Ih78isme Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Hey, Long time lurker first time poster, thought I'd share an interesting story...interesting to me at least. Based in the UK and been picking up various Amazon returns at auctions, partly to try and grab some cash in the side, partly for interest and a hobby. Anyway Corsair products seem to always feature highly, AIOs, hubs, fans, a lot I put down to ignorance and user error, others clearly design faults. Which leads me to one AIO, looked brand new on arrival, clean radiator and fans always a good sign, however, on test install, CPU ran really hot, indeed, running uninstalled, the cold plate got really warm, bizarre I thought. Topped up with coolant, still hot when uninstalled. Should add at this point, pump running fine and on point when controlling via ICUE. In a last attempt at a fix I completely drained it, yes I know AIO and not meant to be tinkered with but I enjoy it. Drained I tried to push water through it with a syringe to clean, no joy, tried to push air through it, no joy, to cut a long story short, one of the valves seems completely blocked off, using a measure (drill bit lol) it seems completely blocked. Now clearly nothing can get into the system, I can only presume a design fault and a bad valve in production. Indeed I'd say it's not blocked, there is simply no hole ! Pics attached for interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedyV Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Sounds like a manufacturing defect. Bizarre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ih78isme Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Sounds like a manufacturing defect. Bizarre! Indeed. Least I've learnt that the AIOs are a lot more serviceable than Corsair would have you think 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedyV Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Indeed. Least I've learnt that the AIOs are a lot more serviceable than Corsair would have you think 😉 OK I am curious. How do you drain and refill a closed loop AIO with "permanent" fittings? I have 2 Corsair coolers that are getting old and wonder how much fluid loss has occurred due to permeation loss through the tubing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ih78isme Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 In defence of Corsair, it's really simple, though clearly they don't advertise it. Certainly a lot easier than a NZXT one I disected last night. In terms of fluid loss, just give the radiator a good shake and listen for sloshing noise, there will always be a tiny bit but if it sounds heavy it could do with a top up. The Corsair pump heads have a fill port on the side, try to pull it off/out and it won't budge, but there is a locking pin that you just knock through with a small nail or drill bit and it pops straight out. See pics attached. Same for the inlet and outlet valve. I used a syringe to top it up to the top, you then hold the pump head high and really wriggle the radiator and the air bubbles rise to the top, water sinks down, and you repeat the process adding coolant or water until the water no longer sinks. Not a quick process, half hour, I randomly turned the pump on and off to aid the air rising process. Overfill it so when you put the valve back in it Pushes water out and no air gets back in. Valve stays put so up to you if you then want to tap the pin back in. You can take the radiator off and flush any debris out too. I should make a video lol. Found a couple on YouTube but nothing that mentioned removing the pins, just the cold plate which again is easy to take off and clean inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ih78isme Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 Pics attached this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedyV Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 In defence of Corsair, it's really simple, though clearly they don't advertise it. Certainly a lot easier than a NZXT one I disected last night. In terms of fluid loss, just give the radiator a good shake and listen for sloshing noise, there will always be a tiny bit but if it sounds heavy it could do with a top up. The Corsair pump heads have a fill port on the side, try to pull it off/out and it won't budge, but there is a locking pin that you just knock through with a small nail or drill bit and it pops straight out. See pics attached. Same for the inlet and outlet valve. I used a syringe to top it up to the top, you then hold the pump head high and really wriggle the radiator and the air bubbles rise to the top, water sinks down, and you repeat the process adding coolant or water until the water no longer sinks. Not a quick process, half hour, I randomly turned the pump on and off to aid the air rising process. Overfill it so when you put the valve back in it Pushes water out and no air gets back in. Valve stays put so up to you if you then want to tap the pin back in. You can take the radiator off and flush any debris out too. �� I should make a video lol. Found a couple on YouTube but nothing that mentioned removing the pins, just the cold plate which again is easy to take off and clean inside. Thank you! I may try this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ih78isme Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 Let us know how you get on, happy to provide help and advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now