T42 Fan Error ... What next?

[bmcent1]

Hello -
I have a 4 year old T42. I love the laptop and don't want to give it up yet. I recently replaced the Li-ion battery, and otherwise this thing has been a tank.

Just last week, I started to get a "Fan Error" right after boot. At first it was intermittent, and I could reboot and get a successful boot. But now it happens every time I turn the computer on. Sometimes, if the computer has been off for a while, I can get it to boot. If I see the error at boot, the laptop shuts down a few seconds after showing that error.

I took the laptop apart and there was no obvious build-up of dust in the fan. I blew it out anyway, then spun the fan with my fingers and the action seemed smooth and normal.

Also, when I boot the computer, I notice the fan is still blowing air and there is noticeable increase in fan noise from when it was new. The fan seems to be working fine except for the error message.

What should I do to resolve this?

What fan do I need for a 2379 T42?

Should I try reseating this current fan with additional thermal grease first, before buying a replacement fan?

Thank you for any suggestions!

[Cyberstudio]

Well, that fan just reached the end of his life. The fan is a mechanical part and will not last forever. Yours is defective now.

You can try to put some kind of oil (Not thermal grease, not vegetable oil!)

You should do the same that i did with my older T40, just go to ebay and buy a new one.

Sorry for my bad english.

[bmcent1]

I'd rather buy a part from IBM. Anyone know the exact FRU or best URL for ordering the part from IBM?

[Johan]

I'd rather buy a part from IBM. Anyone know the exact FRU or best URL for ordering the part from IBM?

Welcome to the forum!

You may want to download the Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p where you will find information about how to dissamble your T42. Your fan model can also be found therein - or via System service parts - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p. A new fan can be ordered from the IBM US Parts and Maintenance parts site.

Finally, I also believe you would benefit from knowing the (very useful!) Serach function on this forum; I suggest you try it out using e.g. the terms "fan replacement" and remeber to check "Search for all terms" and perhaps limit your search to the T4x-subforum.

Johan

[bmcent1]

Thank you for the links!

My Thinkpad is a T42 2379-DXU ... I was able to find it at the second link and the fan for my laptop is the 13R2657.

I followed the third link and was unable to find the part and order through their search field, but I called the 800 number on that page and they told me the part has been replaced by 41W5204.

41W5204 is a long fan, it costs $32.94

[Johan]

The FRU 41W5204 fan is what you want - it is a replacement of the older 13R2657. Try search this forum for 41W5204, and you will see that it is recommended by several users as the (long) low-noise fan for T42/p's.

Go ahead!

PS: You say you have a 14" T42 (in your signature), but you talk about a 2379-DXU in your previous post... and the DXU is a 15" model! Not of any particular importance, I admit...

Johan

[bmcent1]

The FRU 41W5204 fan is what you want - it is a replacement of the older 13R2657. Try search this forum for 41W5204, and you will see that it is recommended by several users as the (long) low-noise fan for T42/p's.

Cool! I ordered it yesterday (IIRC) and though I only paid for 2-3 day shipping, it arrived today by DHL. Yay!

I put it in and the laptop booted successfully. I'm currently running Prime-95 in torture mode, maximum heat setting to make sure I've solved this problem.

I'm also defragging the HD at the same time. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess

* One question. I noticed the 41W5204 arrived with a pink peel off pad over the part of the fan which sites on top of the graphics chip. I thought it was weird because, beneath that, there seems to be dark thermal grease evenly spread (it was easy to scratch, but I only scratched a small bit to test.

I peeled off the pink pad and put a very thin swipe of Arctic Silver 5 on top of the dark gray material. I used the playing card method someone else described here.

What that the right thing to do? Seemed to me, but oddly, the old fan I pulled out had the pink pad still attached.

PS: You say you have a 14" T42 (in your signature), but you talk about a 2379-DXU in your previous post... and the DXU is a 15" model!

Noted and fixed. I just did my sig from memory, before the T42, I used a T22 at work (love those Thinkpads!) ... that's probably what I remembered the 14" measurement from.

[bmcent1]

After several hours running Prime95 in torture mode, maximum heat, the CPU was at 59 C ... respectable I think.

After stopping the program for 30 seconds, temp fell to 50 C and after a couple minutes it's down to 38 C.

New fan seems to be working like a champ.

VERY QUIET too (not that the old one was loud.)

[nykobing06]

Hey everyone! Used to be a frequent member when I was debating about IBM three years ago.

Since then my T42 has worked like a charm!


