HP Z420 Processor Liquid Cooling Assembly 647289-001

[Diamantius]

I bought a Liquid Cooling Assembly (P/N: 647289-001) from eBay for my Z420. However, the item arrived in an unexpected shape: Soaked in liquid (see photos). I am guessing it was poorly packaged and being shaken during the ride caused the fluid loss. 
The question is: What do I do now? Is there a way to assess its functionality other than plugging it in? More importantly, is there any way to fill it up again? 

[BambiBoomZ]

Diamantius,

Consider sending the photos in the post to the seller, request a return label be sent, and return the item for a refund or replacement.

Those cooling units are quite rugged and having ever had fluid loss would  make that unit an unacceptable risk as a future leak might destroy the computer.

The z420 liquid cooler is well-designed; compact and notice the small fan for the chipset- built and very effective.  I use a z420  cooler in a z620:

That simply plugs in and allows a Xeon E5-1680 v2 run on all 8-cores @ 4.3GHz, idling at 29-33C and never rising over 73C, where the 1680 v2 is rated to 85C.

BambiBoomZ

HP z620_2 (2017) (R7) > Xeon E5-1680 v2 (8-core@ 4.3GHz) / z420 Liquid Cooling / 64GB DDR3-1866 ECC Reg / Quadro P2000 5GB _ GTX 1070 Ti 8GB / HP Z Turbo Drive M.2 256GB AHCI + Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB + HGST 7K6000 4TB / Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 sound interface + 2X Mackie MR824 / 825W PSU /> HP OEM Windows 7 Prof.’l 64-bit > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)

[Diamantius]

Hi BambiBoomZ,
Thanks for your response. Your feedback throughout this forum has greatly informed my decision to buy a z420 and a 1650v2 along with the Liquid Cooler (XTU adventure next, hehe).
You are totally right; I have already contacted the seller to inform them of the matter and discuss options.
However, being the curious and stubborn head that I am, I went ahead and dismantled the thing, in order to try and see where the leak was. There don't seem to be any cracks anywhere, so I am guessing the leak came from the rubber tubing. I will attempt to repair the thing, by replacing the tubes with new ones and refill the circuit with premixed coolant. I have already cleaned the radiator with distilled water, so we'll just wait and see.
I will report back with my findings!

[BambiBoomZ]

Diamantius,

Radiator leaks that are mysterious are the worst leaks as radiators may hold fluid perfectly well- until they are under pressure. 

I think that to be safe, it is necessary to pressure test the radiator and connections.  The only way I can think to do that on a closed loop cooler is to remove radiator inlet hose and arrange a pump connection and remove the waterblock outlet end and arrange a pressure gauge.  Find the operating pressure spec, fill with fluid and apply that pressure- and a bit more and see if fluid comes out anywhere.  It could be the radiator or the connections. Either way, it's a very dangerous device!

I see in the photo you have steam radiators (reminds me of life in the UK!) and perhaps a sympthetic heating shop would look into the situation.

The z420 /E5-1650 v2 combination running XTU is a fantastic cost/performance value. With the liquid cooling solved I can imagine a reliable 4.1GHz on all 6-cores- perhaps 4.2 or even 4.3 with more voltage and if the temperatures are still reasonble.  I ran a z420/ E5-1660 v2 comportably at 4.2GHz and in some ways wish I'd never sold that one.

BambiBoomZ

[Diamantius]

That's a fantastic idea! I will start looking to see if I can find the operating specs anywhere on the internet. 

[Diamantius]

Should I do the same on the water block/pump end?

[SDH]

The HP liquid coolers were built for HP by a known independent company that if you dig deep enough you'll be able to find their name.  I used to know..... Anyway, once you have that you can contact their support people and perhaps get an answer.  If you do please pass that on here.

[Diamantius]

I will try and do that. I'll report everything here 🙂

[Diamantius]

Found them. It's Asetek. 
https://www.asetek.com/company/milestones/

[Diamantius]

Bad news. Asetek haven't replied yet, but I went ahead and tested the radiator and the block using a gauge and a manual pump taken from an old sphygmomanometer. The radiator is fine, no air leaks even at high pressure. However, the pump is apparently cracked:

<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oxMVacVkyk8EQ-AtGb71OvnhP0IcQGiu/preview" width="640" height="480"></iframe>
Should I even bother looking for just that part?