My T43 fan has undergone a personality change!

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pipspeak · #1 Post by **pipspeak** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:08 am

I have noticed my T43 fan is starting to behave differently, even though I am not.

I used to start my machine and after about a half hour the fan would kick up to level 2ish (about 3300 rpm) and stay there the rest of the day, perhaps kicking up another notch if I was doing something CPU or GPU intensive.

Now, after a few minutes, the fan goes straight to level 4 (about 4100 rpm) and stays there all day, even if I walk away from the machine for several hours and leave it doing nothing. In fact the fan is never now on level 2 at all. It's either 0-1 or 4. Which means it's either not cooling anything, or the controller is not doing what it should.

In addition, according to the fan control utility, there is no no difference between fan levels 3, 4, and 5. They are all about 4000-4100 rpm. Level 2 is 3300 rpm, and level 6 is about 6000 rpm.

I've installed no new software, added no massive files, have not moved location, and am basically doing nothing different. In addition, none of the sensors are above about 43 F when the fan starts rolling at 4000 rpm. The CPU and GPU are often below 40 during the day and the fan still runs at 4000 rpm.

So why, oh why, has my fan apparently forgotton it has a level 2 all of a sudden? And decided levels 3, 4, and 5 are the same? I updated my bios and EC last fall.

Temetka · #2 Post by **Temetka** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:30 am

Just out of curiosity have you cleaned the fan lately? Every few months or so I will take a can of compressed air to the fan.

Remove the keyboard.
Hold fan still (the compressed air will spin the fan at ridiculous high RPM's and could damage it if not held still)
Spray air around fan to remove loose dust and particulate matter
Spray air into the vents (from inside the laptop, thus blowing the air through the vent and OUT of the laptop) this should clear any larger materials
At this point you can remove the HSF and clean and re-apply some AS5 or some of the Zalman thermal grease.

Between these 2 steps you should notice some lower temps.

I know it doesn't do much for the thermal sensor if it is failing, but it WILL reduce your temps. The fan could be going up to the higher levels due to blocked / clogged air vents and thus has to work harder.

agarza · #3 Post by **agarza** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:32 am

Could be also your EC went nuts and maybe a update to the newer version will make the treatment for your dementally insane hyperactive fan..

pipspeak · #4 Post by **pipspeak** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:45 pm

Thanks... I'll take a look and see how grubby it is under the keyboard. As for my EC, I have v1.06, which I think is the latest version.

If that doesn't work I guess I'll give Lenovo a call. The white noise is driving me insane.

pipspeak · #5 Post by **pipspeak** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:10 pm

I took off the keyboard this morning and blew a huge cloud of dust out the vent, followed by a bit of gentle swabbing to get the more stubborn dust pockets.

So far so good. The fan is on low and after two hours has not increased speed. A definite improvement and it only took 10 minutes.

Temetka · #6 Post by **Temetka** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:28 pm

Good.

Did you follow the steps I outlined?

DarkMark · #7 Post by **DarkMark** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:35 pm

How often would it be recomendable to clean the fan or the inside of the Thinkpad?

Ich just haven't got any experience withe laptops and Dust.

I know with my desktop where I use filters.

I've got it for over three months now. How far can I open it up without endangering my waranty?

Temetka · #8 Post by **Temetka** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:50 pm

Depending upon the environment in which you use your laptop, the time varies. If you take it with you a lot and use it in places that are dusty then you will need to clean it more often. I will go out on a limb here say that 3 times a year should be sufficient. More depending upon where the laptop is taken to.

It's kind of like, how often should you wash you car? When it gets dirty is the obvious answer. How dirty? And how much is dirty enough to warrant a thorough cleaning? That is up to you.

Note: It's been months since I washed my truck.

DarkMark · #9 Post by **DarkMark** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:07 pm

Temetka wrote:Note: It's been months since I washed my truck.

Oh, it's been over a year that I've washed my truck.

So I don't really think I should apply my carwashing sheme to my TP.

I might look into it (the TP) next week, since I do carry it arround everywhere.

Temetka · #10 Post by **Temetka** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:58 pm

That would probably be a good idea....

My T43 fan has undergone a personality change!

My T43 fan has undergone a personality change!

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