T23 inductor repaired. Thanks!

[likesspace]

Hi guys..
I'm not sure if I've ever made a post on this site although I have done a lot of reading over the past couple of years.
Well about a week ago my T23 started to act up (random freeze ups and the occasional pulsing fan at startup) and I knew from my reading that it was probably one or more of the inductors.
Now I have never once been inside of a laptop. Ever. I've done some minor things to desktop computers but there is no doubt that a laptop is a different sort of animal.
Well thanks to the members on this forum (and the IBM maintenance manual) I was able to totally disassemble my T23, resolder the offending component and then put it all back together.
Right now I am using the laptop to make this post and the machine seems to be running perfectly. While I was in there I also applied a new layer of thermal grease to the heatsink and now the fan is not running nearly as often as it was.
All in all it was a fun experience and helped to demystify this style of computer.
Well anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. I have 5 T23's in our house and two T43's so it's good to know that I can make repairs as needed.

Dave

[rkawakami]

Nice to hear another T23 lives again . For inductor re-soldering, I'd recommend that both of the metal tabs which sit on the surface of the motherboard, be cleaned off (the black film removed) prior to it being re-attached. That layer of oxidation can prevent a good bond from occurring. Easiest way to do that is to scrape the metal with the edge of a small flat-bladed screwdriver.

You can review any of your past postings by clicking on the "View your posts" link, located on the right side of the page, just under the display of the date and time.

[likesspace]

Ray, thanks for the advice.
From reading several of your posts I did know to scrape the connections down to shiny metal. Honestly, that was the easy part of the job.
Between my poor eyesight and the tight space I was working in, that soldering job was beyond nerve racking! Regardless, I did get a really good bond on the offending piece.
I also checked every inductor while i was in there and surprisingly all of the others were on very tight. Even on the one inductor that I had to repair, soldering was only necessary on one side.
Even though it was a lot of work, (and about 4 hours since I am a total newbie), I had a blast doing this repair. I'm also so happy that now I'm not afraid to pull one of these machines apart if the need arises.
Thanks again for the advice and all of the help that is found on this forum.

Dave

[Miata]

Another happy repairer