T43 periodically making terrible spinning/scraping sound

[Gil R.]

I'm seeking a likely diagnosis and some advice regarding a bizarre off-and-on problem with my circa 2005/6 Thinkpad T43. The computer itself works absolutely fine, but...
1) Beginning 2+ months ago there have been periods when it will make some very bad sounds that (I believe) have changed over time, but involve something in the area of the 1-2-3 keys spinning in overdrive. When it goes fast enough there is a clinking sound of metal hitting something.
2) A few days ago I opened up the laptop to replace my keyboard (only to find that the keyboard I purchased from eBay doesn't fit, but that's another story) and decided to look at the fan and do some cleaning. The fan *looks* like it's fine, and when I spun it by hand there was nothing obstructing it. Every Google search I've done trying to figure this out just comes up with hits about the fan noise problem, but I don't think this is it: first, my fan can be noisy, but it's always been that way; and second, when rapid spinning sound happens I do not feel more air coming out of the laptop.
3) This overdrive spinning sound may be software related. When it begins it does not start until I put the machine in suspended mode or hibernation, or turn it off. When I turn it back on after a few seconds the sound begins again. After 4-5 times, it stops, and sometimes goes away for days or even weeks, but other times happens again a few hours later.

I'm mystified by this for many reasons. For one thing, I'd assumed it was fan related, but when I opened my laptop it didn't look like the fan could cause that sound... but I couldn't see anything else that might. Also, if this were some spinning part of the harddrive I'd expect it to have died already, or at least for me to be getting regular BSD's. (I've gotten two in the past week, but think those were Google Chrome related.)

Okay, any more typing an no one will want to read this. If anyone has thoughts on what can cause a spinning sound that is obviously in overdrive and what should be done about it I'd be grateful.

(Crazy thought: is there a virus that does this? Or have I been reading too much about Stuxnet and those centrifuges.)

[cadillacmike68]

It's most likely the fan. It spins at all speeds at startup or wake up.

The HDD is under the palmrest, so it's not that. The CD on on the right so it's not that either.

The Fan on the other hand is right there. It's difficult to tell by hand if the fan has dust / crud built up in its fan bearings. you may wan to blow it out (reverse of the air flow and bracing the fan with a small stick to keep the compressed air from over spinning the fan). There are also discussions on most of the Tx forums on lubricating the fan, but this is not 100% agreed to as a permanent way to revive a fan. The bearing does have a fixed life.

[Gil R.]

Thanks for the quick reply.

But if it's the bearings, wouldn't the problem always be there? Right now my fun is on, humming along as per usual, with warm air gently coming out. Two hours ago, out of nowhere, the spinning began. (By the way, I see I mistyped part of my post: I meant to write that the sound doesn't STOP until I have turned off the machine or at least put it to sleep or hibernation.)

Do fans have something like gears, such that my normal fan might be in 1st gear, but occasionally something slips and it goes into a higher gear, and that physical difference causes the scraping and clinking sounds?

[cadillacmike68]

This appears to be consistent with a fan bearing problem - unless there is something physical getting stuck in between the blades.

We are not talking about ball bearings here, these are very thin sleeve bearings. The fan is basically unbalanced now and when it has to spin at higher speeds it is basically wobbling.

[Gil R.]

Well, I certainly accept that as the explanation, though I'm not sure the bit about this happening when the fan has to spin faster is 100% of the explanation, since for a month the sound went away, and I can't imagine that there was never a need for higher speed during the whole period. I did read somewhere that the T43 has a known BIOS problem linked to fan noise, so perhaps that's why I can go long periods without the problem.

Putting all that aside, does this mean I should replace the fan, or should I first try using a lot of compressed air? And if replacing it, am I right that this is difficult to do on one's own? I'm able to open the machine to replace a keyboard, but I know that fans require further effort, plus some special greases, etc. Might the best thing be to order the fan online and bring it to a repair shop? (I'm in Germany for the year, but coming back to the U.S. for the holidays, so I'm not sure there'd be time for a local shop to order the part for me.)

Thanks again for the advice.

[cadillacmike68]

Try a lot of air first, but remember to wedge a small plastic stick in there to keep the fan from over spinning.

If you replace the fan you need some thermal glue, Arctic Silver 5 or something like that is widely recommended by the experts here. Getting to the fan is not too difficult, but getting it off the CPU without ripping the CPU out if its socket is no easy feat. Can the experts here shed some light on getting the fan off the CPU?

[ajkula66]

Can the experts here shed some light on getting the fan off the CPU?

Piece of cake.

The heatsink assembly is held down by three screws. Remove them and check whether the heatsink can be moved without too much force. If not, you might have to stick a *very* thin blade between the GPU (not the CPU) and the heatsink and *gently* lift the latter.

Cleaning some of the thermal goop excess on the GPU side might be required as well, the top of the aforementioned blade will do just fine, patience and a steady hand are a must.

Check out the HMM:

http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc ... 9t2393.pdf

Good luck.

[cadillacmike68]

I think I FUBAR'd a 2GHz CPU for my T30, but not following the above procedure.