T60 Fan Error after cleaning my fan... did I break it?

[abraxel]

Hi there! I'd been having some problems with my four-year-old T60 (2613EBU) overheating and freezing without warning, and after some searching and reading I suspected that I just needed to clean out my fan. (Note: it's been out of warranty for three years, so I figured I'd just fix it myself.) I followed the manual carefully and took out the fan and removed a fair amount of dust which was indeed blocking some air flow. Since I took out the fan unit I had to clean off and reapply thermal paste on the CPU, which I did, and carefully put everything back together.

Now, the problem: when I boot up, it displays the Thinkpad splash screen and asks for my fingerprint, but after it recognizes my finger it hesitates for a few seconds and just displays "Fan error" on the screen, then turns off.

I did some more searching to find the specific cause of this error, and found that one possibility was the way I applied the thermal paste, which was admittedly a tiny bit sloppy. I took it all apart again, cleaned off the old paste, and spread a new layer as thin and evenly as I could. After putting everything back, the exact same error occurred.

I've been thinking about it, and these are the root causes I can think of:

1) The manual warned to be very careful handling the fan assembly, which I was, but there is a chance I damaged it without realizing. In this case I have no choice but to buy a new fan.
2) Thermal paste problems again? I could once again reapply, or get better paste? Mine is rather thick and paste-y, so I couldn't get as super-thin a layer as might be possible, but I don't know if that's an issue.
3) While in there, I bumped something else without realizing to cause this error. In this case, I'm pretty much SOL.

Is there something I'm missing? What's the most likely culprit?

Thanks!
-Abram

[Harryc]

Did you plug the fans power lead back into the systemboard? When you cleaned the dust out of the fan, did you use compressed air? Did you hold the fan blades still while blowing the fan cavity out with compressed air? Did you let the blades spin freely?

[abraxel]

Did you plug the fans power lead back into the systemboard?

I did, and when I try to boot I'm pretty sure I can hear the fan spin quietly, but I'm not 100% certain. The plug did seem a little looser than I expected it to be, but it still stayed in so I figured it was fine.

When you cleaned the dust out of the fan, did you use compressed air?

I did.

Did you hold the fan blades still while blowing the fan cavity out with compressed air? Did you let the blades spin freely?

I held the fan blades still, but I there was at least one burst of air where I let them spin freely. I had read that I should hold them but thought that was just to get dust out more effectively, not to protect the fan. Could that be my problem?

Thanks for your help!

[Harryc]

... but I there was at least one burst of air where I let them spin freely. I had read that I should hold them but thought that was just to get dust out more effectively, not to protect the fan. Could that be my problem?

Yes

[dorronto]

Yes


Harry, can you explain why? I don't always hold the fan when I apply air and it does spin..

Thanks,
Ron

[Harryc]

The explanation I've seen is that if you spin the fan blades faster than the motor is designed to spin then you 'may' damage the motor. I'm not sure exactly what gets damaged, but there are many tips out on the net about this. Google for 'fan spin canned air damage"

[lmittell]

Harry's absolutely right. I'm embarrassed to admit that I ruined a fan in exactly that way. I'm at a loss to say why it happens, but it does.

Larry

[wild_bill]

a new unused trim paintbrush (like 1" wide) and a vacuum cleaner hose is not only a safer way to clean a fan than compressed air, but perhaps more effective as well.

[Frobe70]

I used to let the fan spin free while cleaning, but after I stripped of nearly all blades of a T60 fan I will not let it spin free when I use high pressure air hose.

[DenTP4rm]

Hey, abraxel
I had a fan go out on me a while back. Sounds similar to your situation. My first mistake was using a vacuum cleaner on the dust that had accumulated on the outside of the fan intake. That must have spun the blades around enough that it damaged the fan. After that it was a matter of days before I got the fan noise and finally the dreaded "Fan error" screen.

I ordered my replacement fan from ThermalFX. I can definitely recommend them. You just want to be sure you get the correct replacement part from you original fan. I think they also have photos of the fans so you can compare yours with the one you are ordering.

For the replacement process, if you can follow instructions there are pretty easy to follow videos on how do disassemble and reassemble a Thinkpad at Lenovo Service and Support Training.

Good luck and welcome to the forum,
DenTP4rm