a local stockist of electronics hardware, you will also need a safe solvent degreaser as any contamination the bond may fail. If buying the epoxy in the local supermarket, again will likely fail as it will not stand the heating & cooling cycles of the board.

Q-6

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, that might have been the problem, I bought some generic epoxy glue, not specific for electronics. I'll check on an electronics store if they can point me to the correct one.

Thanks

 

[Queen6]

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, that might have been the problem, I bought some generic epoxy glue, not specific for electronics. I'll check on an electronics store if they can point me to the correct one.

Thanks

It's useless, you need the correct epoxy for the job and clean all the old residue off. An electronics specialist should be able to advise if not post back and I can ask one of the local techs, equally what they use is very high grade industrial epoxy for downhole drilling equipment rated for 150C and extreme vibration, nor cheap.

Q-6

 

[denizsagdic]

Update on my progress: Tried soldering on the board, it just wouldn't stick together. So i tried epoxy one more time, didn't even dry after 24 hours i don't know what is wrong with this epoxy :S Anyways, i gave up and just applied arctic silver 5 and put the heatsink back on without screwing the four screws next to it, but just the 2 screws on the side that screws the heatsink to the motherboard. In the end it is working quite fine like this to my surprise. Did benchmarks etc. seems fine. However i am currently keeping the fans on 100% just in case. Also ambient temp where i live is 36 degrees these days so i think it went ok ! Right now full 100% fans and just 3 pages open on chrome and the cpu is at 40 degrees celsius. Thank you all for your help anyway

 

[maflynn]

didn't even dry after 24 hours i don't know what is wrong with this epoxy

Most likely you didn't apply the correct hardner to the epoxy mixture. Glad you have your machine back working though

 

[tanphu194]

The problem is the way Apple designed it - the “wings” on the heatsink act as springs and they apply a pull-up pressure on those stands constantly, eventually rip them off the board. You can use super glue to re-attach it, but bend the wing down slightly until there is no gap between the hole and the stand like it was before to eliminate that pull-up pressure. As long as all four screws are tightened down, the heatsink would make perfect contact. I just did mine.

 

[Lushandashan]

It's happend with my MBP late 2013 as well. Tanphu194 is right. There is a pulling force which brakes the holders. So I fix it this way. I unscrewed the stands and flipped them upside down. So now they are faceing up. When back lid is closed it's pushing down the cpu heatsink.
Not the best solution, but it's easy and works fine.
P.S. Don't forget to change thermal paste.

 

[Mac fixer]

I just read about several people who had success using super glue and clamps... The only problem is that super glue doesn't have a great shear strength so you want to use small plyers to hold the stud while you tighten the screw...
Of course allow to dry. It had worked for everyone who had tried it so I think it is worth looking into. (epoxy had failed a couple of the people who eventually used super glue with success)

 

[noobtownmac]

The problem is the way Apple designed it - the “wings” on the heatsink act as springs and they apply a pull-up pressure on those stands constantly, eventually rip them off the board. You can use super glue to re-attach it, but bend the wing down slightly until there is no gap between the hole and the stand like it was before to eliminate that pull-up pressure. As long as all four screws are tightened down, the heatsink would make perfect contact. I just did mine.

Any particular superglue? Thanks