how I fixed the T61 fan at no cost

[enosdan]

Last year the fan of my T61 started making the feared grinding noise.
Here's how I fixed it with three drops of oil:

* extract the old heatsink/fan assembly (no need to take out the motherboard, just remove the palmrest, the keyboard and the upper frame)
* drop 2 or 3 drops of bike oil inside the fan motor (no need to dismantle the fan/heatsink assembly)
* blow air on it and make the fan spin, then clean all the oil that spills (I cleaned with a soft brush); do it again and again until no oil is visible
* carefully clean the heatsink
* apply some good thermal paste to the heatsink
* put everything back together
* enjoy the silence!

One year has passed and my fan is still silent.
Hope this helps.

[cruzmisl]

Did this on my about 8 months back and it just started making noise again.

Not sure if I should redo this or just get a new fan. Probably the latter.

[enosdan]

Did this on my about 8 months back and it just started making noise again.

Not sure if I should redo this or just get a new fan. Probably the latter.

Mine is still silent.
I still got the spare fan if you want it

[TuuS]

best method is to remove the fan, lift off the rotor and oil just the shaft. The fan is held in place by metal tabs and foil tape on two sides. Removing the tape is a lot of work but if you score the tape with a razor knife along one side you can fold the other like a hinge to expose the fan, and also better clean the fins from the inside. If there is a lot of play in the fan you can replace it, or you can just lube it and reseal it with some Kapton (polymide) tape. Don't use cheap tape or even electrical tape, it will melt into a real mess, you need something designed to take heat. Another option is some automotive grade RTV silicone sealer. This will look sloppy but does a great job, just let it fully set before you reassemble.