>>1533201>>1533209Generally you want as much contact between the CPU plate and the heat sink through the paste as possible. Air bubbles are not paste, so you want to avoid bubbles as much as possible. By taking the cooler off and remounting it, you're likely to trap bubbles in there.
Scrape the paste off, look up methods of applying thermal paste like in an X shape, press the heat sink into position and don't lift it afterwards..
