screw stuck by design?

[bonesoup1]

Hi all, I bought a T60 and, trying to open up the back, encountered a screw I cannot remove. I asked the seller and he says it's stuck by design. Is this true?

Here's the pic of which screw. https://imgur.com/a/M61GKlo

I searched the board first and looked for the hardware manual without success. Thank you very much!

[Cigarguy]

No screw is designed to be "stuck" tight. Some, such as those on some battery compartment cover, are designed to stay on the cover when you unscrew them so that you don't lose them. I suspects yours is just a bit sticky and won't lift out after you unscrew it. That's normal. Once you take that panel off and tilt it downwards the screw will pop out. I'm assuming that's what you mean by "stuck". Regardless the screw should work like any typical screw. No big deal.

BTW - the hardware maintenance manual is a must for these machines. It can be found by clicking on the HMM link at the top page of this website.

[atagunov]

I guess if you can't unscrew that screw that's a problem.. I certainly had situations in my life when a screw would refuse to come out - because its head was too damaged - and no matter how much I tried I couldn't open the device without breaking it. If that's what is happening to you then this T60 is in a poor shape.. You got to be able to open these machines to service them so old they are.. I guess it's part of the skill of a handyman to be careful with screws and not damage the screw head while unscrewing. Often creatively using a different screwdriver helps. But if you can't open this T60 at all and the seller is saying that's how it should be then he's pulling a fast one you.

You can try to carefully undo all other screws that need to be undone at this stage (HMM will tell you which ones) and try to open the machine. Maybe as Cigarguy said that screw has come out enough to allow machine to open? Maybe the screwhole is totally smashed and that screw won't hold that T60 together at all? If you can open T60 after all then it's much less of a problem. Maybe you can replace the screw, but in the worst case having one screw missing won't render the machine any less useful

[dr_st]

I bought a T60....
Here's the pic of which screw. https://imgur.com/a/M61GKlo

That's not a T60.
An X6x by the looks of it, and I actually have no idea what that particular screw needs to be removed for.

[rkawakami]

@dr_st: Good call. The photo exactly matches my X60 and is very similar to both the X60s and X61s. A quick scan of the X60 HMM and I don't see where that screw is removed. It IS pictured in each one of the bottom views but I don't see any place where it is shown to be removed. I would assume it has something to do with the system board but it's not referenced in that section.

[axur-delmeria]

1. Indeed, it's an X60. The MTM sticker on the lower left corner starts with 1707.

2. That screw is needed to remove the system board. IIRC it screws to the VGA port.

[RealBlackStuff]

AFAIK that screw is there to fortify the VGA port/motherboard connection.
Try tightening the screw just a tiny bit, then unscrew.
Use perhaps a small, flat, very strong screwdriver.

[bonesoup1]

Thanks for the replies guys. You're right, it's an X60. My mistake, and sorry for posting in the wrong section.

By stuck I meant it will not turn. Based on what you've said, I'm concluding it's supposed to be turnable, as in not locked or glued in place by the factory. My concern is I bought this laptop as a libre computer, so I just wanted the option to be able to open the whole thing up.

I now have the HMM so cheers and thanks for that. I really appreciate all your advice. I'm thinking I will buy a new tool to try to unscrew it, and if that does not work, I will return the machine. Thanks!

[Cigarguy]

Yes a screw needs to turn in order to tighten or loosen. Doesn't matter what that screw is holding together, it needs to be removable.

RBS have some good tips on removing old stuck screws. Worse comes to worse, I've drilled out the head of completely striped screws.

[theterminator93]

It's probably just some extra stubborn thread locker. Once it cracks free it should come out relatively easily. The trick is getting a screwdriver with just the right fit, so you can get good contact on as much surface area in the screw head as possible to avoid stripping it.

Unless the previous owner was in there before, and cross-threaded it on the way in...

[Vopu]

As said before, try first to tighten(move) a fraction than unscrew, find alternative but stronger grip (longer) screwheads/ tools with exactly the right philips fitting , or use a strong flat head to fit and work slowly to force it to budge. Also try to push down around the screw area to gain a bit of "give" by the board/ back cover if any.
Eventhough not advised , (with extreme care) a shock application of heat (hairdryer)for say 1-5 sec pointed directly at the screw avoiding the surrounding plastic cover (double tape/heat shield witha a hole ) may also work, failing all drill is in order
Again ,a warning i have seen units with melted plastics when heat method had been taken to extreme and done by butane/jet/cigar lighters to focus the flame , that thing heats up to 1300C

[atagunov]

a shock application of heat (hairdryer)for say 1-5 sec pointed directly at the screw avoiding the surrounding plastic cover (double tape/heat shield with a a hole)

He he interesting advice! A hot air desoldering station could then also work.. I wonder what temp to set it to..
Well the case that I can't open isn't a Thinkpad and the screws are sitting in 1cm deep wells so it may not work for me..
But good to know an extra tick, thx!

[Vopu]

He he interesting advice! A hot air desoldering station could then also work.. I wonder what temp to set it to..

i really have no idea about the set temperature mate , logic dictates "low is better" and by "try and test method" but hey if you have no other methods that worked i may incline to give this a go. If there is any sort of "head" left with a little bit of hold , but not enough to apply force , there are other ways to get a grip. One such is to place a rubber surface like a rubber band in between the head and your philips to gain some hold/grip. I have also heard of some sort of a "gritty" compound probably used by plumbers/metal joiners. For desperate measures you can resort to epoxy or soldering method. Or a drammel with a fine bit to cut a flat to philips , if your screw is sticking out a bit that is. For burried ones , if there is enough room around it(or possibility to create/cut some) you can try vedging method. Try to place a smal but strong flat underneath the head and genty force it upwards, opposite direction and increasing/holding the vedge a little higher everytime it slightly moves (to try to strip one thread only) then you have some room/give to use a a curved end small plier underneath. This also can be used with a strong either nylon (fishing line) or thin steel wire to coil around the stripped head and keep winding till you get a hold , then keeping the pressure on the head try to either pull it out or wind the same wire to your screwdriver to get some leverage and act both as one.
Hope that helps a bit
Vopu

[Vopu]

a shock application of heat

1- I had an urge for some googlin' after saying that , and 2 ,some things should not be searched on google if you are just after a normal image

[nachetb]

Hi all, I bought a T60 and, trying to open up the back, encountered a screw I cannot remove. I asked the seller and he says it's stuck by design. Is this true?

Here's the pic of which screw. https://imgur.com/a/M61GKlo

I searched the board first and looked for the hardware manual without success. Thank you very much!

Thats a X60/X61, not a T60. From my experience opening up a thousand times this model, theres no need at all to touch that screw for any maintenance. Not sure exactly if its made to be stuck or not, but you just need to unscrew the screws that have the keyboard and the palmrest icons to open up the laptop.