Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

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  • Half-Saint
    Badcaps Veteran
    • Jan 2010
    • 213
    • Slovenia
    #1

    Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

    I got a bunch of motherboards that presumably don't work. I haven't tested them yet but at least 5 of them have bulging/leaking caps. The other 7 look fine on the outside.

    How can I verify that these boards also just need recapping?

    Thanks,
    SainT
    Tags: None
    • c_hegge
      Badcaps Legend
      • Sep 2009
      • 5219
      • Australia
      #2
      Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

      Re-cap them and see if they work. That's what I do. If it works fine after the re-cap, that's all that was wrong. Otherwise, there are other problems.

      Also, just because the caps look good doesn't mean they are. It's very common for caps to fail without showing it, so the 7 boards which look good may have bad caps.
      I love putting bad caps and flat batteries in fire and watching them explode!!

      No wonder it doesn't work! You installed the jumper wires backwards

      Main PC: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP, 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600, 240GB Intel 335 Series SSD, 750GB WD HDD, Sony Optiarc DVD RW, Palit nVidia GTX660 Ti, CoolerMaster N200 Case, Delta DPS-600MB 600W PSU, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Windows 7 Home Premium

      Office PC: HP ProLiant ML150 G3, 2x Xeon E5335 2GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Intel 530 SSD, 2x 250GB HDD, 2x 450GB 15K SAS HDD in RAID 1, 1x 2TB HDD, nVidia 8400GS, Delta DPS-650BB 650W PSU, Windows 7 Pro

        Comment

        • PCBONEZ
          Grumpy Old Fart
          • Aug 2005
          • 10661
          • USA
          #3
          Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

          on: "just because the caps look good doesn't mean they are".
          OST brand and chemicon KZG and KZJ are notorious for failing without bloating.
          Any brand -can- fail without bloating, it's just not as common as those mentioned.

          Look at the chipset for signs of melting [holes, lumps or shinny spots] which can indicate a PSU or caps problem burned out the chipset.
          Check the MOSFETs for similar problems.
          - If you don't have those problems then just try a recap.

          .
          Mann-Made Global Warming.
          - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
          -
          Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
          - Dr Seuss
          -
          You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
          -

            Comment

            • c_hegge
              Badcaps Legend
              • Sep 2009
              • 5219
              • Australia
              #4
              Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

              Add teapo to the list of non-bloaters. I was once given a board with entirely teapo. None were bulged, but the board wouldn't POST. It came good after a re-cap.

              Also had a board with entirely OST before. Same symptom, same fix.
              Last edited by c_hegge; 06-11-2010, 05:39 PM.
              I love putting bad caps and flat batteries in fire and watching them explode!!

              No wonder it doesn't work! You installed the jumper wires backwards

              Main PC: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP, 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600, 240GB Intel 335 Series SSD, 750GB WD HDD, Sony Optiarc DVD RW, Palit nVidia GTX660 Ti, CoolerMaster N200 Case, Delta DPS-600MB 600W PSU, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Windows 7 Home Premium

              Office PC: HP ProLiant ML150 G3, 2x Xeon E5335 2GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Intel 530 SSD, 2x 250GB HDD, 2x 450GB 15K SAS HDD in RAID 1, 1x 2TB HDD, nVidia 8400GS, Delta DPS-650BB 650W PSU, Windows 7 Pro

                Comment

                • kaniki
                  Badcaps Veteran
                  • Dec 2009
                  • 514
                  #5
                  Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                  I would say just add all caps to that list.. especially the china made ones.. I have a G Force 2 PCI card sitting here that i tested the caps while on the card. supposed to be 1000 uf caps, one tested around 300 uf. and no bloating either. that brand is something like szwx (in cursive) is what it looks like on the cap. dont know, never heard of it before. point is, any brand can fail without bloating. never take any brand for granted that it will bloat when gone bad.

                  as for the recapping.. just recap. if the board is bad, just take the good caps off and save them for another board later. you will just have a few spares lying around for a bit but would not be any harm in trying it.

