WD40 and motherboard?

[Pete]

I thought I was spraying compressed air to clean the dust off my MB.
However, I had accidentally picked up the can of WD40!
Will this do anything to the MB???
I feel like an idiot.
-Pete

 

[Cuzman]

Pete wrote:

" Will this do anything to the MB??? "

Yes. It will have got the motherboard covered in WD40.


" I feel like an idiot. "

Good. Now put that WD40 back on the bathroom shelf next to your deodorant.

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

I thought I was spraying compressed air to clean the dust off my MB.
However, I had accidentally picked up the can of WD40!
Will this do anything to the MB???
I feel like an idiot.
-Pete

Most likely not actually damage the board but the oil will collect heat
trapping dust.

When we had some systems located inside of a coal mine they collected a
quite a bit of oily dust, enclosure filters or not.

We would periodically take the equipment topside and remove any fans,
memory, and cards. Then we would wash everything but the fans with 180
proof industrial alcohol we got by the gallon, and let them air dry in the
sun. We poured the stuff directly onto the components from the bottle since
we were in a hurry and were outside where making a mess was not a problem.
The high proof alcohol would clean the motherboards and other stuff and not
leave any residue behind. After re-installing or replacing the fans (wanted
to keep the bearings oiled) and other components the units were put back
into service.

Drastic action but we kept the equipment operating for years that way.

 

[philo]

I thought I was spraying compressed air to clean the dust off my MB.
However, I had accidentally picked up the can of WD40!
Will this do anything to the MB???
I feel like an idiot.
-Pete

WD-40 is not conductive so it will not short out your motherboard...
(it can actually be used to displace water on a cars ignition wires)
but it's not good for your board either..in that dust will adhere to it.
you should try to *carefully* wipe it off as much as possible

 

[Semi Head]

Use TV contact cleaner (at least 3 times) to remove the WD-40.

S_H

 

[Vanguard]

Most likely not actually damage the board but the oil will collect
heat trapping dust.

When we had some systems located inside of a coal mine they collected
a quite a bit of oily dust, enclosure filters or not.

We would periodically take the equipment topside and remove any fans,
memory, and cards. Then we would wash everything but the fans with
180 proof industrial alcohol we got by the gallon, and let them air
dry in the sun. We poured the stuff directly onto the components from
the bottle since we were in a hurry and were outside where making a
mess was not a problem. The high proof alcohol would clean the
motherboards and other stuff and not leave any residue behind. After
re-installing or replacing the fans (wanted to keep the bearings
oiled) and other components the units were put back into service.

Drastic action but we kept the equipment operating for years that way.

180 proof = 90%

You can get 90% isopropyl alcohol at the drugstore but it is more
expensive than the typical 70% (140 proof) that they sell more of for
medicinal use. The drugstore doesn't sell it in gallon containers but
the typical sized medicine bottle of isopropyl alcohol should be
sufficient. Presumably the OP didn't douse everything inside with
WD-40, like the innards of the power supply by spraying through the
vents and fan. The WD-40 will have dust stick to it and dust is a heat
insulator which means the components that heat up will retain more of
their heat that are coated with dust. How much dust will stick to the
WD-40 depends on how much area was covered by the oil.

Only the OP knows how badly they splattered the WD-40 all over and where
it ran. Perhaps the OP can just use a clean cotton rag doused with the
isopropyl alcohol to wipe the mess he made to eliminate having to
dismantle the computer (i.e., not having to remove all the components
from the motherboard and remove the motherboard). If the OP sprayed all
over the motherboard or a large area of it and got it running down under
the chips and into the slots, and rather than pouring it on which won't
do too well for getting it under any chips (that are lead-soldered
instead of wave-soldered), get a squirt bottle with a jet stream
setting. However, it is likely that you will end up washing off any
labels on the chip tops and on the motherboard, so be prepared for them
to fall off and then glue them back on (using non-permanent, non-epoxy
glue, something like contact cement should be okay) after the labels
dry.

Make sure you use anti-static procedures during the entire process to
keep from zapping your motherboard (and when you are taking the computer
apart and putting it back together).

Now why would a can of WD-40 just happen to be next to a computer
alongside the air can and other computer tools? Just what might the OP
be lubing up at the computer? ;-)

 

[Pete]

Most likely not actually damage the board but the oil will collect heat
trapping dust.

When we had some systems located inside of a coal mine they collected a
quite a bit of oily dust, enclosure filters or not.

We would periodically take the equipment topside and remove any fans,
memory, and cards. Then we would wash everything but the fans with 180
proof industrial alcohol we got by the gallon, and let them air dry in the
sun. We poured the stuff directly onto the components from the bottle since
we were in a hurry and were outside where making a mess was not a problem.
The high proof alcohol would clean the motherboards and other stuff and not
leave any residue behind. After re-installing or replacing the fans (wanted
to keep the bearings oiled) and other components the units were put back
into service.

Drastic action but we kept the equipment operating for years that way.

Perhaps I'll clean the MB with cotton and alcohol.
Thanks.

 

[Pete]

GLAD that it's not conductive.
Will clean.
Thanks for the quick responses.
-Pete

 

[John B]

Why not clean it with gasoline?
I suppose it would smell bad for a while, but leaving it out in the sun
would bake off any volatile components.
I would think gasoline would cut oil better than alcohol would.

 

[Vanguard]

Why not clean it with gasoline?
I suppose it would smell bad for a while, but leaving it out in the
sun
would bake off any volatile components.
I would think gasoline would cut oil better than alcohol would.

