X61 fan running very noisy and with rattle/rumble on high

[WFU03]

I'm no expert, but it sure sounds like my fan is on its last legs. I bought the x61 new in July 2008 and while the fan was always somewhat loud, it seemed pretty normal compared to the size/speed of the machine. In the last month or two, however, the fan has gotten louder and louder. Additionally, at high speeds it makes a rattling or rumbling sound.

I searched online to try to figure out a solution and one possible answer seems to be that the fan is clogged with dust. The other answer seems to be that the fan is about to die.

So, a few questions:
1. Are there any other diagnoses that you can think of?
2. In most references that I've found to cleaning the fan/heat sink, it seems like a fairly simple process. In checking out the HMM for the x61 and in viewing the the videos from lenovo service training, however, it seems like getting to the fan on the x61 is a major endeavor. Is there a simpler/easier way to clean it than having to take out essentially every piece of the computer?
3. I used to install RAM or hard drives in desktops a long time ago, but I've never opened up a laptop. Is it significantly more challenging? Am I out of my league trying to attempt this?

Thanks in advance and I'll keep my fingers crossed for a "good" answer.

[EOMtp]

As you know, the "gold standard" is to replace the fan; next best is to clean it and oil it; last is to "blow it out".

Using only a precision Phillips screwdriver of the correct size (see below; the correct size is the one in that set which is stamped PH-1), remove the keyboard and keyboard bezel.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... =100074336

Then you can assess the level of "clogging" of the fan. A drop of sewing machine oil on the fan's spindle will give it new life. (I do not recall if the opening to the spindle is accessible from the top of the machine or if one needs to remove the motherboard in order to access the other side of the fan.)

Good luck.