Thinkpads Forum

My T60 fan was really beginning to whine, loudly, to the point where it was irritating. I decided I'd purchase a new one and replace it myself. Found a replacement online for less than $60.00. Using documentation described in these threads I did the replacement in about an hour. I am not a computer tech but have opened previous Lenovo laptops to upgrade memory.

I took it slow. Hardest part was reinstalling the palmrest which required quite a bit of gentle pushing, prodding, and snapping to reinstall. Otherwise it was a straightforward process.

With TPfan control software and new fan, my T60 is now back to sounding like it did the day I purchased it. Well worth the effort.

I went through similar ordeal last week, the fan would make noise and sometimes the computer would refuse to boot with a "Fan Error" message. I decided to repair the fan instead of replacing it. All it took was some careful working and one drop of machine oil.

Here is the writeup and pictures of the process: http://www.msb0b.com/home/thinkpadt60fanrepair

I thought about doing what you did but decided that since I was going to the trouble of popping the top, I'd buy a new fan. With new fan installed and fan control/monitor software, my GPU (which is hottest component in my system) never gets above 74 degrees C. Well within normal operating range. And the fan noise is very tolerable now.

msb0b wrote:I went through similar ordeal last week, the fan would make noise and sometimes the computer would refuse to boot with a "Fan Error" message. I decided to repair the fan instead of replacing it. All it took was some careful working and one drop of machine oil.

Here is the writeup and pictures of the process: http://www.msb0b.com/home/thinkpadt60fanrepair

b0b that was really helpful--I seem to have recurring problems with this fan noise issue (perhaps too dusty around where I work? I'm not sure)--but your idea saves me some money for a little bit of work!

msb0b wrote:I went through similar ordeal last week, the fan would make noise and sometimes the computer would refuse to boot with a "Fan Error" message. I decided to repair the fan instead of replacing it. All it took was some careful working and one drop of machine oil.

Here is the writeup and pictures of the process: http://www.msb0b.com/home/thinkpadt60fanrepair

Thanks - followed that procedure about a month ago - worked great - been very happy with the results so far!

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad that the guide has helped you. I have revised the guide with hopefully clearer instructions and higher resolution pictures.