Because gasoline also leaves a residue. So does kerosene (although
white kerosene might be clean). Gasoline will stain fabric so it
obviously doesn't need to be very clean to do its intended job of
combusting. Even the suggestion from someone else to use tuner cleaner
is bad because that leaves behind a lubricant that attempts to coat the
terminals to slow oxidation. If you don't think gasoline leaves a
residue, take some cardboard, soak it with gasoline (do this outdoors),
let the cardboard dry out, and then take a whiff of the cardboard. Just
because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there (otherwise you
would've suffocated immediately after birth). As to whether or not the
residue from gasoline actually attracts dust or lets it stick, I haven't
tested that. Petroleum-based products may harm the phenolic and epoxy
materials used on the motherboard. Remember that the foil traces on the
outside of the motherboard are just glued on. I'm sure acetone will
also clean up the mess but make a much bigger one.

 

[Floyd L. Davidson]

....

However, with WD40 most of it will evaporate first. Hence it might
be a good idea to just wait. If and when any significant amount of
dust accumulates, then a thorough clean is appropriate. It won't harm
anything to wait.

Another possibility would be to spray it with "tuner cleaner".
Just be sure to find a brand that does not melt plastics. Test
it on something else first.

The only problem I have with that is the use of "180 proof
industrial alcohol", which is a waste.

A proceedure that works very well is simply to clean in a bath
of soapy water. It happens that spraying with one of the cleaners
(I use 409 brand), can help too, and spraying in a kitchen sink with
the spray nozzle is great. It is also reasonable to put various
components into an automatic dishwasher.

Automatic dishwasher soap is basically a water dispersant, and hence
makes a great anti-static spray. Using that for a final wash is a
good idea.

Then allowing the board to *fully* dry out is an absolute necessity.
In humid climates a final wash with isopropyl alchohol can help that
too.

Perhaps I'll clean the MB with cotton and alcohol.

With cotton is hard to do. The "tuner cleaner" wash has an
advantage in being both a solvent and having perhaps a little
pressure behind it to help remove whatever there is. That's
better than "cotton and alcohol" for a quickie wash.

The full cycle, using soap and water, is sort of a pain and
takes days to accomplish because of the need to dry it. But any
time a motherboard is actually removed from the case for other
reasons, such a bath is a pretty good idea.

 

[Floyd L. Davidson]

Because gasoline also leaves a residue. So does kerosene
(although white kerosene might be clean). Gasoline will stain
fabric so it obviously doesn't need to be very clean to do its
intended job of combusting.

All true. And there is nothing beneficial about the residue.
Likewise, working with gasoline in such circumstances is just
an absolutely unconscionable risk. One spark, and you're toast.

Even the suggestion from someone
else to use tuner cleaner is bad because that leaves behind a
lubricant that attempts to coat the terminals to slow oxidation.

Which of course is a *good* idea! (And since dust and dirt are
not attracted to this residue, and don't seen to stick to it, it
causes no harm.)

If you don't think gasoline leaves a residue, take some
cardboard, soak it with gasoline (do this outdoors), let the
cardboard dry out, and then take a whiff of the cardboard. Just

Please folks, *don't* do this.

because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there (otherwise
you would've suffocated immediately after birth). As to whether
or not the residue from gasoline actually attracts dust or lets
it stick, I haven't tested that. Petroleum-based products may
harm the phenolic and epoxy materials used on the motherboard.
Remember that the foil traces on the outside of the motherboard
are just glued on. I'm sure acetone will also clean up the mess
but make a much bigger one.

Another sustance that you just really don't want to be playing
with.

 

[kony]

Automatic dishwasher soap is basically a water dispersant, and hence
makes a great anti-static spray. Using that for a final wash is a
good idea.

Either you're thinking of a different automatic dishwasher
soap than most people use (most products), or it isn't a
good candidate.


They're typically a fine-particle abrasive cleaner with
bleach in it. If there were a lot of grime on a board,
perhaps it had been used in a gravel quarry (as an example,
I serviced some systems in such an environement), then it
might be useful to have a slight abrasive detergent.
Otherwise, to get off mere WD40, it is not a good idea.

There are however water-wetter solutions for dishwashers,
like "jet dry" that could be added to a final rise.

 

[Shep©]

GLAD that it's not conductive.
Will clean.
Thanks for the quick responses.
-Pete

Go to a Hi-fi shop or,"Radio Shack" in the US and buy an Aerosol can
of Isopropanol Electrical Switch cleaner.In the UK a known brand
is,"Servisol".Spray all areas where you,"Acidentily<grin>" sprayed
WD40 ;-)

 

[Floyd L. Davidson]

Either you're thinking of a different automatic dishwasher
soap than most people use (most products), or it isn't a
good candidate.

They're typically a fine-particle abrasive cleaner with
bleach in it.

There are different kinds, and that isn't what I'm talking
about. Any non-suds type of simple detergent will do. The
non-sudsing part is significant, because that means it is
more water dispersant than anything else.

Or, probably even better yet, a little Photo Flow from a
photography darkroom is great stuff.

If there were a lot of grime on a board,
perhaps it had been used in a gravel quarry (as an example,
I serviced some systems in such an environement), then it
might be useful to have a slight abrasive detergent.
Otherwise, to get off mere WD40, it is not a good idea.

There are however water-wetter solutions for dishwashers,
like "jet dry" that could be added to a final rise.

That would do it.

 

[jim dorey]

Why not clean it with gasoline?
I suppose it would smell bad for a while, but leaving it out in the sun
would bake off any volatile components.
I would think gasoline would cut oil better than alcohol would.

lamp oil(kerosene) will evaporate with no remaining stench, it's why it
was used as dry cleaning fluid(not used now, something about flammability,
go figger), gets the grease out, then leaves no stink, ain't that lovely?

 

[TomaszDrgas]

...
I feel like an idiot.
-Pete

Me too man.. me too
Tomasz Drgas