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In this guide I’ll be cleaning the cooling module in an Acer Aspire 3620 laptop. Most likely my instructions will work for some other Acer Aspire models. Fell free to leave a comment and mention the laptop model if it works for you.
This particular laptop was shutting down by itself while running some intensive applications. I found that the cooling module (heat sink and fan) is completely clogged with dust and needs a good cleaning. Unfortunately, in this model the cooling module is buried deep inside the laptop and it’s necessary to take the whole thing apart in order to access it. OK, let’s start.
If you need spare parts for your Aspire 3620 laptop (or any other laptops) try to search here. If you search by the laptop model and part name, most likely you’ll find it. For example, if you need a new keyboard, search for Aspire 3620 keyboard.
Step1.
First of all turn off the laptop, unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. Remove the hard drive and memory covers from the bottom.
Step 2.
Remove four screws securing the hard drive assembly. After that slide the hard drive to the left and disconnect it from the motherboard. Now you can remove the hard drive assembly from the laptop.
If you are replacing the hard drive, you’ll have to remove the mounting bracket from the old one and install it on a new hard drive.
Step 3.
Remove both memory modules.
Disconnect two antenna wires from the wireless card (two yellow circles) and remove the wireless card same way you remove the memory module.
Step 4.
Remove one screw securing the CD/DVD drive. Push the drive from the laptop with a screwdriver. Pull the drive from the laptop.
Step 5.
Remove all screws from the bottom of the laptop. Disconnect the cooling fan cable from the motherboard.
Step 6.
Carefully start removing the keyboard bezel as it shown on the picture below. Be careful, the bezel has a circuit board which is connected to the motherboard.
Step 7.
Place the keyboard bezel so you can access the screw securing the keyboard. Remove that screw. Do not forget, the keyboard bezel is still attached to the motherboard.
Step 8.
Lift up the keyboard and place it upside down on the palm rest. Before you can remove the keyboard, you have to disconnect it from the motherboard.
On the picture below you see the keyboard cable connected to the motherboard. In order to unlock the connector, move the brown part about 2-3 millimeters towards the palm rest. Do not disconnect the brown locking tab from the connector, it must stay attached to the base.
On the picture below you can see the same connector in the unlocked state. Now you can pull the cable and remove the keyboard.
By the way, if you are only removing or replacing the keyboard, you can follow steps 6-8. You don’t have to remove anything from the bottom.
Step 9.
Now you can disconnect the cable connecting the keyboard bezel to the motherboard and remove the bezel. This cable belongs to the power button board which is attached to the bottom part of the bezel.
Step 10.
Pull the wireless antenna cables through the opening in the laptop. Disconnect the video cable from the motherboard. Remove two screws securing the display panel.
Step 11.
Now you can remove the display panel assembly. In the next post I will explain how to remove the LCD screen and inverter board.
Step 12.
Disconnect two white cables from the motherboard same way you disconnected the keyboard cable.
Step 13.
Start separating the top cover assembly from the laptop base.
and remove the top cover assembly.
Step 14.
Remove five screws securing the laptop motherboard. Disconnect the speaker cable from the motherboard.
Step 15.
Start removing the motherboard from the left side as it shown on the picture below.
The motherboard has been removed.
On the next picture you see the bottom part of the motherboard.
The cooling fan is attached to the base assembly and can be easily removed and replaced now.
Step 16.
Now I’m going to remove the heat sink.
Remove five screws securing the heat sink and carefully lift it up.
As you see, the heat sink is completely clogged with dust. I’m going to use compressed air to clean it.
You’ll find some gray (or other color) stuff on the top of the processor, it’s thermal grease which helps to conduct heat from the processor to heat sink. If thermal grease looks dry, you’ll have to replace it with new grease. Otherwise, you can reuse old grease, just spread it evenly on the top of the processor and install the heat sink back in place.
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April 12th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
[...] You’ll find my first disassembly guide for the same Acer Aspire 3620 in the previous post where I explained how to remove the motherboard and clean the cooling module. [...]
April 15th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Thank you so much for this guide.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Today, I cleaned my cooling module step by step as you described. It took me 1 and half hours, but my laptop finally work great!!!
Thanks again.
April 19th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
[...] How to clean cooling module in Acer Aspire 3620 laptop. This guide explains how to disassemble the laptop and access the cooling modules. Basically, [...]
April 25th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Thank you for the great guide.
However, I’m still having a problem with the LCD on my Gateway MX6437. My cat peed on the bottom of the screen, and the screen went dark. The screen still works if you shine a bright light on it, so the light source behind the screen seems to have stopped working. I first replaced the inverter for the LCD, which didn’t help, and then I replaced the screen with its built-in backlight, which didn’t help either.
What could the problem be and how do I fix it ?
