WD40 safe to remove rust and tarnishing?

[Tech Reprise]

Is wd 40 safe to use to remove oxidation and rust from screw on back of gpu. I am seeing mixed reviews with some sayong yes and some saying no.

I had some screws on GPU backside that started to rust.

 

I first used wd 40 and q tips to polish the screw surface and then used 92% methanol to remove the wd 40 leftover residue.

 

Also how can a 1yr old gpu start to rust. I live nowhere near the sea or any waterbodies. The weather is humid and dusty in my city though.

 

Also can I use some clear nailpolish on the screws to prevent further rusting?

 

Here is a before and after image comparison.

 

Before

 

After

 

 

Before

 

 

After

[Tech Reprise]

14 minutes ago, DriftMan said:

That is barely rusty, I would say to leave it alone, there will be no problem at all with it

Okay. But since I already used WD40 I hope it won't accelerate the corrosion. Its made up of partly gasoline and some additives I think. I cleaned only the top part of the screws and the IO plate but I wiped them properly with 92% Alcohol.

 

Btw any idea what size these spring loaded screws are?

[Tech Reprise]

9 minutes ago, DriftMan said:

No idea, but I would say it's around 5mm long, you could take them off to clean them better instead of throwing liquids on the card lol

When unscrewing, make sure to have the proper screwdriver to take the screw intact

True. But removing the screws will void the warranty, so I had to use a q-tip soaked in wd 40 lol.

Good thing is that I had the 92% alcohol with me to clean the pcb near the screws and the screws themselves of remaining wd40 residue.

The screws are M2 but the size varies gpu to gpu. So will need to contact someone from the manufacturer.

 

Anyways thanks for the Answers.

[IkeaGnome]

2 hours ago, R2G_RR94 said:

But removing the screws will void the warranty

Only if they find out. In theory, you could remove all screws that don't have stickers over them, soak them in a solvent to remove the rust. Clean with IPA and then reinstall. Unless you tell them, they won't know yeah?

[m9x3mos]

3 hours ago, R2G_RR94 said:

Okay. But since I already used WD40 I hope it won't accelerate the corrosion. Its made up of partly gasoline and some additives I think. I cleaned only the top part of the screws and the IO plate but I wiped them properly with 92% Alcohol.

 

Btw any idea what size these spring loaded screws are?

WD-40 is mostly an oil based lubricant. It ain't cause any problems on the metal and just need to wipe it dry. The oil layer will actually help prevent rust and oxidation. Just make sure not to coat the pcb and leave it soaking in it. It is probably conductive and might short something if you have pools of liquid on the board. 

[Master Disaster]

White vinegar is a better option for rust. WD40 is a penetrating oil, it won't remove rust, only lubricate it. You need an acid to remove the rust and stop it from hetting any worse.

[Mark Kaine]

I probably would  try getting replacement screws, keep the rusty trash ones in case u need rma lol.

 

Also no, wd40 is not a good idea against rust especially on a gpu (like at all)

 

 

2 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

only lubricate it

but actually its not a lubricant, wd stands for water displacer and you should lubricate things after use of wd40 (except on your PC where you shouldn't use it at all)

 

 

[Tech Reprise]

6 hours ago, m9x3mos said:

WD-40 is mostly an oil based lubricant. It ain't cause any problems on the metal and just need to wipe it dry. The oil layer will actually help prevent rust and oxidation. Just make sure not to coat the pcb and leave it soaking in it. It is probably conductive and might short something if you have pools of liquid on the board. 

My friend actually asked me to coat it. But I didn't lol. I used a q tip, dipped its tip in wd40 and wiped the screw clean.

6 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

White vinegar is a better option for rust. WD40 is a penetrating oil, it won't remove rust, only lubricate it. You need an acid to remove the rust and stop it from hetting any worse.

Yes, but since the rusting had only just started I just gave it a try with a Q-Tip. If rusting increases then maybe I will open the cooler and screws to clean them.

 

Btw guys, is using clear nailpolish a good thing to prevent any further rusting?

[Master Disaster]

3 hours ago, R2G_RR94 said:

My friend actually asked me to coat it. But I didn't lol. I used a q tip, dipped its tip in wd40 and wiped the screw clean.

Yes, but since the rusting had only just started I just gave it a try with a Q-Tip. If rusting increases then maybe I will open the cooler and screws to clean them.

 

Btw guys, is using clear nailpolish a good thing to prevent any further rusting?

Covering rust or corrosion without first treating the rust and the cause is never a good idea. Once rust/corrosion starts it will continue to spread until there's nothing left. You need to acid treat it to remove it all before you cover it.

 

In this case I'd suggest that you probably need to open the thing up fully and take a look underneath the cover, I have my doubts that its even rust at all since that screw is more than likely steel coated in zinc (aka galvanised) which should not be able to rust (at least not easily). I'm actually wondering if a cap hasn't exploded and you're seeing the start of corrosion from the electrolytic fluid. In that case you need to clean all of it off the board using white vinegar then go over everything again with isopropyl alcohol. Obviously you'll want to replace any damaged caps too.

[Tech Reprise]

Nope not a leaking cap. I checked properly with a macro lens. PCB is clean.

38 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

 I have my doubts that its even rust at all since that screw is more than likely steel coated in zinc (aka galvanised) which should not be able to rust (at least not easily). 

I was also thinking that how can galvanised steel rust. As in the close up shots I can see some additional metal layer on the screw surface. Anyways I think dust coupled with humid climate caused it.

Its not visible with a naked eye and so it may pass warranty inspection. Only visible if you look closely with a magnifying glass.