Thinkpads Forum

So I may have screwed up recently.

I recently tried to replace the Intel 4965 (WiFi) in my X61s with a more Linux-friendly Atheros-based card.

Problem is, the screws holding down the Intel card just wouldn't budge, and in my overzealous attempts to remove them I fear I stripped them, or at least got most of the way there.

Therefore, my question is this:

Does anyone have any tips/tricks/etc. for 1) removing stubborn screws and 2) not stripping them further in the process? The screws themselves can be considered expendable, and (if worse comes to worse) so can the card. The only things I really want to avoid are a) damaging the posts the screws are screwed in to (as that would necessitate replacing the planar at my expense) and b) damaging the planar itself in the process. Past that, I'm open to pretty much anything.

Thanks in advance!

-Rob

This exact screw removal came up in a recent thread. The concensus was to use a left hand drill bit to extract it. Contact a member named 'Brad' if you want someone else to do it.

Harryc wrote:This exact screw removal came up in a recent thread. The concensus was to use a left hand drill bit to extract it. Contact a member named 'Brad' if you want someone else to do it.

Hm. Ok. I can see about that. If that's not an option (and if I'm willing to sacrifice the card in the process) do you think that snapping off the corners of the card with a pair of needle-nose pliers and extracting the screws that way might work?

(Obviously I'll try to get a drill and a sufficiently-small left-handed bit -- but if I can't I'd still like to be able to get the screws out...)

Don't drill! Here is the tool you need:
http://www.moodytools.com/Moody_Tools_S ... driver.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/Moody-Extractor-S ... 656&sr=8-1

Good luck!

Rcently encountered similar problem as I wanted to replace the turbo memory card on my X61s. One of the screws (the one for keyboard near battery pack) turned out to be so tough that I almost stripped it. Hope this tool will help. I just ordered one set from e-buy as amazone.com will not send it to Europe. So thanks for the ling. Hope that ThinkRob will solve his issue. Good luck!

ThinkRob wrote:(Obviously I'll try to get a drill and a sufficiently-small left-handed bit -- but if I can't I'd still like to be able to get the screws out...)

The drill method sounds more scary than it really is. Even I have managed to drill a screw and get it out from my X41 without damaging anything. And I can confess that I'm all thumbs

Or maybe I was just lucky (?)...

Just don't use full power and take a small drill bit.

My 0,02 cents...

I use a drill bit slightly larger than the screw shaft. (for 2mm, I use a 3/32" bit) I put a little silicon grease on the head to collect filings, then I drill through the head. When you get thru the head, it will start to spin. That leaves the shaft. I remove the part that was being held down, which exposes enough of the shaft to use a small Vice Grip.

Hi Rob,
Did you ever figure this out? I had the same problem. I have heard that this happens because the 4965AGN gets so hot it melts the threadlock and the screw sticks.

You can grip the head of the screw with a good pair of pliers and twist. You will need a precisely-machined pair of pliers or you will not be able to grip the head properly. This is how I got mine out.

Good luck! If you do it some other way, let us know how you do it. I recall that it was not a fun experience not knowing if the card would ever come out.

This happened on my X61. I had to have a system board replaced due to an apparent bad BIOS flash from System Update. The tech came out on site and could not remove any screws that held in the secondary fan and two MiniPCI cards without a great deal of effort. Using a quality Snap-On screwdriver, he was able to rock very slightly back and forth and three of the six released. He removed the system board and drilled out the other two from the bottom of the system board. He had replacement screws on hand and was able to install them in the new system board.

I could not believe the force he had to put into removing the screws - and I can't imagine the factory making them so tight. The theory about the heat making them tighter sounds accurate.

The screws are shallow and tight - it would be interesting to see if the above tools help.

Good luck.

My guess is that some screws are of very low quality. A couple of hours ago I again tried to replace a turbo memory card on my X61s. To do that I need to remove the keyboard and the upper case. I managed to get out a screw that I stripped a week ago. But unfortunately as I tried to remove the upper case I stripped another screw. I have average screwdriver and everything should be alright, but the screws seem to be so soft that at certain point they get stripped. I am still waiting for my set of Moody screw extractors. I hope that they will help to get that [censored] screw out.

I had the same problem with an X24 about a year ago, and I solved it slightly differently.

I used my dremel tool by using a metal cut disk. I covered the systemboard with two layers of aluminum foil except for a little window to expose the screw. Then I cut a groove in the screw, enough to extract it.

I agree that this happens with screws of poor quality. I'm baffled as to why they would want to cut corners there. But if you are going to make a screw with soft metal, at least don't make it a Phillips screw, because it's much easier to strip those.

This is something that make me wonder too. I mean, how much one cane save by making bad screws?

With tiny screws, a screw driver that fits them perfectly is even more crucial. Small allen (hex) screws strip even EASIER than small phillips screws, so be thankful they aren't hex.

Torx would be appropriate. I don't think that lenovo is scimping us on screws, guys.

Moody Tools extractors arrived yesterday and I tried to get out that stripped screw. In spite of the fact that those extractors seem to be quite good it did not work out. The bad screw is still there come what may. Seems that I'll need to pay a visit to the local Lenovo service.

Update:

I got a set of Moody extractors, and, although I can definitely find other uses for them, was not able to use them to remove the troublesome screw.

I ended up going with my original, highly-destructive plan: I used some pliers to break the 4965's corners and rip it free from the bit under the screw. I was then able to get enough leverage with the pliers to loosen the screws. I replaced the card with an Atheros card (Lenovo-badged) and swapped the bum screws for some fresh ones (moral of the story: keep a spare screw set on hand at all times...)

I'm pleased to report that my X61s is back to 100% health.

Congratulations ThinkRob.
The bad screw of my X61s is still there though.

Hello,

sorry for reviving a thread this old, but I have another simpler solution: you can just use some tight-enough glue (in Czech, I would say "vteřinové lepidlo", literally "second glue") and glue the screw to an expendable screwdriver. After it is removed, you would just use some glue thinner to remove it... Hope this helps someone, it helped me!

Cunha wrote:With tiny screws, a screw driver that fits them perfectly is even more crucial.

Since the thread is being temporarily revived, I'll second Cunha's point about the importance of a screwdriver perfectly fitting the screw. Different brands of screwdrivers can sometimes make a difference.

I have also found that using a fresh, new screwdriver can make a difference -- the small screwdrivers I buy tend to lose their crisp, perfect edging even after just taking apart a single machine. I have tried purchasing expensive screwdrivers in the hopes of having them last longer, but it seemed to make little difference. So now I just purchase cheap, new ones every year or so, even when the old ones look perfectly fine. Tiny, tiny differences in alignment seem to make a big difference with these little screws.

Mind you, I only take apart three or four machines a year. I wonder what people do who take apart machines all day...

Phil.

The best screwdriver I have ever seen for this is the Home Depot (Husky) 8-in-1 kit, sku 163-149. The largest phillips (size 1) fits all the thinkpad screws except some of the ones inside LCD units and a couple used in X60 tablets. It costs about $5. I used to go through a couple of electronics screwdrivers per week and screw up lots of screws. (no pun intended) I have used the same HD screwdriver for a year and a half. When I bought it, I got 2 and never have had to open the second package.