Stranded

[thinger2]

Autozone sells heat sink compound.
They just dont know it.
Its Duralast part number SL203
comes with enough to do two icms
You need to tell them the part number.
They cant find it otherwise

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[kenh]

I have actually seen people clean the "heat sink compound" off of them thinking that it shouldnt be there and was causing some sort of a grounding problem.

I think that is what happened in this case

There is also some confusion about the difference between heat sink and dialectric grease.
They are not the same thing.

YUP!!!

The varnish looking stuff I found when I pulled a failed one apart looked and smelled like resin cooking out of the phenalic board from the heat.

I think the stuff saw was some kind of dielectric grease??? It cleaned up with brake parts cleaner. There was no odor of anything burnt.

Last time I bought an AC Delco ICM it came with the compound, another win for good parts.

The BWD ICM I bought came with the heat sink grease. The little packet didn't look like it had near enough for the job but it turned out to be more than too much.

Ken

 

[thinger2]

Yep, thats kinda the tricky part about plastics and resins, they dont stink when they cool back down. The stuff melts, smells like hell, the contacts move, and it reforms when it cools.
Thats why I cut em open to see whats gone wrong.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Last time I bought an AC Delco ICM it came with the compound, another win for good parts.

The aftermarket one I purchased came with heatsink compound too. I used some actic mx4 cpu TIM I had laying around instead. It still failed in the heat.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

The BWD ICM I bought came with the heat sink grease. The little packet didn't look like it had near enough for the job but it turned out to be more than too much.

Ken

Less is more with heatsink compound. If you put that whole packet on there it would just squeeze out all over the place.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I used some actic mx4 cpu TIM I had laying around instead. It still failed in the heat.

I use that stuff too. I guess it's not a guarantee that it won't fail, it's more like it's almost a guarantee it will if you don't.

 

[Hoosierlong90]

Check for fuel issues! Goodluck

 

[thinger2]

Less is more with heatsink compound. If you put that whole packet on there it would just squeeze out all over the place.

Yep, the Duralast actually comes with two of those packets in the box. Even one of them is way too much for a Single ICM.
You need about half of that packet, the rest of it smooges out and becomes a big clump of crud if you leave it.
Give it a good even coat, tighten it down, and wipe up the rest.

 

[thinger2]

Yep. Always carry a spare icm and a spare coil.
And some heat paste compound.
And the tools to replace them.
They never barf in the driveway.
GM designed them so they only fail in the dead of winter after the sun is down and its raining.
You also have to be at least 60 miles from home and 5 minutes after the parts stores close.

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[thinger2]

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This is my road rig. You need the long one to get at the forward cap screw.
You need the short one to get at the rear cap screw.
When you get the cap off, pull the rotor and use the shorty to get the ICM off
Tape the nut drivers and sockets together so they dont pop off and you dont loose them.