gpu waterblock clogged?

[dtrunk]

i was going to upgrade from my two 140s to one 140 monsta radiator. upon putting it all back together i had a nightmare bleeding. there is very little to no water getting past the gpu block.

current setup is pump/res>gpu>120x3rad>cpublock>pump/res at the moment; very little to no water is getting through the cpu block, and when air bubbles make it back around to the pump they're going very slow.

this is my third time doing this, so i have at least a little idea of how it should go. i can feel the line jiggle and feel charged before the gpu, and nothing after the gpu.

so, open the block or go back through EVGA and rma the thing?

 

[Mandrake4565]

How long has it been since you did a full tear down. Did you flush the rad before installing it. I find that no matter how much I clean my loop before I run it, eventually I do get some debris in the Cpu Block. I do a full tear down every 6 months and there is always debris in the cpu block. This is running distilled water and biocide only. If it's been a while I'd pull it apart and clean it.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I would make sure once you feel you have enough fluid in the reservoir to plug it in as it will "pressurize" the loop if you will. Also make sure the pumps are primed. I just finished updating the rig again and ran into some minor downtime trying to prime the pumps from such a shallow reservoir. Pump stop, refill, run, stop, refill, run etc till I got the flow finally going. I would only think of it to be clogged if you saw signs of that happening prior to your radiator change. Did you do the "radiator dance"?

 

[dtrunk]

i've never fully torn down the loop to the point of opening the gpu block. I have inspected the CPU block visually and there are 1 or 2 very small particles stuck in the jet plate area. since the gpu is first in the loop after the pump, i'd assume it's captured most of the scoobie snacks that randomly float around my loop.

I did do the radiator dance, even threw my back out hitting all the angles. i did flush the new monsta 140 radiator with both cold and hot distilled water.

if I watch the cpu block while the system is on, you can see water barely dripping through it.

question is... will it void my warranty if i open the GPU block. it's the EVGA GTX680 Hydro Copper.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Is this all on the MCP-350 pump? At this point it doesn't matter as you're telling us you had signs of poor flow. That to me is enough there to painstakingly do a complete tear down. Either the pump is either on low settings, dying out or you have clogs in the loop and could be spreading else where.

 

[dtrunk]

darn darn darn. I should have known i couldn't get away with a quick rad swap. I truly think this may have come on awhile ago and hence my rig was suffering.

I've been here long enough to know that you don't disregard what the experts tell you; it's been literally the life of the system since i've done a full rebuild. a full breakdown and rebuild will come this weekend, hopefully. thnx for the input and quick advise.

i don't have enough pipe, so i guess i'll put the order in tonight and hope it comes in time for next weekend.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Sounds like a plan. Keep us posted with before and after pics. I know the feeling of doing all that work but that has to be done when choosing to watercool.

On another note, I've never seen so much debris come out of a recently purchased 480mm rad, earlier this week. I mean it just wouldn't clean after say 6-8 "dances". I think I did a total of around 12 to be safe before I installed it into the loop. I just did a refill and some rerouting with the rest. The old fluid was clear as clear can be. The pumps on the other hand had to be beefed up another 10% PWM to just hit the 1 GPM threshold.

 

[BobbyBubblehead]

I mean it just wouldn't clean after say 6-8 "dances".

mayhap its your moves?

you crumpin?

try a 90s slam dance but dont forget to hold on like its your prize glow stick

sorry... excuse I

 

[dtrunk]

well, just heard back from EVGA and opening the block will void my warranty. I ordered (and it shipped) some tubing from performancepcs. when that arrives I'll try flushing the GPU with reverse flow, and maybe use some vinegar and hot distilled water...??? if the gpu flush and cleaning the rest of my loop fails, then I'll just have to RMA the gpu; whoa!

hahahahah@ bobby

 

[Mandrake4565]

Cleaning the block sounds a lot easier then RMA'ing the Gpu. I don't know what you would need a warranty on the block for anyway. Other then maybe what ever metal is used to coat it peeling away, it's not like it's going to split open and fall apart?!

 

[gregmacknass]

Is there a sticker on the block that they can tell that you opened it? If not, the pop that sucker open and clean it properly. If it does, then your options are limited as to what you can do. You could RMA the card back to EVGA and let them deal with it. Or you can "risk" your warranty by opening the block up. I suggest that you use a funnel connected to a tube, and pour some water through the block to see if there is a stoppage before you go to any more extreme options (make sure you have a hose on the outlet going away from parts obviously). I would do this with every part (rad, cpu, gpu) to determine if any clogs are present.

 

[Daddyjaxx]

In my experience, even if you disconnect the loop at the lowest point, maybe 40% of the water drains out. I always have water left between the GPU blocks and before them, but not usually after them.

 

[dtrunk]

piping came in, cleaned the system; same issues. using air/water, i blew water through each of the components; everything had little to no restriction, but blowing threw the GPU (in reverse to hopefully dislodge the clog) it was extremely hard to blow. starting the RMA process with EVGA i guess.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

The question is what caused that blockage? Build up of debris? If it was growth I think it would grow in other places.

 

[gregmacknass]

Here is a photo of the internals of the 680 hydro copper waterblock. As you can see in the bottom right section of the flow path there is a stepped area that is reduced in depth severely. I am sure that it is just some plasticizer clogging it up there.