G5 cooling system leak!

Well this is my first post and I just wanted to chime in on the leak issue. It is most definitely real. My dual2.5G5 caught fire about three hours ago. Oily liquid oozed from the back of the computer where the fire was. It was not a pretty sight or smell. This computer blew a hard drive and Apple memory failed about six months ago... thank goodness I'm only half way into 3 year Apple Care. Looks like I'm going to be without my second computer again for a couple of weeks, hope the quad doesn't go or my CGI work is going to really suffer!

To those who think this leak thing can't happen, I seriously beg to differ.
-jay

in on the leak issue. It is most definitely real. My
dual2.5G5 caught fire about three hours ago. Oily
liquid oozed from the back of the computer where the
fire was. It was not a pretty sight or smell.

The coolant is toxic and you don't want to get it in contact with your skin.

To those who think this leak thing can't happen, I
seriously beg to differ.
-jay

You bet it can. I suggest owners pull the side metal panel off periodically and checking the rear bottom floor of the computer for leaks.

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/macosgliquidcooled_power_mac_g5sleaking

- Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
ITMS: MacOSG Podcast
 An Apple User Group 

My DP2.5 G5 (bought Easter 2005) wouldn't boot yesterday morning .
After some checks , i found it was leaking .
The strange thing is it WORKS with the side plastic taken off .

Anyway , after some reading , i decided not to boot this again since it seems that nothing is [yet] damaged from the liquid .

The bad thing is its 15 months old , no applecare , and i have to wait until Apple Greece finish summer vacation...

Any thoughts ?
thanx

G5 dp2,5 /4GB/ Logic Pro 7.1/Metric Halo 2882 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

"The coolant is toxic and you don't want to get it in contact with your skin."

Wrong! The coolant is non-toxic. See Section 11 Toxicological Information in this Apple document.

http://images.apple.com/environment/resources/pdf/powermacg5_msds-082004.pdf

"General Toxicity Information
Testing of materials similar in composition to the Delphi 151 indicates that this material should be considered non-toxic based on recommendations of the Hazardous Substances Labeling Act."

The liquid is propylene glycol, basically the same as most automotive anti-freeze products. The same precautions apply. Read the document.





Dual 2.5GHz G5 Power Macintosh Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1.5GB RAM 20" Apple Cinema Display

If it was me in that situation, I'd be trying to locate the leak. If it's in a rubber hose, it's easy to fix. If it's in a metal part, it might be possible to repair it, but more likely, you'll need to get the parts from Apple.

My Quad is Apple's responsibility until January '09, but by then, I expect to be back on an air-cooled computer. The risk of damage from coolant leakage is really unacceptable.

Wrong! The coolant is non-toxic. See Section 11
Toxicological Information in this Apple document.

"General Toxicity Information
Testing of materials similar in composition to the
Delphi 151 indicates that this material should be
considered non-toxic based on recommendations of the
Hazardous Substances Labeling Act."

Should be considered doesn't mean it isn't. Look at all the warnings there!!:

"The primary health hazard associated with direct contact to the small amount of fluid inside the sealed unit is the potential for irritation of skin and eyes."

Acute Health Effects

Eye: Although not an anticipated route of exposure under normal conditions of use, contact of the liquid in the sealed unit with the eyes will cause irritation and possibly burning, which is generally alleviated when the product is rinsed from the eyes.
Skin: Although not an anticipated route of exposure under normal conditions of use, direct contact with liquid may cause local redness or irritation of the skin following prolonged exposure. This condition is generally alleviated by washing skin with soap and water.
Ingestion: Ingestion of this product, while not likely to occur under normal conditions of use, may cause irritation of the mouth and throat, gastric disturbances, upset stomach, cramps, nausea and vomiting.
Inhalation: Inhalation of the mists or vapors of this product are not expected to be significant routes of exposure for this product as contained within this LCS system under normal conditions of use.


Chronic Health Effects

Prolonged or repeated skin exposures to large quantities of the fluid within the sealed unit can lead to dermatitis (dry, chapped skin). Refer to Section 11 (Toxicological Information) for additional information.
Inhalation
Although not an anticipated route of exposure, if vapors or mists are inhaled, remove the victim to fresh air. If symptoms persist, seek medical attention.
Skin Contact
Although not an anticipated route of exposure, if the fluid contacts the skin, flush skin with plenty of soap and water. Take care not to contaminate eyes. Get medical attention if irritation or redness develops.

- Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
ITMS: MacOSG Podcast
 An Apple User Group 

The substance is non-toxic. Should you take a bath in it? No. The document speaks for itself. You will not die if you touch the stuff. Automobile mechanics wallow in this stuff all day long for years with no ill effects. Except for dry, chapped skin of course 😉

So, if your G5 starts to leak don't be afraid to mop the stuff up with a paper towel. It won't hurt you.

Any thoughts ?

Defiantly don't run it anymore. See if you can find an independent dealer that will try and fix the leak. If the LCS needs to be replaced, you are looking a bill of upwards of a grand or more. If you take it to an Apple Store, I'm afraid they are going to want to sell you a new LCS.

Check here for an independent dealer. Call a few first and explain your situation.

http://www.applespecialist.com/asmc_DB/index.php

- Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
ITMS: MacOSG Podcast
 An Apple User Group 

Check here for an independent dealer....

well , thanx for advice but , i'm in Athens , Greece !

I'm afraid i can't avoid the official (not included in apple support sites ...) service .
In addition , i have to wait untill they come back from vacations...

akis.

G5 dp2,5 /4GB/ Logic Pro 7.1/Metric Halo 2882 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Got my G5 back after the leak catastrophe. They had to replace the power supply, processors, cooling system and logic board.

Almost a new computer.

Apple agreed to provide the parts for free, but I paid for labor (it was one month out of warante). Apple declined to sell me apple care at this point now. Oh well, pretty happy they provided parts.

I'll keep and eye out for leaks and will keep "hardware monitor" running to hopefully catch temperature increases before this happens again.

As far a repair, the other mac we found that had leaked was taken in for repair. They quoted him $650 to fix the leak. That might have been on a parts exchange or something, because it sounded cheap.

G5 dual 2.0 rev A Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Just for record.
I just had the problem of coolant leak in my Dual G5 2.5 (18 months old).
It actually got electricty fire due to liquid getting into the power supply, but this was put out when powering was shut due to short circuit. This happened at night, with the computer shutdown but still on power lead.
Lucky I had an Apple Care for this as almost everything had to be changed.
Apparently it had been leaking for sometime (rusted metal parts), but no external sign of it (no liquid on ground), nor signs of overheating.
Most worrying as I sometimes go away for a few days, while keeping my computer on the power lead and running daily for a short time, to be able to access some data.



G5 Dual 2.5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Does anybody know what are the best temperatures for a Power G5 2.0 Dual to perform at?
I'm not sure, but my fans seemed working kinda slow, so I bought and placed a bigger air fan in front of the fans that blow directly to the processors.

But I don't know if this could damage the system in any way, because this extra fan is not supossed to be there, but I'm just sick and tired of slow system performance so I did this as a desperate attempt to fix it.

My computer is an early 2004 model, and I never had such slow performance until six months or so ago:

when I reboot it takes quite a while to open any aplication, and when (Maya) is finally open I just quit it and reopen it, and this second time it opens it really fast as it used to.

Does anybody know why this happens? Is my computer not saving memory enough????

Apple could be really innnovative and allow the purchase of the extra Applecare at anytime within the 3 years - but if purchased after the 1 year then only the remainder of the 3 years would be left - now that IS innovative - not just commercial spin!

There's a famous vendor in the UK who does better - you buy an extended warranty - and if its never needed in the 3 years you get your money back.

Wow!

Hello

same here G5 Dual 2.5 leaking of the cooling system.
killed the powersupply, the motherboard & the processor.
manufactured in the end of 2004. total loss!
the mac repairshop told me about a dozen of computers with the same problem just in his shop.
this is not right. just a couple of months over warranty.
this is a design flaw & not a regular warranty case.
I was an apple customer for many years. I am very dissapointed.
Apple has to do something about that.
There was no help from Apple @ all.
It is a total loss for my studio & very devastating. All customers that are victims of this design flaw should get together & convince apple to admit to this flaw & help their customers out.

I feel your pain but I just can't believe that with that expensive a computer that you didn't purchase AppleCare.