Disassembly of Mac Pro - Jewelers Screws?

the last thing I need is 20 questions...

You have to admit though posting this type of question will prompt people asking why are you taking your computer apart.

I'm still curious.

It reminds me of a funny story when I worked at a computer store. A person bought a computer, then called back a little later asking how to install a video card. A few hours goes by and the customer with a rather sheepish look on his face comes back into the store with his computer in a plastic bag.

Yep you guessed it, he literally took every screw out of the computer. To add insult to injury during the process he pulled the existing video card out of the computer while its on and shorted the mother board.

Poor sap, it was too sad and pathetic to laugh.

Memory Cage with Rear Fan
The rear fan is part of the memory cage assembly. If you need to replace the rear fan, you must
replace the entire memory cage assembly.
Note: Every time you remove the memory cage, you must replace the thermal grease on
the processor heatsinks. New grease and alcohol wipes for removing the previous grease are
available as a separate kit (part number 076-1225). Instructions for applying the grease are
included with the processor heatsinks procedure.
Tools
No tools are required for this procedure.
Preliminary Steps
Before you begin, open the computer, lay it on its side with the access side facing up, and remove
the following:
Hard drives in drive bays 1 and 2
Any 12-inch PCI Express cards
PCI Express card installed in slot 1
Top and bottom memory cards
Processor heatsink cover
Front fan assembly
Processor heatsinks

The service manual says the tool required is a #1 right angle philips screw driver to remove the front two screws.

According to the service manual no special tool is needed to remove the screws. Mine are not coming out with a #1 right angle philips screw driver.

My Apple service person said he would give it a try.

I think what is needed is a very thin open end wrench that will slip between the edge of the Mac Pro's outer case and the memory cage to secure the standoff while you use a good, clean screwdriver to remove the screws. The standoff has flat edges so it is designed to be held with a wrench. The problem is that when you try to remove the screws the standoffs and the screws just spin in place since there is really nothing to hold the standoffs tight. Looks like an opportunity for a third-party to market such a wrench, it would have to be thin enough to fit in the small gap between the case and the memory cage.

As for why you'd want to remove the front fan assembly, I've already found a need (actually two). First, I need/want to replace the parallel ATA cable that runs into the DVD/CD bay because the standard cable that Apple uses is too short to reach the back of a 3.5" ATA drive that I want to mount under the existing DVD drive. Second, it seems that the headphone plug that is on the front of my Mac Pro is loose in its socket, I want to try and secure it but you need to remove the fan assembly in order to reach that area (the same for the ATA cable). Another person wanted to access the two spare serial ATA connectors that are behind the front fan but also couldn't get the memory cage out of their system.

The note about having to clean off and replace the thermal grease on the CPU heatsinks makes no sense since you don't have to remove the heatsink in order to remove the fan. According to the Anandtech review all you have to do is remove the cover that is around/over the heatsink.

Lastly, I suspect that a sloppy removal of the memory cage could under some conditions void your warranty, so be careful whatever you do. That's why I have not even attempted any of the above mods (as yet).

I know this is not a PC, but why, oh why would they
make the first step in getting anything apart in your
Mac Pro to remove 2 small jewelers screws on the
bottom of the memory compartment that are not only
hard to get at, but are so blasted tight, that they
get stripped out when attempting to remove them.

Has anybody had any luck removing them without a
stripped screw remover?

SH

You have to use good quality screw drivers for this task. You need a good quality 00 Phillips for taking off the memory bay cover. Been there and done that.

The metal used is very "soft" and if you strip the head your in pretty good trouble. If you remove them go to an authorized Apple Dealer and get replacements. You may also call Apple and they just might send you a set for free.

They use a small amount of Locktite to keep them in place, the blue one...

That's why I use a set of drivers from Fry's Electronics
to "bite" the first time and use use some medium force, downward, to break the Locktite. Once you get them out I just hand tight them in place.

William

Email me for further information on the screw sizes:

wrprovent@verizon.net

You have to use good quality screw drivers for this
task. You need a good quality 00 Phillips for taking
off the memory bay cover. Been there and done that.

So, they do come out, after all. I was starting to think that they might have left-handed threads on these screws... 😉

Cheers
Steffen.

A theory.....

Now that it is documeneted that chimps are capable of using simple tools ( once thought to be a unique human trait ), Apple prefers to make DIY for lesser hominids impossible.

Seriously lighten up, if you are in the tiny minority that will want to remove those screws, then I dare say you can find an intellgent solution. If not then perhaps J. Fred Muggs can do it for you.