• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

how do i remove oil from heatsink?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

C-fut

Registered
Joined
Jul 24, 2003
i recently purchased a slk 800u. it came with a sticker on the bottom to protect it. i removed the sticker to find left over sticky stuff on the bottom. i tried rubbing alcohol to remove it but it didn't work. and then my stupid *** goes and uses wd40. it worked and took off all the sticky stuff with lots of rubbing. but then going to the arctic silver site to learn how to put on as3 i read it was not a good idea to use wd 40 as it has oil in it and could decrease performance. my question now is how can i remove the wd 40 from the bottom of the heatsink? is my heatsink ruined? any ideas is aprreciated. thanks in advance:(
 
i'd do what zazuk stated then finish it off with some more rubbing alcohol...
 
i thought it wasn't good to use nail polish remover either. or is it?
 
I have used acetone alot and never had a problem, it does not leave a residue. You would want to keep it away form the 4 little soft stand offs on an AMD cpu, will soften the glue that holds them on.
 
Acetone is fine, but Arctic Silver still recommends finishing up with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). I'm surprised the IPA didn't get the adhesive off the first time, but acetone is worth a try.

Nail polish remover is mostly acetone, but you shouldn't use it becasue it has other components (scent, color, etc.).
 
SOAP AND WATER...

and its really tough ****, like it glows in the dark or something...

USE THE <MAGIC> DISHWASHER....
 
i had to do the same thing when i got my sk7... there was a lot of adhesive stuck to it... the only thing that worked was nail polish remover. i will probably have to do it to this slk900, and on top of that it's pretty tarnished so i have to remedy that, and then finish by lapping it. :rolleyes: maybe i wont.
 
Well, I don't know if this is good or not for the heatsink, but I've always used Baby Oil to get the sticky resedue off of objects that once harbored an annoying sticker.

-yelizaveta
 
Yellie said:
Well, I don't know if this is good or not for the heatsink, but I've always used Baby Oil to get the sticky resedue off of objects that once harbored an annoying sticker.

-yelizaveta


That's not really a good thing to do. The oil will get into the "pores" of the metal and prevent any thermal paste from getting in there. Pretty much the only way to really make sure the stuff is gone is to lap the heatsink.
 
You can use dishwashing soap and a small paintbrush to clean oil off your HSF...Repeat until you can't feel the oil any more...
A little acetone or alcohol if you have it, and your done...
Lapping is well worth the time, and will improve your temps noticeably, all for the cost of a sheet of sandpaper and some elbow grease...Go slow and sand using even pressure at all times, you don't really need a mirror finish...I just use 600 grit and it works fine...No muss, no fuss...
 
thx to everyone for their suggestions. i will try everthing stated and see what happens
 
Back