                    Comment

                    • Half-Saint
                      Badcaps Veteran
                      • Jan 2010
                      • 213
                      • Slovenia
                      #6
                      Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                      Last night I recapped two of the mentioned motherboards. None of the boards work after the recap. One turned on but stopped working after 2 seconds. No signs of life afterwards. I replaced 15 1000uF 6.3V but may have damaged one solder pad (tube) in the process of removing solder from the hole...

                      The second board turns on (fans turn) alright but doesn't produce any beeps or video. I replaced all 3300uF 6.3V and all 1500uF 16V caps. Any ideas?

                      Cheers

                        Comment

                        • PCBONEZ
                          Grumpy Old Fart
                          • Aug 2005
                          • 10661
                          • USA
                          #7
                          Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                          Originally posted by Half-Saint
                          Last night I recapped two of the mentioned motherboards. None of the boards work after the recap. One turned on but stopped working after 2 seconds. No signs of life afterwards. I replaced 15 1000uF 6.3V but may have damaged one solder pad (tube) in the process of removing solder from the hole...

                          The second board turns on (fans turn) alright but doesn't produce any beeps or video. I replaced all 3300uF 6.3V and all 1500uF 16V caps. Any ideas?

                          Cheers
                          Reset the CMOS and try again.
                          Next time take the battery out while you work on it.
                          [Little thing everyone forgets to mention.]
                          Mann-Made Global Warming.
                          - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                          -
                          Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                          - Dr Seuss
                          -
                          You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                          -

                            Comment

                            • Half-Saint
                              Badcaps Veteran
                              • Jan 2010
                              • 213
                              • Slovenia
                              #8
                              Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                              I tried resetting the BIOS but it didn't do anything.. I'll try a new battery when I get home.

                                Comment

                                • PCBONEZ
                                  Grumpy Old Fart
                                  • Aug 2005
                                  • 10661
                                  • USA
                                  #9
                                  Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                  A bad battery usually won't prevent booting but a scrambled/corrupted BIOS might.

                                  Inspect the chipset chips.
                                  Look for shinny spots, cracks, or pits.
                                  Those are signs the chipset was blown out.
                                  [Melted or arced and sparked inside.]
                                  Usually happens when cheap PSUs are used and I assume you don't know what these were on before you got them.

                                  .
                                  Last edited by PCBONEZ; 07-05-2010, 01:27 AM.
                                  Mann-Made Global Warming.
                                  - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                                  -
                                  Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                                  - Dr Seuss
                                  -
                                  You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                                  -

                                    Comment

                                    • Half-Saint
                                      Badcaps Veteran
                                      • Jan 2010
                                      • 213
                                      • Slovenia
                                      #10
                                      Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                      The north bridge is under a heatsink which I won't bother removing. The other components look fine visually. It's a shame because this Soyo used to be a nice board... clearing the CMOS again didn't work. Funny thing is I can power off the board, if I hold the power button for 5 seconds, like usual.

                                        Comment

                                        • Half-Saint
                                          Badcaps Veteran
                                          • Jan 2010
                                          • 213
                                          • Slovenia
                                          #11
                                          Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                          The north bridge is under a heatsink which I won't bother removing. The other components look fine visually. It's a shame because this Soyo used to be a nice board... clearing the CMOS again didn't work. Funny thing is I can power off the board, if I hold the power button for 5 seconds, like usual.

                                            Comment

                                            • Half-Saint
                                              Badcaps Veteran
                                              • Jan 2010
                                              • 213
                                              • Slovenia
                                              #12
                                              Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                              I figured it out... the CPU I was using to test the motherboards is dead and I knew that but wasn't paying attention since I just grabbed the first CPU I saw on the shelf. What a mistake!

                                              Well, too late for one of the boards since I already massacred it for parts. The other one will probably work

                                              Cheers!

