Thinkpads Forum

I've got one on order, but china being what it is, it will take as long as 3 months to ship it.

I've looked in teh marketplace and sent out a couple of emails.

But in the mean time can I lubricate it in any way?

You can try lubricating.
I have used Mobil 1 Extended Protection motor oil on many fans and it works a charm!
Use it sparingly. Search around the web and you'll find sources with how to info.

It lasts a long time as well.
Of course depending upon actual state of bearings etc., your mileage may vary.

You should also be able to find a good used fan that won't take 3 months to get to you.

When I had a fan issue in my T60 I took it apart and put in a drop of synthetic ATF left over from my transmission job. I'd seen that touted as an excellent choice. Solved my problem. This was over 6 years ago, no known troubles since.

Bicycle grease has NOT worked well for me. Friction was too high, for some fans, and fan wouldn't turn.

Synthetic oil, or another lubricant with lower viscosity, would be better.

jaspen-meyer wrote:Bicycle grease has NOT worked well for me. Friction was too high, for some fans, and fan wouldn't turn.

That's never gonna work. A cousin of mine burnt out the motor of an electric fan after lubricating it with bicycle grease.

I don't use anything fancy, just this:

Bicycle grease has a viscosity because they don't want it to seep out of bearings and it adds some protection against the intrusion of road filth.

You don't need either in your fan bearing ( ), you want minimal resistance and a resistance to breaking down in long use. A good machine oil or synthetic bearing oil is a much better idea.