Digital Storm Black OPS HailStorm Cryo TEC CPU overheating/water cooling faliure

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karateCHOP

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I recently picked up this Digital Storm Black OPS HailStorm Cryo TEC rig off craigslist. It was such a steal that I'm committed to fixing an issue with the water cooling. My problem is I have zero experience with water cooling and this rig has an extensive setup to say the least. I do know my way around gaming PCs and have built/refurbished countless PCs for friends and family.

I noticed some aftermarket/ghetto work on the CPU heatsink and the large water reservoir is low (see attached photos). My best guess is that one of the three pumps has failed. I did manage to get a fresh install of Windows 7 on it (didn't come with any drives) before it started overheating. I'm willing to tear this entire thing apart, clean it up and order any new parts I need to get this beast running like new.

What I need is some advice on where to go from here. I have included some photos of this hot mess. If anyone here could lend me some water cooling wisdom I would be very happy. I know this is hardly enough information but I'm eager to give any additional information needed.
20150329_121334.jpg
I really need to get this running before The Witcher 3 comes out later this year! Anyways, thanks in advance for any advice!

Images:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ul9wcrm0hn3cfbw/20150329_121334.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/swb43g4opkz9wpr/20150329_121407.jpg?dl=0

The specs:

CPU: Intel i-7 980X Extreme Edition
GPU: x2 580X in SLI
RAM: 8GB Digital Storm
Asus Rampage III Motherboard
Titan Sound Card
Chassis Model: Black OPS HailStorm Sub-Zero Liquid Chilled Edition
Exterior Finish: - Matt Black
Trim Accents: - Matt Black
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 980X 3.33GHz (Six-Core) (Extreme Performance)
ASUS Rampage III Extreme (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
8GB DDR3 2000MHz GTX-8 Digital Storm Certified Extreme Performance (Highly Recommended)
1200W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended)
2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
EVGA 2 Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Host Card (PCI-E Slot)
Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (PCI-Express Slot Based)
Sub-Zero CPU Liquid Chilled System & Chipset + Dual Video Cards Liquid Cooling
Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Upgraded Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes)
Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)

UPDATE:
I pulled out two of the radiators and they were completely caked with dust. After cleaning them and running the system disconnected from the motherboard everything seemed to be doing it's job. The line from the water heater was hot, the rest was cold. That was good enough for me so I plugged the motherboard back in and booted her up. Got into Windows and installed Core Temp. the CPU was running idle at 15 to 20 degs for a while. Then the fans shut off and the temps climbed fast. Now I'm trying to track down the fan issue. They shut off after running about 10 mins no matter what I do in the BIOS.

There must be some kind of controller and I have to tear into to it to figure it out. If I can just keep these fans running I think it will stay frosty. Time to tear into it some more. Thanks for the help guys. I think that tearing the whole thing apart will be the final outcome but I would like to see if there is an easier solution first. I only paid $300 for the whole thing plus some extra parts. I may just rip the CPU cooler and install a good old air cooled heatsink. I don't need to overclock anyways...

04/03/15 UPDATE:
So I've pulled the whole thing apart and am in the process of cleaning everything. Flushing the system with distilled water. Look at what I found under that ghetto CPU block!!!

WTF? https://www.dropbox.com/s/7mx6ct0kieayd8e/20150402_203725.jpg?dl=0

It's silly putty!! This is the biggest pain to clean out of all the nooks and crannies. What in the world were they thinking?
 
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EDIT i found some pics of that system before it became like yours you need a new cpu block you have a tec cooler which im going to say is broke the hot side burnt out would be my guess .also you need to find the heat exchanger inside it . that black stuff is insulation to keep the cold in and the ice from forming/ any drips hitting any electronics. you need to tear it all out . thats why you got a steal the cooling system is probly broke/burnt out
i think thats insulation like for sub zero temp cooling ,which would make sense for the getto cpu block . i think its 2 loops since looks like the the cpu is one the micro res and the gpus are one the tube res pull that thing apart get it all out of the case something ant right does it...
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rubix_1011

rubix_1011

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That wasn't an original install watercooling setup...someone did that themselves, or modified the original watercooling loop by just adding stuff to it. It's kind of a huge mess. Best bet would be to pull it all apart and start over once you clean blocks out. Also need to figure out if the pump works. I'm not sure what all that tape-wrapped tubing is for...other than making a mess.

I can't tell if there is only one loop or 2. I see at least 2 DDC pumps under the Swiftech Micro res.
 
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newtowatercooling

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EDIT i found some pics of that system before it became like yours you need a new cpu block you have a tec cooler which im going to say is broke the hot side burnt out would be my guess .also you need to find the heat exchanger inside it . that black stuff is insulation to keep the cold in and the ice from forming/ any drips hitting any electronics. you need to tear it all out . thats why you got a steal the cooling system is probly broke/burnt out
i think thats insulation like for sub zero temp cooling ,which would make sense for the getto cpu block . i think its 2 loops since looks like the the cpu is one the micro res and the gpus are one the tube res pull that thing apart get it all out of the case something ant right does it even run atm ? and i think there is either another res/pump covered in the the black shit from the rear pic or 2 more get pics with all that black insulation/tape gone .

what do the disconnects go to trace the tubing you may have a drain line if you just order more disconnects will make it a bit easier then . dont run it much till you drain the tube res since that color is funny you may have some stuff in your loop (either growth/corrosion) .

my recommendation is drain it pull it all apart and see what works for the pumps take them out put some fittings and tubing and see if they move water . put a funnel on one end and force some water to come out the other tube then turn it on and see if it moves it if so it works if not chuck it in the trash . res's drain and runs some warm water and let them dry for the blocks see if they have any discoloration on the insides if so you have 2 choices pull them apart and see if you can clean them / or buy new ones if you can find some . and buy a cpu block a real one that one is someones getto fix.
that 120 rad on the back of it i think is a h80 or a AIO cut up and put in. make sure you look at that if it has different size tubing going to it . its probably a shit rad .
you probably will have to buy more tubing once you pull it apart


and again take more photos pls
 
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rubix_1011

rubix_1011

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Either way, better off to drain, disassemble and figure out what you have. There will be a lot you can keep, obviously, but you'll also need to determine what needs to be removed.

I guess the first place to start is to determine 'what doesn't work' and what does. You mentioned that you think at least one of the pumps has failed...due to temps? Does it hum? Does there seem to be flow? That's a decent project to figure out, but the good thing is, at least you aren't starting totally from scratch. You will, however, need to tear it all out, clean stuff up, and reassemble once you have taken inventory and know what needs fixing.
 
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