General concern

Hello,
I have joined this Forum for some general help with my 24 - inch,Early 2008,3.06 GHz imac if you guys wouldn't mind.
i have recently upgraded to a SSD internal and my word! what a difference! but one thing got me a little concerned,when i was delving into the internal workings of my mac i noticed some corrosion on a board (the one in the top left,the bit where it always gets HOT) i have no idea what it is or what its for but as everything else still looked in tip top shape so i was wondering if somewhere along the lines i could get it replaced and if i could do it myself if its not to difficult,any help on this matter would be fantastic.
thank you.

ps this is a pic of the board in question with the slight corrosion

This is called "A Little Knowledge is Dangerous"! The top left area of the photo looks fine to me. I would say just keep using the computer as you always have…and a big congrats on the improvements after installing the SSD!

- Nick

That's more than just "slight corrosion". If the board is still working and everything appears to be working normally, it may be possible to clean up the corrosion with the proper chemicals and tools. Not an easy job, however. Replacing the entire logic board is probably not going to be economically feasible since the cost may exceed the value of the machine.

You'll notice where the most corrosion is centered also has the warning "Caution High Voltage" which may mean a power supply direct connection. As I stated above, if the board is still working, try cleaning it up. Also make sure the fans are working properly and the topside of the board around the heat sinks and fans are clean from dust and dirt. While doing the work yourself is possible, you may want to have some help along the way. Go to iFixit: The Free Repair Manual and take a look at their various instructions for repairs.

And Welcome to the Mac-Forums!

I did see some corrosion in the lower center area (near the triangle shaped icon). But nothing in the upper left area.

At this point (with a 2008 iMac)…I would say "If it ain't broke…don't fix it." Just give the computer a good vacuuming and blowing with compressed air…put back together…and use it.

- Nick

Nick: the photo is (very obviously) upside down and reversed. With that in mind, look again ... at the lower right area.

I believe he is talking about the Top Left BOARD in his iMac. That looks to me like the Power Supply board and something under that area to toward the bottom right is getting warm. It's probably nothing to worry about though. If it ever does blow, you can get a Power Supply on Ebay or check iFixit, but for now leave it be like others have suggested.

BTW, my 20 and 24" iMacs have the Power Supply board in the top left of the inside!

chas_m said:

Nick: the photo is (very obviously) upside down and reversed. With that in mind, look again ... at the lower right area.

Click to expand...

Ok…it that's the case!

- Nick

dtravis7 said:

I believe he is talking about the Top Left BOARD in his iMac.

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Good call Dennis. You're probably right. I may have misinterpreted what was written/referring to.

- Nick

That is the power supply, and it is how it is mounted in the iMac. If you wanted to replace it eBay would be the most common source. As the iMac is a vintage product Apple no longer supports it with spares.

There are only 4 screws holding it in and 2 connectors. The one at the top right connects to the main wiring loom, the one on the bottom right is the mains power connection. Both are hidden under the board in the picture.