Replace Thinkpad motherboard or just buy a new one?

November 10, 2009 1:48 PM

Spilled a drink on my Lenovo Thinkpad. Now it won't boot. Looks like I've damaged the motherboard. I've never done any computer repairs before. Will I be able to replace the motherboard myself? And if so, should I?

It's a Lenovo r400 Thinkpad that's just under a year old.

Like I said, I've never done any PC repair jobs before, but I'm totally willing to do it if it means I won't have to buy a new laptop. So I guess I'm asking if it's possible for a layperson to replace a laptop motherboard relatively hassle free. Money's tight and the holidays are coming.

I found some replacement motherboards on eBay for around $300. Refurbished Thinkpads similar to the one I have now are around $600--before shipping and taxes--at the Lenovo website.

So what's my best bet? Will it be worth it install a new motherboard myself? Or am I better off just getting a new or refurbished Thinkpad?

I know I can get other refurbished laptops cheaper, but I've grown attached to Thinkpads. I'd like to consider all my Thinkpad options before thinking about another replacement laptop.

posted by Kronoss to computers & internet (12 comments total)

Get the Hardware Maintenance Manual by a google search:
site:ibm.com HMM T61
(if you have a different model than T61, use it's number of course)

Download and read that manual to decide if you want to go ahead. Last time I worked on a TPad it was easy but that was ages ago.
posted by anadem at 1:54 PM on November 10

It is quite a task to replace a motherboard. You'll want to search for a tutorial on it for your particular model. You may do just as well to ebay yours and get a refurb.
posted by bravowhiskey at 1:55 PM on November 10

oops: s/it's number/its number/
posted by anadem at 1:55 PM on November 10

Not what you want to hear, but given your level of experience I'd say just replace the computer. I think you're looking at one big, enormous headache here. (And if time is money it'll work out to be cheaper just to buy a new machine anyway.)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 1:59 PM on November 10

How long has it been since you spilled the drink? I once spilled an entire cup of hot tea (complete with cream and sugar) all over the keyboard of my thinkpad. I did my best to sop it up and dry it out with a blowdryer but it would not turn on and I thought it was dead. I left it untouched under my bed for a few weeks because I couldn't bear to throw it out and one night I pulled it out and tried to turn it on, and it booted right up with no problem!
posted by bahama mama at 2:05 PM on November 10

You may want to see what you have, warranty-wise, from Lenovo, if that's an option. If it's still under warranty, their service is good and responsive.
posted by craven_morhead at 2:07 PM on November 10

What did you spill? It it was just water there are decent odds that the laptop will boot ok after two or three days left untouched.

Laptop internals tend to be very tightly packed for obvious reasons. Getting one open can be tricky. Getting one back together after getting it apart can be even trickier. It is possible to replace a motherboard but on a laptop that will probably require pulling everything else out of the frame. Unless you have some experience at this your odds on a successful home repair job are slim. Good luck.
posted by Babblesort at 2:26 PM on November 10 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ok. Sounds like replacing the motherboard will be more pain than it's worth. But I will do that Google search as anadem suggested.

I spilled a soft drink on it, so I think that's a bit more problematic than water. It's been 2 weeks and the laptop still won't boot. I think it's as dry as it's going to get. Oh well. Looks like I'll be looking for deals on laptops next. Thanks for the advice everyone.
posted by Kronoss at 2:48 PM on November 10

I know you're already thinking along these lines, but if after Googling you decide that replacing the motherboard is worth a shot, remember that it might not be the motherboard, or not just the motherboard. You might well replace that and find that there are other components that are damaged as well, and you could easily hit your $600 replacement cost in parts and still not have a working laptop. I'm pretty handy with computers and have repaired a number of laptops before, and in your situation I would still probably go straight for the replacement.
posted by pocams at 4:09 PM on November 10

If you do go for the replacement, note that it's really easy to swap hard drives in and out of Thinkpads. Your existing hard drive probably still works, and it's easy to swap it into an identical replacement machine.

I know there's a guy in my area who repairs old Thinkpads and sells them on Craigslist. You might be able to recoup some of the cost of a replacement by selling your busted laptop to one of these guys.

If I were you, though, I'd take the computer apart, gently clean the motherboard with distilled water and a cloth that doesn't leave fibers behind, and let everything dry for a while in a well-ventilated space. It might still work.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:26 PM on November 10

I spilled a soft drink on it, so I think that's a bit more problematic than water. It's been 2 weeks and the laptop still won't boot. I think it's as dry as it's going to get. Oh well. Looks like I'll be looking for deals on laptops next. Thanks for the advice everyone.

There is a chance that opening it up and cleaning the various suspicious looking things with alcohol and cotton swab will fix it. I'm not sure how much of a chance though..

The Memory, CPU, DVD drive, Hard Drive, LCD screen power adapter and battery all potentially have resale value. Other parts too, but not sure how much effort you'd want to put into that.. If you want supper simple, just put up an auction that explains all the facts. You are going to get at least a $100 bid out of it, probably a fair bit more (minus 10% for fees).
posted by Chuckles at 8:22 PM on November 10

There is a chance that opening it up and cleaning the various suspicious looking things with alcohol and cotton swab will fix it. I'm not sure how much of a chance though..

I already removed parts of the case and swabbed down the reachable inside parts with alcohol. No luck though. Maybe, if I have time this weekend, I'll open the thing up again and give it another rinsing. The good news is that, yes, the hard drive should be OK (there was no sticky residue on it or anything, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed).
posted by Kronoss at 8:20 AM on November 11