Thinkpads Forum

The Hardware Maintenance Manual of T43 says that whenever a part is replaced, new screw sets should be used. The reason given is to prevent any loosening by vibration since the old screws will loose their nylon coating.

Do you guys think that this is an overkill or should be striclty followed?

I've never used new screws and none of mine have ever loosened to the point that I've noticed.

I too have never had a problem with using the same screws and I have worked on over 200 thinkpads (mostly the 600 & 600E series).

If you are worried about the screws loosening on you, go to the local auto parts store and get some Blue Loctite and put a small drop on the threads before you put them back in.

The old screws are generally fine to reuse, but if you loose one or several they are so cheap it is funny, you can get a whole set for about $3 from IBM.

I agree with the above responses. However, I do see a certain elegance in being so meticulous on maintaining such a beautiful piece of equipment.

i cannot see any problem in re using the old screws. a computer is not like a car which has a lot of vibration and is fitted with stretch bolts.
if you are worried about the screws coming loose obtain a lower strength version of loctite screw lock. dont use high strength version or you may have problems undoing the bolts in the future. being so small its likely that they may shear off

I would not even use the blue loctite on laptops... they make a purple(often mistaken for red)... Threadlocker 222 Low Strength Purple.

3 strengths of Loctite:

Purple: LOW, for tiny screws (UP TO ¼ inch)
Blue: Medium (not for laptops, like the Torx T1's on 701C's)
Red: HIGH, I would only use this on automotive parts (where an impact wrench might be needed to remove later )

This site has a GREAT writeup on Loctite: http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/loctite.html

I usually see blue and purple (looks rust colored to me) stuff on existing ThinkPad screws.