Replacing T41 fan (how to separate from heat sink?)

[ginahoy]

My T41 CPU fan has gotten noisy. It might be easier to buy the heatsink and fan assembly but the ones I found are all used. I'd rather have a new fan (http://ebay.to/1TVQ6tN). However, it's not clear from these pictures (http://ebay.to/1N84V6W) how the fan attaches to the heatsink. I don't see any screws... looks like rivets?

Needless to say, I don't want to take the time to dig deep into the laptop to check this before ordering the part. Can someone confirm how the fan attaches? Thx

[GACrabill]

I just recently used the method pointed to by 'Harryc' in this thread to oil/fix a long fan in a T40 :
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=92560

Link to fan disassembly procedure :
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/show ... -noisy-FAN

I used sewing machine oil ... never use WD40.

There are other threads in this forum that discuss drilling a hole and then adding the oil ... I don't like that method at all.

There are different kinds of fan 'cases' that cover the actual fan blades ... some folks have used a dremel tool to grind off rivets and then super-glued the 'case' back onto the copper heatsink after oiling the fan blades shaft.

There is another short thread somewhere on this forum where someone else used the method from overclockers.com to fix/oil their fan. This method worked well for me since the 'case' did indeed 'pop-off' and 'pop-on' using a screwdriver and a pliers.

[ginahoy]

Thanks for that information. Glad to know the fan might just need some oil. Which thinkpad model were you able to pop-off and pop-on the case? I'm guessing yours was friction fit, not actually riveted?

[GACrabill]

Which thinkpad model were you able to pop-off and pop-on the case? I'm guessing yours was friction fit, not actually riveted?

It was a T40 with a long fan ... friction fit rather than actual rivets.

[systemBuilder]

My T41 CPU fan has gotten noisy. It might be easier to buy the heatsink and fan assembly but the ones I found are all used. I'd rather have a new fan (http://ebay.to/1TVQ6tN). However, it's not clear from these pictures (http://ebay.to/1N84V6W) how the fan attaches to the heatsink. I don't see any screws... looks like rivets?

Needless to say, I don't want to take the time to dig deep into the laptop to check this before ordering the part. Can someone confirm how the fan attaches? Thx

Yes the fan is attached to the heatsink with rivets. You can quickly drill out the rivets with a drill or dremel tool if you have either of them. I have replaced 1 fan by removing the (3) rivets. Then I put it back together with duct tape. I used silicone to get a nice airtight seal around the fan. The laptop works fine. The cost of a new fan + heatsink at the time was $20 (and who know how long it woulld be available) and the cost of a fan-alone was $3.25 on EBay. I hate pitching the heatsink so I bought a bunch of spare fans.

[ginahoy]

the fan is attached to the heatsink with rivets.

Seems to be some variation. Which model are you referring to?

I hate pitching the heatsink so I bought a bunch of spare fans.

Plus the heat sink / fan combos are all used, so the fan might end up being worn & noisy.

Since the fans are inexpensive and replacement labor intensive, I don't think I'll mess with trying to lube the bearings.