How to fix a T4x Noisy fan the hard(WARE) way

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FTC · #1 Post by **FTC** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:21 pm

Hi, I just posted the following append there in Overclockers forums Linky.
It has detailed pictures I made on how to open up the fan so that you can clean it oil it if it's being too noisy... this happened with my T40, and I discovered the way to the 'fix' after finding out the replacement fan (which I bough cheap in EBAY) was as noisy as the one it was replacing... after so much use. Now BOTH are fixed and silent under operation

Of course... if you go this way, you should do it at your own risk.... beware with the fan blades (they can break off).

edelrc · #2 Post by **edelrc** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 4:39 am

Great link!

I will try it on my old A20p, just for the heck of it (In spite of a new fan it is cheap for this model)

leif · #3 Post by **leif** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 7:39 am

Great!

But I think I will try after 3 year's warranty...

I just got my T43 less than two week.

Anyway, it's a great collection. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bebzif · #4 Post by **bebzif** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:52 am

In the forum with images, at some point it's said that "nhc is not compliant with thinkpadfancontrol" : that is false.
If you setup nhc to NOT read temperatures, then both softwares run perfectly together. It's the case on my t42p, undervolted & fan @ 0 rpm.

FTC · #5 Post by **FTC** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:18 am

Hi,

Well, all I can say is that I have done this succesfully already to two different fans, a long and a short one, and in both cases the machine is still silently running now (after 3 weeks). No problems at all and all pieces undamaged, but of course if your machine is new, chances are it is still silent and not needing any extra oil.

Thanks in any case for the tip about NHC.. I may very well use it with Fancontrol now.

tim S · #6 Post by **tim S** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:52 pm

Good post, but I think using a "real" oil as opposed to WD-40 would have been better. WD-40 is pretty good stuff for what it is, but as a long term lubricant, it doesn't have the staying power. It will also disolve any of the original grease that was packed in the bearings (which may be a good thing!) but something with more viscosity than WD-40 should be used.
Tim S

dino · #7 Post by **dino** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:42 pm

bebzif wrote:In the forum with images, at some point it's said that "nhc is not compliant with thinkpadfancontrol" : that is false.
If you setup nhc to NOT read temperatures, then both softwares run perfectly together. It's the case on my t42p, undervolted & fan @ 0 rpm.

My t43 had problems with NHC and FC running together. FC and RMclock make a pretty good couple.

bebzif · #8 Post by **bebzif** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:22 pm

Which problems did you have ?

#9 Post by **Kyocera** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 11:43 pm

tim s

Good post, but I think using a "real" oil as opposed to WD-40 would have been better

That is exactly what I thought when I saw the wd40 can, I've salvaged cpu fans with 3in1, but if I was going to tear into this thinkpad would probably get something a little better. It's actually good to blow it out with compressed air before oiling to get rid of the factory grease and any dirt.

FTC · #10 Post by **FTC** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:04 am

OK,

Just trying to learn.. what oil would you suggest ? I only had available the 3in1 and the WD-40,... but for the next time I'd sure gladly improve my techniques...

tim S · #11 Post by **tim S** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:18 am

Is oil required at all? Looking at your great photo I think I see a sleeve not ball bearings. What appears to happen when current is applied to the copper coils, is that the sleeve is magnetized, in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction. The fan stem reacts to this flow and rotates the fan accordingly. So there's an air gap, not a bearing that needs lubrication. Maybe the fan stem was, or became, off center and was rubbing against the sleeve. Could it be that the disassembly and re-assembly was enough for the fix? By the way, I'm prepared to be proven wrong on any of my assumptions!
Tim S

FTC · #12 Post by **FTC** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:46 am

Tim,

What you said could very well be it. It did also not look to me like there was any ball bearing, but definetly when you insert the rotor part it's quite thight inside there, so I thought that some oil (or WD 40) would not hurt... the fact is... after mounting it all again the thing is now silent when it was not...

o1001010 · #13 Post by **o1001010** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:45 am

agreed with the post stating wd40 is bad. great post but wd40 is considered a no no in oiling fans.
i find car oils 5w30 works well
put in sythetic is ever better

davedave · #14 Post by **davedave** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:10 am

I too tried this fix but my fan crapped out after. I had to send it back to IBM and they fixed it, but they also replaced my Planar Card (mainboard?) and my keyboard so its better this way. I was carful, but maybe one of those tiny wire turnings on the motor got ripped from the screwdriver; or i shorted something out on the motherboard. Either way-just be careful guys if it is out of warranty. I love IBM, they had my machine back in a day and they replaced my keyboard b/c I told them the shify key felt funny.

keleko · #15 Post by **keleko** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:46 pm

Just a little warning which I think might be in order...

Personally, I would never EVER pull this manouver during the first three years or so. If you don't exercise EXTREME caution, you WILL ruin your fan and/or copper plate. And even if you're really careful there is still a good chance that you might have to call IBM for a replacement after all. If you claim under warranty you need to come up with a very good explanation since they don't usually ship these fan assemblies out to customers. I'm all for thorough cleaning but this screwdriver action there is pretty dangerous...

FTC · #16 Post by **FTC** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:46 pm

keleko,

I agree with you... in fact when I did this the first time it was with a SPARE fan, because I had bought a long one (in eBAY, for 12$) to substitute the small one in my T40 that had become noisy, just to find out that the ebay one was noisy also...

So, I would never ever try this with a fan under warranty unless I have a replacement unit....

... but in any case this fans (including copper plate) run quite chep in eBAY... so it's your choice... in the end.

keleko · #17 Post by **keleko** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:37 am

@FTC

Very true. I just think for most people the benefit is not worth the risk. It only takes five minutes to thoroughly clean the fan by taking off the keyboard. Sometimes, I use Q-tips to clean the inside of the fan but I think even that is dangerous for the fragile mechanism.

I also agree with what you said about replacing the whole unit as being an appropriate option from time to time. There is nothing like a brand new fan! Like when the "personal T43p for sale" advertised on this board is described as **PERFECT** in all matters... now, is it really perfect unless the air coming out of the vent smells like it did the day you first powered on your ThinkPad?

How to fix a T4x Noisy fan the hard(WARE) way

How to fix a T4x Noisy fan the hard(WARE) way

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