EK GIGABYTE GTX 980 Ti WF3 WATER BLOCK LEAK

[ishay]

Hi,

My rig is running for a couple of weeks now.
Today I came a cross what seems to be a leak from the water block itself.
It seems like the leak stayed on the block since I did not see any drops, only a sign for a leak which is now dry.
The leak is most noticeable around ALL the screws.
I reinforced the screws and tried to make it leak again by running the pump at max speed and heat up the gpu as possible(which only gets to ~40 degrees even when oc to the max) but no luck.. or I should say good luck.
What might be the reason for the leak? Is it possible that it's a one time leak?

I've added some pics.

Help will be appreciated.

 

[Nebulous]

Could very well be the hex bolts weren't tight enough to make a complete leak-proof seal. These things happen thus is why we advise to leak test before powering on the pc. Be happy you cannot replicate the leak. That's a good thing!

I do notice there are a few metal shavings from the rad/block in the pin channels of the block. Did you wash the rad out thoroughly before installing? Have to take double precautions as those shavings may create damage to the pump if they get loose.

 

[ishay]

Thanks for the replay.

I did have a leak test before the PC have been powered on, what makes me wonder if the leak happened during the leak test and I missed it, or it happened sometime during those weeks it's been on.

I noticed those nasty scuffs myself. Actually both rads has been washed out thoroughly before assembled.

 

[Nebulous]

Well you lucked out that the leak wasn't severe. Just keep an eye on it for a while to be sure it doesn't leak again. Add a piece of paper towel to that area and check every few hours while the pc is in operation. If the paper towel shows any red staining, then you have a leak that needs to be addressed quickly. If not, then it's good to go and you're safe.

 

[ishay]

Actually I don't have any way of getting there with a paper towel. the leak stayed in the block itself somehow which means there is a small gap that the water can flow to.
The gap now might have been closed because I tweaked the bolts.
I did put a paper towel underneath the GPU but if it leaks from the MB side it can contact it before I can see it i guess.
I'm checking that there is no change of how the red color is around the bolts, this is the only indication I can get before I can see the leak outside of the GPU.

 

[ITAngel]

Actually I don't have any way of getting there with a paper towel. the leak stayed in the block itself somehow which means there is a small gap that the water can flow to.
The gap now might have been closed because I tweaked the bolts.
I did put a paper towel underneath the GPU but if it leaks from the MB side it can contact it before I can see it i guess.
I'm checking that there is no change of how the red color is around the bolts, this is the only indication I can get before I can see the leak outside of the GPU.

Can you cut a piece of paper towel and tape it to the block just to give you an indication that is happening again? Leave it for a few weeks to insure there is no longer a leak.

 

[ishay]

Can you cut a piece of paper towel and tape it to the block just to give you an indication that is happening again? Leave it for a few weeks to insure there is no longer a leak.

Well the best i could do is to shove it up between the PCB to the MB.

This looks now like that -



You can see in the pic that at the edges of the GPU block there is a red line, the water got to the edge of the block and stopped somehow.

 

[ITAngel]

oh interesting is just enough of a leak to make it that far. I wonder how long it takes for it to make it that far down the line.

 

[ishay]

oh interesting is just enough of a leak to make it that far. I wonder how long it takes for it to make it that far down the line.

Any ideas what made the leak stop
Right at the edge?

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I would take that out and continue the investigation. Might have caught some debris on the gasket line.

 

[ishay]

The gasket line should be 100% sealed so if a debris could get caught up there water will surely do.
It's a hard pipe build so Taking the card out is not easy at all otherwise I'd do it soon as I saw there was a leak.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

There could be very small crevices created by a piece of debris on the gasket, if it were the case which could than possibly create the very slow leak OR there's a crack in the acrylic by that one screw.

 

[ishay]

I see what you mean.
I'm trying to make it leak again but can't for now. Maybe this debris somehow got released..
It's hard to think its a debris because the leak was not local it was spreading around all the bolts.

 

[ishay]

Ok, so I found out that if the gpu heats up a lot (75+ degrees) then the red color around the bolts and edges changes. I don't know if it's leaking or the heat melts the red color(if it is possible)

 

[Conumdrum]

It's due expansion of the board and the block, putting stress on the seals in that area probably. Squishing or opening the space between the material changing the thickness of the area with liquid. thus a change in color. You have a leak. It can get worse. fix it?

 

[ishay]

It's due expansion of the board and the block, putting stress on the seals in that area probably. Squishing or opening the space between the material changing the thickness of the area with liquid. thus a change in color. You have a leak. It can get worse. fix it?

Well EK sent a replacement block with no hesitation.
I'll update if it happens again after heat and stress test.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Well EK sent a replacement block with no hesitation.
I'll update if it happens again after heat and stress test.

Glad to hear EK came to the rescue. I sure won't take any more chances though with the leaking block. I would just remove and wait for the replacement.