HELP! Freaking Tight Screws! All except one.....

Hey all,

Tried unscrewing my One for upgrading the hdd & ram, but all the screws I tried to unscrew (except the bottom middle one on the base) are all soooo damn tight & all my countless attempts are wearing away the tiny grooves in the screwhead.....

Is there anyway to loosen & remove the screws without making new/deepening grooves with a dremel? I don't want to dig my screwdriver into the plastic....

Really desperate so appreciate any help are all!

Much Thanks.

 

Try using a soldering iron to carefully apply heat to the screw head. I used a 15W iron for 10 seconds. This was enough to soften the threadlock cement for me.

 

can you please take a picture of the screw driver you are using?

 

It's a normal crosshead screwdriver. Already tried 2 that are the right size & has no blunt edges, but no success.....

 

im more concerned about the handle. its not so much that the head would be the problem as much as the handle giving you enough grip and torque

 

Yes, the handle is large enough for me to apply a decent amount of pressure. I place the unit facedown & REALLY push on the screws, but they still won't budge.....

I guess I just got one from the factory thats been assembled tight as....oh well of all my luck...lol

Anyway besides the trick with the soldering iron (to 'weaken/soften' the plastic) are there any other 'handyman' ways to loosen the foundations of the screws?

 

The tip was not to soften the plastic itself, but the red (or blue) cement thats holding them in. Its a good tip too

 

Yes, most of the screws that you need to remove to dismantle the AA1 are threaded into brass bushings pressed into the plastic mouldings. They are therefore metal to metal fastenings and threadlocker has been used in the original assembly in the factory.

You should only use the soldering iron for a few seconds or there is a danger that the plastic moulding will melt and the brass bushing will fall out!

 

If you're having trouble removing the screws it's because you're using the wrong size screwdriver. With the right size screwdriver you should never have any trouble unless it was already worn down. Screwdrivers fit like a glove to the same size screw.

 

Philips size 0 is good for the screws, one screw under the keyboard needs a size 00. In my experience, the blue threadlock is very weak and shouldn't be considered as a problem.