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I have finally refurbished my G5 2.7 LCS, I know there have been lots of discussions here about doing this but I thought, if there is any interest, I would add my 2 cents. Here is a pic of the finised refurb, if anyone needs advice etc on how to refurb your LCS post a question and I will do my best to answer.
G5 Dual 2.7, Mac OS X (10.5.8), ATI Radeon 9650, 8GB
Thanks for the compliment japamac, it's working great, temps are 52 to 54 at idle, the fans are silent and are no longer 'ramping'. Using a 'T' bar made bleeding the block pretty easy and I am really happy with my 'new' G5. It was a fun project and not hard to do. New fluid, rings and tubing along with a little gasket sealant should ensure a few more years before I upgrade to a mac pro. Thanks to all who helped with advice and tips.
I removed the LCS, removed and discarded the original tubing, drained the fluid, added new O-rings and new clear tubing and clamps. I used a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar to flush the block of any obstructions. I then added a T bar with a screw top filler cap which allowed me to add fluid and bleed the air out easily.
This is not a fix without difficulty but if you work slowly and logically it is not hard to do. When you are done you'll need to run ASD 2.6.3 to re-calibrate your mac.
You can see a pic and read some more info about my refurb here.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3842869?answerId=18391461022#18391461022
This other thread has a reply and a few older links that may be
useful to track down an existing source for the supplies which
were only used on a few builds of G5 Power Mac LC model.
Like any antifreeze-coolant, there are stablizer chemicals so to aid
in heat transfer and more efficient cooling of the processor via the
thermal parts; in the reply given in earlier thread where you had a
reply, look into the XLR8YourMac link. Also look into LowEndMac
site and or other fading-fast resources online for that LC G5 PPC.
Maybe ifixit.com repair guides may have something for this, also.
If you get the serial number of that model, you could use it to see
what kinds of parts (and perhaps locate copy of original service
manual online, in PDF) with original specifications. Here's one:
•Mac Serial Number Info - Lookup Your Mac Serial Number:
https://www.powerbookmedic.com/identify-mac-serial.php
Usually this source will show the product specs, and also a page
of replacement parts; power supplies & other bits. The Liquid Cool
model wasn't around very long -- as it was unreliable & hard to fix.
If you can find another owner of this same model you may ask if
they may want to take the one you are looking at, off your hands.
Some parts are harder to get than others; and someone whose
interest has been plagued by tinkering awhile, may want another.
In any event...
Good luck & happy trails! 🙂
Hey Buddy, I think I need your help. I just picked up two 2.5 G5 Quad's the PCI-X with LCS's one already leaked and killed the Power Supply the other is working but with 1 dead CPU. I wanna pull out the LCS from the dead Machine and Rebuild that LCS and Steal one of the Processors and bring one back to life with a rebuilt LCS so it so it won't die for a least a while. I can download the instructions on how to do it but was hoping for a list of parts you purchased to make yours look bad ***. I especially like the clear tubing can you use that all around? Hope you can get me that info. Thanks in advance.
Good news about the Quads, there's quite a few around with some kind of water damage, It sounds as though you'll be a able to get one good mac form two half dead ones! My mac is running sweet since the refurb, give me a day or two to check what I used and I'll get back to you!
OK, here goes.
Tubing - One metre, size is ID (inner diameter) 3/8 - OD (outer diameter) 1/2.
The tubing specs use both measurements which can be confusing but this is the best set-up I found.
Lots of colours are available but using clear is a good idea as you can check for air bubbles when you bleed the block later.
Clamps - Size, 1/2, I would replace all the clamps, the screw kind are easy to get on and tighten.
Anti Kink Coil - One metre, size ID 1/2, this helps keep the tubing open and the coolant flowing well.
Coolant - Feser One Cooling Fluid, any colour you like!
Thermal Paste - Artic Cooling MX4, The best thermal paste to date.
O-Rings - Brand is Viton, the size is 31.6mm x 2.4mm, these are a little bigger than the original rings and have a better fit and seal.(Note, my G5 is a Dual 2.7).
Gasket Seal - This is optional, I used it to add an extra layer of leak protection around the new o-rings. I used Permatex Ultra Grey, but any gasket sealer will do.
Filler plug - This is a great way to make filling and bleeding the block easy, the top screws off letting you fill the LCS and it also allows you to bleed the block easily.
T-Bar - Adding a T-bar allows you attach the extra tubing for the filler plug to add fluid and bleed the system, air in the LCS is a major problem for cooling as well as pump damage.
I think that's everything, I live in Stocholm and used a couple of sites in Europe to get the parts I needed, you will be able to get the parts in the States I assume, but let me know if you get stuck and I'll help you.
When your ready to start let me know, and I can offer some help / tips make the refurb a little easier.
Good hunting!
hey i need some help with mine i have the quad 2.5 8GB of ram cpu b over heats in about 10mins so someone said rebliead it the water has dryed up cuz there was no leeks so i did.put clean water in got all the air mostly out but one small bubble b 4 the pump tryed runing it to get it out but the pumps not pumping that good i used a old pc power box and some clips to do that but now it over heat in like 2 mins ??? oh and i put new cpu paste on it idk im stomped??? idk mabe its an air lock but i blow water throw it i dont really have money for parts the water alone was 6 bucks plez help poor kid in canada ive been fixing comps for awhale this is my frist lcs and its a pain
When you changed the fluid did you completely drain and flush the block?, if not there could be a blockage (original Apple fluid can crystalize) preventing the fluid flowing properly. Make a 50/50 water and white vinegar solution and run this through the block, it will help remove any blockages.
Bleeding the air can be difficult but you have to be sure you get it all out. You also mention in your post that the pump is not working well, this is a problem as fluid will not be forced through the block causing overheating. You say there were no leaks, many people have thought this only to find leaks at the O-rings, to check you need to remove the processors form the LCS, you may well find 'white rice' crystals which is a sure sign of leakage and you will need new O-rings.
To do this repair properly you will need some, or all, of the parts I reference earlier in the post. It seems obvious but strip the unit down, replace what is damaged and re-assemble. These units were never designed to be serviced so we have to find our own solutions. Feel free to ask more questions, but take a look at this site for more info.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/G5_CoolantLeak_Repair/G5_CoolantLeak_Repair_p 1.html
Has anyone tried putting the G5 Quad processor block onto a PCI motherboard? I understand that you would have to add additional power to the processors... and change out the standoffs... and perhaps account for two pumps instead of one... but it is the same connector... could it work???
Pretty tempted to try at this point...
That's pretty.
I like clean work.
How does it cool?
Nice work! 🙂
Looks Awesome. Wish I could have done that to mine before the LCS Blew up. lol... Great Job.
Thanks man, you helped make it possible!
Thanks man, Your Awesome. Hopefully I have time sometime soon... I'll start looking around the web for some all these goodies.
You're welcome, and good luck!
G5 LCS refurbish and refill info
