Thinkpad z61

[teamde78]

Hi all,

I have been browsing this site for a while so I figured I would finally register.

My question today is, my (new to me) Thinkpad Z61 is having some cooling issues. The laptop becomes quite warm right after boot and sometimes windows will not even load it is becoming so hot. I opened up the laptop today and looked to make sure it wasn't a simple too much dust/dirt issue, but It wasn't bad. I then booted it backup and it is still getting quite warm but lasted a little bit more time than before I cleaned the fan. Obviously I know I must change the heatsink, however, I am not that great with electronics, etc... So my question is... has anyone ever changed the heatsink in the z61? Is it really that hard to accomplish or am I just overthinking it? If anyone else has previous experience with the z61, could it be something other than the fan that I am overlooking?

I know a lot of questions, but any responses, I would appreciate it, as I really want to get this machine up and running.

Thanks

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

Is this Z61e, Z61m, Z61p or Z61t that we're discussing here to begin with?

What's the full 7-character model number found on the same sticker that holds the serial number (please do NOT post that) and the production date on the bottom of the laptop?

[teamde78]

Thanks for the reply.

This is the z61t model.It is the 9443AA1.

Unfortunately there is a small blemish over the manufacture date. The month is 07 though.

[ajkula66]

Don't worry about the manufacturing date. The machine in question is Z61t, and the original specs were:

Based on 9443-4GU: T2400(1.83GHz), 2GB RAM, 60GB 7200rpm HD, 14.1in 1280x768 LCD, Intel 950, CDRW/DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, IEEE 1394, 7c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

HMM will guide you through the process of swapping the heatsink can be found on the very bottom of this page:

http://www.thinkpads.com/support/hmm/thinkpad-hmm.html

Good luck.

[teamde78]

Don't worry about the manufacturing date. The machine in question is Z61t, and the original specs were:

Based on 9443-4GU: T2400(1.83GHz), 2GB RAM, 60GB 7200rpm HD, 14.1in 1280x768 LCD, Intel 950, CDRW/DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Bluetooth/Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, IEEE 1394, 7c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

HMM will guide you through the process of swapping the heatsink can be found on the very bottom of this page:

http://www.thinkpads.com/support/hmm/thinkpad-hmm.html

Good luck.

Thanks mate. I looked at the PDF and it seems pretty straightforward. I like how it gives you step by step instructions for everything. Thanks again. I will be ordering a replacement heatsink tonight and will revisit the thread when it comes in and after I install.

[axur-delmeria]

Before you purchase a new heatsink, have you tried changing the thermal paste between the processor and the heatsink?

[teamde78]

Before you purchase a new heatsink, have you tried changing the thermal paste between the processor and the heatsink?

I have not. Do you think I should just try that before buying a new heatsink? The fan seems to be working fine, so maybe if I just change the compound underneath the CPU it will work.

The symptoms I have been getting is random shutoffs, and windows 7 not loading. It gets about 1/4 through the logo and jams up.

Thanks

[axur-delmeria]

My experience with laptops have taught me that the thermal paste should be checked/replaced if the laptop is older than 3 years, because the paste loses much of its thermal conductivity when it dries up, and is much harder to remove.

Putting a few drops of oil and letting it get absorbed helps soften the dried paste. I haven't tried WD40 (I didn't have any when I last encountered a laptop with dried-up paste). If you do try, don't spray it directly 'cause it's too easy to put too much and make an oily mess that doesn't evaporate easily and is flammable to boot.

Use isopropyl alcohol (70% is okay-ish, 90% is much better) on a lint-free cloth to remove all traces of the old paste on the heatsink and the processor.

I haven't encountered a Z60/61 before, so I don't know if there's a thermal pad for the northbridge chip. If there is, you need to replace it. Peel off the pad, then clean the heatsink and chip as mentioned earlier.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

[teamde78]

Just want to give a bit of an update.

I was able to try to change the thermal compound on the old heatsink, which had no luck. It worked for a few minutes (like it was) and would shutdown or act very weird. Being discouraged, I went ahead and purchased a new heatsink for my machine. After installing the fan and putting everything back, I booted up the machine and it worked wonderful. It is running real quick, especially after I threw an SSD I wasn't using. Thanks for all the help. I am very happy that this machine is now working great. It is running real cool, even when I put a bit of a load on it.

Thanks for the help guys I appreciate it.