 Hello everybody! In this video, I'm going to show you how to replace bulging capacitors on a motherboard, why it should be done, and when it's worth doing it. Capacitors are among the most vulnerable elements you can find in motherboards, power supply units, and graphics cards. Inside, they contain some electrolyte fluid, which tends to evaporate at high temperatures, and it makes the capacitor unoperable. In motherboards and power supply units, such elements are subjected to temperature effects regularly. As a result, bad capacitors can make a computer freeze, restart, show blue screens of death, fail to start from the first attempt, or even fail to start at all. Often, people believe that problems with their computers are caused by various software errors, viruses, or certain parts breaking down. But in fact, capacitors rarely die in new computer parts, the only exception being faulty items. However, if you notice any issues with your computer, it is worth examining the capacitors. What if they alter the root of the problem? In our channel and blog, you will find solutions to any problem, from installing an operating system or configuring it to fixing possible bugs and errors or optimizing mobile gadgets. Our specialists will answer any questions you ask in your comments under the videos or articles. It's easy to tell a good capacitor from a bad one. Usually, the top part of a bad capacitor is swollen, and sometimes there can be brown stains. Seldom, the bottom part can be swollen too, which is also easy to see during a visual inspection. Also, you can test their capacity with an altimeter, but most of the time a close look at the capacitors can help you understand if there are any bad ones. This is the list of what you need to replace the capacitors. As soldering iron with a thinner narrow tip, no more than 40 to 60 watt. If you use a more powerful one, there is a risk of overheating the motherboard. Flux, solder, and something to remove flux from the motherboard. It could be spirit or refined gasoline. And the most important part – capacitors of required capacitance and voltage. Remember, if you get polarity confused or use a lower voltage capacitor, it may explode, so be very attentive when selecting an item for replacement and make sure that you install it properly. Read the markings carefully. They always specify the voltage from 6.3 to 10 volt and capacitance from 1000 to 1500 microfarad. You can select an item with the same voltage that the old capacitor had or with a higher one. At the same time, capacitance affects the time needed to charge and recharge a capacitor. And in some cases, this can be of utmost importance for the specific circuit. That is why capacitance should be exactly the same as your old element had. First of all, to replace a faulty item, you should remove it. Now that you have located the bad capacitor, you need to find its legs on the backside of the motherboard. There could be some difficulty in doing that, but as long as you are determined to do it on your own, I'm sure you'll manage it. Once you've found the legs of the capacitor, start hitting one of them, slightly pulling the capacitor away from that leg. As the solder melts, the capacitor will lean to the side. Then do the same to the other leg. You can try hitting two legs at the same time and slightly sway the capacitor from one side to another, from one leg to the other, until it gets separated from the motherboard. If you hit and sway it properly, disordering a capacitor is easy. When doing it, don't hurry or apply too much pressure. Boards are made of multiple layers of fiberglass, and if you press too hard, you can damage contacts between the inner layers of the board. Also, long time hitting can also harm the motherboard. It can get the solder pads to come off or peel away. That is why putting pressure on the soldering iron is a bad idea. Just position it so that it touches the legs and presses very slightly. If the existing solder on the motherboard doesn't melt, try adding a little bit of low-temperature solder. In the past, most motherboards used lead solder, but the recent trend is to use lead-free solders. The melting temperature of lead-free solder is 20 to 30 degrees centigrade higher. Therefore, you need to hit the solder inside longer or use a higher temperature. And we have just mentioned the dangers that can be caused by overheating. And as a good fix for that, before soldering, use a hot soldering iron to apply some low-temperature solder on the capacitor legs on the back side of the motherboard. This way, you mix two types of solder to get a lower melting temperature at the junction point you are going to work on. When desoldering a capacitor, solder tends to fill the holes made into the motherboard for the capacitor legs. So if you try to solder the new capacitor in the same way as you desoldered it, there's a risk of damaging the solder pad and the circuit connected to it. That is why you should remove the solder from the holes and make them a little bigger. To do it, put a needle, a straightened paper clip or a toothpick into the hole from one side and touch the hole with the soldering iron from the other side. When the solder is melted, the toothpick will slide into the hole. It should be done very carefully, as you may accidentally damage the circuits between the motherboard layers. If you use a needle or paper clip, rotate it so that it doesn't get soldered. But the best option of course would be to use a solder sucker or a desoldering braid, also known as a desoldering wick, if you have it. In case you are using second-hand capacitors as replacements, remember to clean their legs from any solder they may be covered with. Now, the only thing left to do is to solder a healthy capacitor in place. Put its legs into the holes. Here is an important thing to remember. At this stage, the most important part is not to confuse polarity. It is specified both on the motherboard and the capacitor, so be very attentive. I have mentioned the dangers of getting polarity wrong a few minutes before. Usually, you can see special markings on the motherboard to make your work easier. The colored part means the minus or negative contact. But it is also useful to remember how exactly the old capacitor was positioned. The capacitors also have special signs on them, usually at strip with the minus or negative symbol. Insert the legs into the holes, put some flux on them and solder them to the motherboard. When the soldering operations are complete, don't forget to clean this area of the motherboard with a special fluid. Something like a flux of spray, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol or refined gasoline. Doing so is highly recommended, as there might be tiny droplets of solder all over the motherboard area that make us circuits to cross and short out the motherboard. Even the flux can come into action with other components, so it is better to be on the safe side and do some cleaning. You may find bad capacitors anywhere else, where they can be causing trouble. Such elements are used in power supply units, graphics cards and so on. If you notice bulging capacitors in another device, they can be replaced by following this particular guide. And that is all for now. Hopefully, this video was useful. Remember to click the Like button and subscribe to our channel. Hit the bell button to receive notifications and never miss new videos. Thank you for watching and good luck!