Thinkpads Forum

The fan in my X61 sounds like a micro version of a playing card in a bicycle wheel. I have removed the palm rest bezel and keyboard and completely blown out the motherboard and the fan blades with compressed air. Yet the sound persists. I believe it is a bearing failure rather than debris caught in the blades.

1. So what is the best replacement fan for a X61 7675-K2U ?
2. How hard is it to replace?
3. Do I use that never opened Artic Silver 5 stuff that I bought years ago to try to install the secondary fan in my X61s ?
4. Is there anything else I need to do the job?
5. Is there a better or cheaper source than Amazon where they are $71 ?
http://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Discrete ... B00CBWBG0S
6. Is this ok source at $21 ?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-IBM-Thinkpa ... 27b5d406f9
7. What did I miss or forget to ask ?

Hope you all are doing well. And thanks in advance.

1. Either fan will do fine, though I have a slight bias towards the one in amazon since it's the same type as the one in my X61 T9300.

2. Fan replacement requires removing the system board. Consult the HMM for instructions. Set aside an afternoon. It'll take a few hours when you do it the first time.

You can also lubricate the fan, and see if it helps. After dismantling the laptop, just separate the fan from the rest of the heatsink. Use this opportunity to remove any dirt in the cooling fins.

If your existing heatsink is the same type as the one in the ebay link, the fan can be separated by removing 4 small screws. Once separated, you can pull on the fan hub, then lubricate the axle and bushing.

If it's like the one in the amazon link, you'll see that it's held by 4 plastic posts whose tips were melted to hold it in place, kind of like a plastic rivet. You can use a small sharp blade (X-Acto knife, box cutter) for that.
I think it's possible to separate the fan blades from the main body, so you can clean and lubricate it with little problem.

You may have problems putting it back since the plastic "rivets" don't work anymore. A little aluminum foil tape (what I used in my X61 fan) or Kapton tape can be used to hold it in place.

Don't forget to plug the fan connector. It's happened to me more than once. :<

3. I'm not sure if thermal pastes have a shelf life, but since they're generally mineral particles suspended in a silicone or mineral oil base, it's possible that the particles have settled down to the bottom, or the paste may have dried up.

4. If you're installing a new fan, there's usually one or two pieces of plastic film, one covering the thermal pad for the northbridge, and possibly another for the CPU. Don't forget to remove them.


Standard disassembly tips apply:
Keep calm. Don't get too excited or try to hurry up.
Work in a well-lit area.
Keep track of the screws you removed.
Be wary of static discharge.

axur: Thank you for your detailed reply. You have always been helpful and kind to me, even though it is obvious that I am not a techie. The Amazon fan has a more beefy connection to the heatsink? CPU? So, for my meaty fumbling fingers I will probably go with it. It is also the latest iteration of the fan (you are one very lucky guy to have an X61 2.5GHz T9300, that is what my T61p has and it is much faster than my X61 2.4GHz T8300).

I will swap out the hard drive, Crucial 8Gb memory, WLAN card, and cell phone wireless card to my pristine backup X61 and then take some time to dig into the noisy fan X61 and edit this post to include pictures of the fan. I won't order the replacement fan until I can check mounting screw holes for compatibility.

I have been using my X61T recently and would also like to explore why I am occasionally getting BSOD with it. And would like to know if there is a way to install a T8300 T9300 chipset or a different motherboard it in. But I can leave that stuff for different threads after I have explored the issue with the forum's search function.

Enjoy the start of your Saturday!