Possible leaking capacitor - residue on MoBo - Will not POST. Photos included!

[WispTheHusky]

Hi there guys,

 

Posting on behalf of a friend, as (surprise, surprise), their PC isn't booting. Let me give you a rundown on what's happening, and we can go from there! TLDR version in the spoiler section at the bottom!

 

So, Let's start with specs:

• MoBo: MSI 970 Gaming AM3+
• CPU: Fx 8350
• Cooler: 212 Evo
• GPU R9 270x (also tested an old HD 6870)
• RAM: 2x4 GB of Generic DDR3 @ 1600 MHz + 1x 8GB of Kingston Fury @ 1600MHz (Never had an issue before, also tried with just the 1x8 Kingston stick)
• PSU: OCZ ZT 750 W
• Storage (the friend didn't provide, but I believe): 256 GB Sandisk SSD (Boot drive) + WD Blue 1.5 TB HDD.
• OS: Win 10 Pro x64
• BIOS Version: Unknown. Can't POST to find out!

Now, here's what happened: 

 

The PC was running fine, until the GPU was taken out, and put into another rig. It worked A-OK in the other rig. Put it back into this one, and it refuses to boot. It won't POST. The GPU fans spin up, before turning off, and this loops until power is cut. The CPU fan is constant. No beep code and no onboard diagnostic display to check either, unfortunately (see attached video for fan behavior).

 

Trying the GPU in another machine - no problem. Boots first time. Put it back in this rig, it fails to POST.

 

We then tried with an old HD 6870.... It POSTed!... once. It now refuses to POST again.

 

Taking all of the RAM sticks out of the MoBo and attempting to boot leads to the MoBo chucking out a no-RAM error, so that's a good sign it is at least trying to go through the "POST checklist".

 

After taking a close look, it seems there is some residue on the left side of the top PCI-E slot, starting near the integrated heatsink. An initial inspection shows nothing like a blown/leaking capacitor, but there is no multimeter on hand to accurately check this currently. It appears to be coming from around the heatsink but doesn't quite seem as if it underneath it.

 

Photo:

Spoiler

 

 

My friend took a feel of the liquid, and he described it as a rather tacky liquid which was odorless (don't worry. I advised he should wash his hands as it could well be electrolytic fluid).

 

So! Although it seems rather likely this is a blown/leaking capacitor, please let me know what you guys think is up, and any recommendations (above buying a new board) that might help? The thing that threw us off was the 1 random POST with a different GPU.

 

Finally, the board isn't that old, so I would be rather surprised if a capacitor already.

 

TLDR version:

Spoiler

1. PC was fine until GPU was taken out.
2. Put GPU back in, refuses to POST.
3. Fans spin up, and off, looping until power is turned off. No beep codes or diagnostics. Still responds normally to no-RAM when tested.
4. Tried GPU in another machine, POSTs OK.
5. Tries an old HD 6870 in this rig, it POSTs once OK, then refuses to POST again.
6. Weird tacky, odourless liquid on MoBo to the left on the top PCI-E, near integrated heatsink.
7. Think it's a blown/leaking capacitor, but not 100% sure as the other GPU POSTed and it's a fairly new board.
8. Let me know what you think!

 

 

Thanks for your time!

video-1515871270.mp4

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, WispTheHusky said:

-SNIP-

That's not a capacitor that leaked it's the oils that leached out from the thermal pads, it shouldn't cause any issues but you can clean that off with some isopropyl alcohol. 

[WispTheHusky]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

That's not a capacitor that leaked it's the oils that leached out from the thermal pads, it shouldn't cause any issues but you can clean that off with some isopropyl alcohol. 

Thanks for the super swift reply. I'll get him to give it a go, and get back to you ASAP! Cheers!

[WispTheHusky]

2 hours ago, W-L said:

That's not a capacitor that leaked it's the oils that leached out from the thermal pads, it shouldn't cause any issues but you can clean that off with some isopropyl alcohol. 

No luck! MoBo is still within warranty, so that seems like the best option at this point, unless you can suggest anything else? 

[W-L]

1 minute ago, WispTheHusky said:

No luck! MoBo is still within warranty, so that seems like the best option at this point, unless you can suggest anything else? 

Try clearing your CMOS and reseating your RAM, if it still doesn't work go with the bare minimum to try and get your system to post, 1 stick of RAM, CPU and onboard graphics. 

[WispTheHusky]

3 minutes ago, W-L said:

Try clearing your CMOS and reseating your RAM, if it still doesn't work go with the bare minimum to try and get your system to post, 1 stick of RAM, CPU and onboard graphics. 

Given this a try (with both GPUs on different tests as the CPU has no integrated), to no avail. Thanks for the suggestions and time!