CPU Cooler backplate is stuck to motherboard

[Matthew10550]

So I have gotten myself into a little bit of an issue. I had previously installed a 120mm Lepa AIO water cooler into my computer for my CPU. Well the pump just died yesterday in the cooler and I wanted to proceed with taking it off to replace it with a new cooler. I took the AIO off, it went fine up until then. I went to try and unscrew the plastic bits on the front of my motherboard and they won’t come off. I have tried to push the pins through the back of my board to the front and, nothing. I have tried to hold the pins in the back to be able to twist off the plastic knobs in the front, to no success. I guess the plastic pieces might be cross threaded? No idea. But what would my solution to this be? Should I just dremel the plastic pieces off? I really do not know what to do at this point.

About the missing pin in the backplate, when I was taking the cooler off it just fell off. Guess I got lucky.

[Matthew10550]

The CPU is an intel 6700k, case is a Corsair spec 01 and am unsure of motherboard manufacturer.

[Crunchy Dragon]

How did the backplate attach to the board? I wonder if you may have overtightened something somewhere.

 

1 minute ago, Matthew10550 said:

The CPU is an intel 6700k, case is a Corsair spec 01 and am unsure of motherboard manufacturer.

Motherboard is of the MSI variety, they're the only company with the "DDR4 Boost".

[emosun]

just cut slots into those screw heads on the back so you can use a flat head screw driver on them

 

[Matthew10550]

3 minutes ago, emosun said:

just cut slots into those screw heads on the back so you can use a flat head screw driver on them

 

That’s what I was thinking at this point, but how could I cut slits into the screws without creating a bunch of sparks? Unless the sparks would be fine?

[Matthew10550]

12 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

How did the backplate attach to the board? I wonder if you may have overtightened something somewhere.

 

Motherboard is of the MSI variety, they're the only company with the "DDR4 Boost".

The backplate is attached to the board because the black pieces are pinching to the threads on those silver screws you see in the back of my PC. It’s kind of tightened like a nut, except for some reason I can’t just grab onto the silver screw to not make it spin while I undo the black plastic piece. I attached what the screws look like, this is the one that just fell out.

[Blai5e]

1 minute ago, Matthew10550 said:

That’s what I was thinking at this point, but how could I cut slits into the screws without creating a bunch of sparks? Unless the sparks would be fine?

Couldn't you just use plyers to wiggle (or turn) the screw from the front? After all, you're not intending to use them again are you?

[Matthew10550]

Just now, Blai5e said:

Couldn't you just use plyers to wiggle (or turn) the screw from the front? After all, you're not intending to use them again are you?

You’d think so, but for some reason the black plastic pieces will NOT unscrew from the screw threads. 

[Matthew10550]

Just now, Matthew10550 said:

You’d think so, but for some reason the black plastic pieces will NOT unscrew from the screw threads. 

I do not intend to use it again so I am willing to destroy the mounting hardware, yes.

[Ralphred]

So, I'm gonna make some observations, then suggestions.

• The "pins" seem to effectively be coach bolts
• They are not fixed to the back plate
• I'd guess the plastic spacers are unthreaded
• I'd also hypothesise the heat and compression on the spacers has deformed them to be a tighter fit on the coach bolts than intended

Take the cpu block and use it as a template to mark out where the bolts are on a block of wood (about the size of the backplate)

Drill holes out in the wood so they will fit over the flat head of the bolts.

Use drilled wood block to support the motherboard

Use a small hammer to tap the bolts into the block of wood

The first tap is going to strip the pseudo-thread from the spacers, and it'll all just fall apart from there.

 

2nd option, use a drill chuck* to get purchase on the spacers, then use the pseudo-thread to unscrew and pull them off.

 

*just a chuck, not the whole thing, something like this.

 

EDIT: Cutters method

If you've got access to side cutters (like this, not like this), you can use them on the bolt heads on the back of the board as a double sided wedge to get under the bolt heads and just leverage them lose DO NOT CUT ANYTHING.

[emosun]

16 minutes ago, Matthew10550 said:

That’s what I was thinking at this point, but how could I cut slits into the screws without creating a bunch of sparks? Unless the sparks would be fine?

Sparks are fine its just the metal dust youll want totally cleaned off the board afterwatd

[Matthew10550]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

Sparks are fine its just the metal dust youll want totally cleaned off the board afterwatd

This will most likely be what I will try to figure this issue out. I am going to take it to a local computer shop tomorrow first since I do not own a hand held cutting tool like a Dremel, but I really appreciate the help from everyone. Hopefully the computer shop can figure it out with a more elegant solution and I can update this thread for what their solution was. I wouldn't be surprised if they call me back however and tell me that they just cut the pieces off.

[startrek03]

1 hour ago, Matthew10550 said:

That’s what I was thinking at this point, but how could I cut slits into the screws without creating a bunch of sparks? Unless the sparks would be fine?

Masking tape is your friend when doing stuff like this.

 

Edit: As for real suggestions, I'd try tapping the screws out while making sure that screwhole is well supported from below.

[Matthew10550]

UPDATE: I FIXED IT!!!

 

I managed to get the screw pin things out by grabbing a screwdriver and using force on the front of the screw/pin, forcing it out the back. Didn’t seem to do any damage at all! I did drop my backplate though and had to unscrew my motherboard to get it out , but no other issues. Now just waiting for my hyper 212 from amazon. Thanks guys.

[Matthew10550]

On 5/15/2022 at 1:58 PM, startrek03 said:

Masking tape is your friend when doing stuff like this.

 

Edit: As for real suggestions, I'd try tapping the screws out while making sure that screwhole is well supported from below.

I tapped the screws out from the front with the front end of a screwdriver. Worked perfectly.