Well that is up until last week...FAN ERROR.

I keep hearing this long fan M10 deal but when I looked up my fan assembly using the links provided in this thread, I found the following.

15" 2373-N3U is what i have...
Short fan assembly Part # 13R2919 .


Can anyone please confirm this before I order then fan? (This thing is priced at $55!...wish mine was the $35 Long M10 )

Lastly, I opened my computer per the instructions manual. However, I can't seem to get the fan assembly off...some black tar-like substance seems to be covering my GPU. I refrained from yanking at it b/c I know the copper structure would have bent. Any advice?

Thanks a bunch for any help. Love these forums!

[Johan]

Lastly, I opened my computer per the instructions manual. However, I can't seem to get the fan assembly off...some black tar-like substance seems to be covering my GPU. I refrained from yanking at it b/c I know the copper structure would have bent. Any advice?

Welcome (back?) to the forum!

As for seperating your "stuck" fan from the CPU etc., I suggest you review the thread Problems with replacing the infamous T43p fan (see the post of Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:53 pm).

Some T42's uses a "short fan" (like what you have); it is only attached to the CPU and not the GPU, reason for this being that the GPU does not consume much power and hence does not need any active fan-cooling. Some T42's (and all T42p's) have more powerful GPU's (ATI 9600, FireGL T2) which needs active fan-cooling. These more "higher end" T42/ps therefore have a long fan, that is attached to both the CPU and to the GPU. I believe that a long fan will also work in a T42 born with a short fan (such as e.g. yours), but search the archieves here to be certain of that. Benefit of getting a long fan - for your T42 - will be that the GPU will be far better cooled, which will potentially mean that the fan will never come "on" during light work (such as typical surfing, writing etc.), since it is very often the GPU temperature which trigger the fan to go "on". Therefore, I suggest you consider upgrading to the long M10 fan - if feasible (search!). Also, consider installing the free program "Notebook Hardware Control" (search the archives!), which will enable you to reduce powerconsumption (both CPU and GPU) without loosing and performance. Benefits: Lower power consumption, hence less fan "on" time and longer battery time!

Johan

[nykobing06]

Thanks Johan! That was very helpful.

I'll search the site for any info on using a long fan on a computer that was born with a short fan. In the meantime,however, does anyone know from prior experience?

I'll wait a couple more days before buying the new fan....having to use this Dell is ....lets just say I want my IBM back!

Thanks again Johan!

[LKongshem]

Hi folks,

I've got a T42p 2373-GVU with a dying fan. I'd like to order a new fan from IBM, but I can't decipher which part number to order. Is FRU 41W5204 the right part number for my ThinkPad? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Lars

[Johan]

Is FRU 41W5204 the right part number for my ThinkPad?

Short answer: Yes!

Longer answer: Read this thread and Search this forum for "41W5204".

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

Johan

[suppalap]

Hey guys,

This is a great website and has always been really helpful. I have been a proud thinkpad owner for the last 4 years and I just love it.

Current Issue: I have a T42 2379-RHU model and the laptop doesnt boot up anymore reading out a "Fan Error" on a blank screen and shuts down automatically. Going through all the posts, I read through the Hardware Maintenance Manual for T42's but could not find "2379-RHU" model number under the fan assembly section. So if anyone can help me find the right part number for the fan assembly I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for your help and time on this.

Suppalap.

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

You should be looking for a M10 long fan, here are the specs of your T42:


Product: ThinkPad T42 2379-RHU [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: P M 745(1.8GHz), 512MB RAM, 60GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1024x768 LCD, 64MB ATI Radeon 9600, CDRW/DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint reader, 6c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

[suppalap]

Thanks so much for your prompt response George.

I will look for a M10 long fan. I am planning to replace this myself and I need a little guidance if you have the time. Do you know a website where I can get this part(value for money deal!, if there is one) or should i just buy from the lenovo website. Also, are there any other additional parts like a heat sink that I need buy or is it enough to get just a M10 long fan for a "Fan error".

If you know of any links which explains fan replacement in a simple manner that would be really helpful.

Thanks again.

Suppalap

[ajkula66]

Everything you need to know is in the HMM:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46464

Also, throw 13R2657 in eBay's search engine or Google...and you'll come up with zillion hits...

[suppalap]

Hi, Would ne knowing where I could but the thermal grease from? -For fan installation.

Thanks,
Suppalap

[RealBlackStuff]

The Shack for one, online on eBay, places like Frys, BestBuy etc.