                                                Comment

                                                • PCBONEZ
                                                  Grumpy Old Fart
                                                  • Aug 2005
                                                  • 10661
                                                  • USA
                                                  #13
                                                  Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                  Oops!
                                                  Mann-Made Global Warming.
                                                  - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                                                  -
                                                  Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                                                  - Dr Seuss
                                                  -
                                                  You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                                                  -

                                                    Comment

                                                    • severach
                                                      Badcaps Legend
                                                      • Aug 2007
                                                      • 1055
                                                      • USA
                                                      #14
                                                      Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                      Put an X on the bad part with a Sharpie. If it later turns out to be fine brake clean will remove the mark. Permanent markers aren't permanent for everyone.
                                                      Last edited by severach; 07-05-2010, 10:20 PM.
                                                      sig files are for morons

                                                        Comment

                                                        • PCBONEZ
                                                          Grumpy Old Fart
                                                          • Aug 2005
                                                          • 10661
                                                          • USA
                                                          #15
                                                          Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                          I generally mark bad CPUs with a hammer.
                                                          Mann-Made Global Warming.
                                                          - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                                                          -
                                                          Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                                                          - Dr Seuss
                                                          -
                                                          You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                                                          -

                                                            Comment

                                                            • ratdude747
                                                              Black Sheep
                                                              • Nov 2008
                                                              • 17136
                                                              • USA
                                                              #16
                                                              Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                              Originally posted by PCBONEZ
                                                              I generally mark bad CPUs with a hammer.
                                                              i gernerally mark bad ones by leaving them on random shelves and counters... ... bad habit, i know...
                                                              sigpic

                                                              (Insert witty quote here)

                                                                Comment

                                                                • PCBONEZ
                                                                  Grumpy Old Fart
                                                                  • Aug 2005
                                                                  • 10661
                                                                  • USA
                                                                  #17
                                                                  Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                                  Originally posted by ratdude747
                                                                  i gernerally mark bad ones by leaving them on random shelves and counters... ... bad habit, i know...
                                                                  That's how I used to do it.
                                                                  Then,, one day,,, !!!!!!!!!
                                                                  Mann-Made Global Warming.
                                                                  - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                                                                  -
                                                                  Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                                                                  - Dr Seuss
                                                                  -
                                                                  You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                                                                  -

                                                                    Comment

                                                                    • c_hegge
                                                                      Badcaps Legend
                                                                      • Sep 2009
                                                                      • 5219
                                                                      • Australia
                                                                      #18
                                                                      Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                                      It's extremely rare for a CPU to fail. I've only seen one fail on it's own. I've seen two or three others fail, but they were either overheated when the fan failed or a clip snapped or they came from PCs which were hit by lightning most of the other parts were also fried.
                                                                      I love putting bad caps and flat batteries in fire and watching them explode!!

                                                                      No wonder it doesn't work! You installed the jumper wires backwards

                                                                      Main PC: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP, 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600, 240GB Intel 335 Series SSD, 750GB WD HDD, Sony Optiarc DVD RW, Palit nVidia GTX660 Ti, CoolerMaster N200 Case, Delta DPS-600MB 600W PSU, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Windows 7 Home Premium

                                                                      Office PC: HP ProLiant ML150 G3, 2x Xeon E5335 2GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Intel 530 SSD, 2x 250GB HDD, 2x 450GB 15K SAS HDD in RAID 1, 1x 2TB HDD, nVidia 8400GS, Delta DPS-650BB 650W PSU, Windows 7 Pro

                                                                        Comment

                                                                        • PCBONEZ
                                                                          Grumpy Old Fart
                                                                          • Aug 2005
                                                                          • 10661
                                                                          • USA
                                                                          #19
                                                                          Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                                          Originally posted by c_hegge
                                                                          It's extremely rare for a CPU to fail. I've only seen one fail on it's own. I've seen two or three others fail, but they were either overheated when the fan failed or a clip snapped or they came from PCs which were hit by lightning most of the other parts were also fried.
                                                                          Granted.
                                                                          I've probably only seen one bad one to every 100-200 good ones.
                                                                          .
                                                                          Mann-Made Global Warming.
                                                                          - We should be more concerned about the Intellectual Climate.
                                                                          -
                                                                          Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
                                                                          - Dr Seuss
                                                                          -
                                                                          You can teach a man to fish and feed him for life, but if he can't handle sushi you must also teach him to cook.
                                                                          -

                                                                            Comment

                                                                            • Half-Saint
                                                                              Badcaps Veteran
                                                                              • Jan 2010
                                                                              • 213
                                                                              • Slovenia
                                                                              #20
                                                                              Re: Fixing motherboards - bad caps?

                                                                              Well glad to report the other mainboard (Soyo Dragon) works fine after the recap.

                                                                              Cheers

                                                                                Comment

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