Thank you.
– MonroeGal
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I was wondering if you do have to replace the cooling fan or can you just clean it and put it back in?
May 5th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Joscelyne,
If the fan still spins and doesn’t make any noise, why would you replace it?
Is it just dirty? Simply clean the fan with compressed air.
May 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Hey Laptop Tech,
Today I followed this guide in order to clean my mothers laptop. Everything was going perfectly until I reassembled the laptop. I started up with laptop and the monitor didn’t work. I tried taking the whole thing apart and redoing it twice. I know for sure that the Video Cable is plugged in and so are both of the Wifi card cables that are connected to the screen. If you have any ideas of about what the problem may be please respond as soon as you can.
Thanks In Advance,
Adriel Cedeno
May 15th, 2009 at 10:54 am
where CMOS?
May 17th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Great guide, was curious if you might be able to think of what I can’t. My kid spilled some soda on my laptop, Acer Aspire 3680, layout is very similar to the 3620. Basically, I let it dry out, worked fine afterwards, then about a week later it started having problems booting up, always could tell if it was going to or not based on if the CPU fan would kick in. Another week later the entire thing goes dead. I’m still getting the power light to come on when I press the power button, but no matter what I do the CPU fan won’t kick on and it won’t boot up. I’ve used the guide to pull it apart and cleaned off all the left over stickiness from the soda and inspected the motherboard for any burn marks indicating that it might be fried, checked CPU fan to see if it’d spin, etc. Everything looked good, put it back together and still nothing. Any ideas?
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:15 am
Thanks for this manual!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:43 am
Thanks for the info I went through all the steps cleaned out the dust, put it all back together but now it won’t turn on.
Any ideas what I could have done wrong?
I have an acer 2420
Thanks
May 25th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Darren,
First of all, check both memory modules. Make sure memory modules are connected properly.
Did you remove the heat sink while cleaning the laptop? It’ possible you accidentally pulled the CPU from the socket. Make sure the CPU is seated correctly.
Try reseating the CPU and make sure the socket is locked.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Just an off note. It is a better idea to always replace the thermal grease when removing a heatsink from a processor. Trying to reuse the old grease will usually lead to overheating problems in the future. Just my opinion, based on 10 years experience!! (I recommend Arctic Silver 5 thermal grease — a little expensive but the best stuff out there!)
June 6th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Hi,
I still have the same problem with my Aspire 3620. It randomly performed a shut down. Instead of taking it completely apart, I’m not technically adept, I decided to use a fan from the outside for cooling. It’s not the ideal solution, but it works.
June 8th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Thank you so much
June 14th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Is it possible to replace the vga fan, cost and labor? mine totally stopped working, its been 3 years now. I have the aspire 5560 ati x1600, the shape and model looks identical to the aspire 3620. the computer it self is still working but i have an external fan underneath and external side fans.
plz dont say “buy new laptop”
June 18th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Thanks for the Guide, I have the Acer 3620. The problem I have is that I can’t get any power into my Laptop. I have 3 adapters. The original one broke so I was using a spare one from another laptop while I awiated my new adapter. But now none of them work on my Laptop. Could it be a problem with the power connection on the motherboard of the laptop? Is there anyway to test for it? I used your guide to clean my cooling module but I could see any damage to the power connection on the motherboard. Any tips you can give me would be great.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Thanks a lot! I replaced the cooler and cleaned the heatpipe. I couldn’t plug off the speaker cable but it wasn’t necassary anyway.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Shane,
First of all, you test the AC adapter and make sure it puts out correct voltage.
Test the power connector? Yes, it’s possible but you’ll have to disassemble the whole laptop and access the power connector. After that you plug in the known good AC adapter and test with a voltmeter if power gets to the motherboard. If the motherboard get’s power from the adapter but appears to be dead, most likely you have bad motherboard.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Hi — Excellent and detailed instructions which make it seem a much less daunting task for a novice. Thank You!
I am preparing to open up my Aspire 3003 to replace the dying CMOS battery, but I have no clue where it is, how to get at it, and what type it is. Might it be the same as the 3620? And is its location shown in any of your photos?
June 29th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Sarah,
In my guide you can see the CMOS battery in the step 14. It’s on the left side of the motherboard, on the fight side from the square ENE chip.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Thank you, Sir! Are there any steps I can skip if I only want to get at the battery?
Sorry – your own fault for being helpful!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
It is posible to remove the processor and change it without professional tools?
July 1st, 2009 at 8:47 am
Mate,
Yes, it’s possible. The only professional tool you need is a small screwdriver.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:29 am
Sarah,
In order to access the CMOS battery, you’ll have to go through steps 1-14. You can skip removing RAM modules in the step 3 but that’s about it. You don’t have to remove the motherboard from the base. You can access and replace the CMOS battery as soon as you remove the top cover (step 14).
