T430 second RAM slot not working

[T430_1tera]

Hello everyone,
first of all thanks in advance for your patience and sorry for my english.

I have my T430 with the following problem:

Yesterday evening i shut down the PC, and leave it on the table, power supply disconnected.
This morning switched it on but no boot, black screen.
Replaced battery and power supply with a second T430 that i have: nothing, black screen - no boot.
Open the second memory slot (bottom one) and removed the RAM : BOOT OK ! All is working !
Check the removed RAM stick into the second T430: WORKS like a charme ! (seems it's OK)
Insert a working RAM stick i take out from the second T430 and inserted in the second RAM slot : black screen - no boot.
Seems that (during the night) the RAM controller fails or the RAM slot (the ram connector) is not working.

Anyone with an obscure problem like this ?
Is there something I should check/try?

Thanks in advance

[sktn77a]

Never seen this although your troubleshooting suggests your conclusion is correct.

[kfzhu1229]

First try spraying the RAM slot with electrical contact cleaner and try again.
Then try pushing on the 2nd RAM slot and then turn the laptop on, if it works then then your second RAM slot has failed solder joints.
In which case, buy a fine tip soldering iron and flux and just go over the solder contacts one by one

[T430_1tera]

@sktn77a : thanks for the reply

@kfzhu1229 : thanks, used "WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray" then check with two different 4GB RAM stick (they work in the second T430) : nothing, black screen - no boot.
Then try to push the RAM connector, with the RAM installed, in every direction and in the meantime switch on the PC : nothing, black screen - no boot.

Don't know what to do now ....

[kfzhu1229]

@sktn77a : thanks for the reply

@kfzhu1229 : thanks, used "WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray" then check with two different 4GB RAM stick (they work in the second T430) : nothing, black screen - no boot.
Then try to push the RAM connector, with the RAM installed, in every direction and in the meantime switch on the PC : nothing, black screen - no boot.

Don't know what to do now ....

Reseat the processor and also check with another processor, as the RAM controller on these things are built into the processor and not the motherboard, thankfully.
The only cases that I saw faulty RAM controllers are on 1st gen Ryzen, but that's not to say it's impossible on one of these things. It can also be caused by a faulty or broken pin contact on the processor

[T430_1tera]

Hi kfzhu1229,
yes, you'r right, i5-3320M (Ivy Bridge Processor) has a built-in memory controller (2 channels).
Now I need a calm day to disassemble the T430 and, as first action, reseat the processor.
In this moment I have not a new processor nor want to swap the processors in the two PC.
I'll be back here to update the post.
Thanks in the meantime !

[kfzhu1229]

Hi kfzhu1229,
yes, you'r right, i5-3320M (Ivy Bridge Processor) has a built-in memory controller (2 channels).
Now I need a calm day to disassemble the T430 and, as first action, reseat the processor.
In this moment I have not a new processor nor want to swap the processors in the two PC.
I'll be back here to update the post.
Thanks in the meantime !

When you reseat the processor, check the pins just in case one of them is actually bent or something
Well if you happen to have an Elitebook or Latitude from this era instead of the 2nd T430, try that instead and swapping the processors would be much easier because they all just require taking the bottom panel off with just a few screws to get to the heatsink.

[T430_1tera]

Hi kfzhu1229,

When you reseat the processor, check the pins just in case one of them is actually bent or something

yes, but how could this have happened if i don't touch/open/disassemble the PC ?
we have been using it for six years (bought 2nd hand in 2015) ... and no one problem ...
bought a new battery last April, but changing a battery has nothing connected with the RAM or RAM-slot, and four months passed ...

all obscure in my opinion

[kfzhu1229]

yes, but how could this have happened if i don't touch/open/disassemble the PC ?
we have been using it for six years (bought 2nd hand in 2015) ... and no one problem ...
bought a new battery last April, but changing a battery has nothing connected with the RAM or RAM-slot, and four months passed ...

all obscure in my opinion

Totally fair, but a RAM slot not working can many times be a bent pin which is common on Ryzen processors.
I guess that is not very likely in your situation, but a faulty memory controller can be a probability, which is something that plagues the 1st gen Ryzen processors.
You are lucky though that you are working with a middle of the line i5 processor and not a quad core i7, which would be absolutely heartbreaking if one of those get plagued with a faulty RAM controller

[T430_1tera]

a RAM slot not working can many times be a bent pin

Hi kfzhu1229,
PC disassembled, CPU removed, CPU checked, no bent pin(s), new thermal paste, reassembled,
RAM in second slot locks completely the power on self test, black screen, no leds on, press keys on keybord do nothing.
Removing RAM from second slot all become working !
The RAM (two 4GB stick) works in another T430 (second slot).
Seems I need to try a new CPU.
May be in September ... I'll update this thread as soon as I have news !
Thanks in the meantime ...

[T430_1tera]

Hi,
removed a perfect working processor from another thinkpad with two ram installed,
replaced the processor in the T430 with RAM slot not working,
nothing changed, with the second ram installed i have black screen + no boot.
Check a second time, with a 5x lens, all the ram connections of the second ram slot, all looks ok,
check with a 5x lens all the soldered pins of the ram connector, all seems ok.
I do not know what to do now !
I ran out of ideas ...

[RealBlackStuff]

Tried the RAM from the other laptop?

[T430_1tera]

Yes !
you can find it in my first post,
thanks anyway

[axur-delmeria]

This issue reminds me of an old Socket A motherboard that would always boot with a bad RAM error beep code. Upon closer inspection, a bloated electrolytic capacitor near the RAM slot was found. Upon replacing it, the motherboard worked again. Unfortunately, non-electrolytic capacitors I commonly see in laptops don't bloat, or have any visual indicator of failure. That makes troubleshooting difficult without training and experience with electronics.

[T430_1tera]

Thanks for the tip axur-delmeria !

[kfzhu1229]

Unfortunately, non-electrolytic capacitors I commonly see in laptops don't bloat, or have any visual indicator of failure. That makes troubleshooting difficult without training and experience with electronics.

Well in this case, you have to resort to using a multimeter to see whether the capacitor has full continuity, and also power the laptop on and see if there are voltages fed through the second RAM slot of the laptop. (For this you can just measure the voltage of any capacitors on the RAM stick itself when it's inserted into the problematic slot.
It's unlikely to have any fuse problems for DIMM slots (it would be dumb to implement those), but a short on the 2nd slot power rail might be an issue.

[sktn77a]

This was a well known defect with the old T30 but never heard of it in a T430.