July 1st, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Sir,
How will i know if the memory for the Aspire 3620 is upgradable and compatible with a SS-DIMM DDR2 from the original containing SO-DIMM DDR1 333 and it states at the back panel MFG Date: KS 060124 Aspire 3623NWXCi with model number: MS218
Thank you.
Ben
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Thank you so much
pozdrowienia z Polski
July 4th, 2009 at 7:57 am
Hello,
Does anybody know what is written on the left cable, shown in step 12?
And how many pins does it have(like 12 or 16)?
Regards,
Jack
July 9th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Hey Laptop Tech,
Today I followed this guide in order to clean my mothers laptop. Everything was going perfectly until I reassembled the laptop. I started up with laptop and the monitor didn’t work. I tried taking the whole thing apart and redoing it twice. I know for sure that the Video Cable is plugged in and so are both of the Wifi card cables that are connected to the screen. If you have any ideas of about what the problem may be please respond as soon as you can.
Thanks In Advance,
Adriel Cedeno
I have the same problem…black screen…. when i push the button the fan start and immediately stop… should i replace the fan…?
July 9th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Kemcho,
In order to start any laptop with video you need only three components: motherboard (with video card), CPU and memory.
Did you remove the CPU? Make sure it’s seated correctly and the socket is LOCKED.
Did you remove memory modules? Make sure memory installed correctly.
Test your laptop with an external monitor. Can you get video on the external monitor?
July 24th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Thanks for all of the help and photos….
I cleaned my fan and re-doped the chip but it the computer was still shutting down. I’ve narrowed it down to a faulty heatsink. It would get really hot near the chips but no heat was transferred down the “pipe” to the fan area….
I never thought a heatsink would go bad but apparently the gas that is sealed in the “pipe” had escaped…..
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Thanks for this guide, very useful for anyone looking for take apart howto instructions for this 3620 model Acer Aspire.
It’s a shame what would otherwise be a good value computer is plagued with this dust+heat problem.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Yea, you can completely take the laptop apart of you can just get some canned air and and blow the dust and crap off the heat fins like I did. My ACER kept shutting down when watching DVD’s for extended periods from heat. I blew out the heat exchanger next to the LAN port and problem solved.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Well I’m almost done but I’ve forgotton which color wire goes on which side of the Wi Fi card and I can’t tell by the photos. Please Help!!!
August 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Found it on another site. White is main, Black is Aux. Thanks for the guide, worked out great!
August 11th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Andrew,
Same like in Toshiba laptops but it shouldn’t really matter. Both antenna cables are identical. You’ll get connected even if the black cables goes to main and white to auxiliary.
August 15th, 2009 at 4:14 am
Hi, I have the Acer Aspire 5610 and it has a built in webcam. There seems to be connection problems with it connecting to the USB connections on the M/B. I’ve had to disable it in the Device Manager settings. I’d really like to have it connected properly. Can you help please?
Many thanks,
Kev
September 6th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Hi, is there any simple way to replace the CMOS battery? anyway Thanks for this it really helps.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Jared,
Not really. The CMOS battery is connected to the motherboard and hidden under the palm rest. You’ll have to remove the top cover (steps 1-14) in order to access and replace the CMOS battery.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for the tips & pics! It helps me a lot!
September 18th, 2009 at 3:31 am
Hi There,
Appreciate if you could label the CMOS battery!!!
Thanks
September 18th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Noresh,
You can see the CMOS battery in the STEP 14. In the lower left corner. The CMOS battery is on the right side from the ENE chip.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Thanks replace the cooling fan but the laptop willn’t turn back on and power cable bad and can’t find a place to replace it
October 14th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I used your instructions to get at the cooling fan in my Acer 3610. Some minor differences, but your clear, illustrated instructions helped give me the confidence to pursue and get the dirt out of the cooling system. This both reduced the cooling cycle frequency, and cut way back on the noise from the fan – which was getting so bad that my friends on Skype were having difficulty hearing me over the “buzz-saw” sound from the computer.
Thanks for the help, and keep up the good work.
By the way, I just donated $10 via PayPal. I don’t know what the standard is in this business, but it felt right to me.
Jon
October 14th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Jon,
Thank you for your generous donation. I just got it.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 am
[...] Earlier I published a guide for taking apart an Acer TravelMate 3620. [...]
December 7th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Thank you so much..
It’s really a big help..
Cant do it with out this page..
more power..
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Thanks, helped me in the deconstruction of my 3610. Different but similar enough, Thanks.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Your instructions enabled the disassemble to repair of bad DC connector on a slightly different model. We soldered in an external connector to get around replacing the original connector board. I don’t have cash now but I will try to get back to this site later. Once again, thanks so much!