Thinkpads Forum

Recently my x61s' fan started making rattling noise while starting and stopping. It lasts only a second or less and only when fan starts or stops. Still it bothers me and I'm wondering if I can do anything about it.


Darius

Lubricate it with oil.

It is impossible to lubricate the X61s fan in place, i.e., without removing the motherboard in order to reach the underside from where the fan's casing can be disassembled. Once the fan's casing is disassembled, the fan rotor lifts off and can be lubricated.

If one goes to that level of effort, then one should use graphite grease -- not oil or WD40 or similar lubricant -- since only graphite grease will last longer than a few days/weeks and will mitigate the effects of dust.

Perhaps best is to replace the entire heatsink/fan assembly with a new one:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=New+%2 ... m270.l1313

EOMtp,

Thank you for such a clear answer and advice.
For now I'll live with the fan as it is but in a month or two I'll try to disassemble the motherboard and the fan's casing. I'll do that just for the sake of gaining experience .


Darius

Was your X61s ordered with the WWAN feature? I so, the noise could be coming from the 'second fan' which is much easier to replace with no systemboard removal.

Was your X61s ordered with the WWAN feature? I so, the noise could be coming from the 'second fan' which is much easier to replace with no systemboard removal.

No, mine x61s came without WWAN. Still thanks for the advice.

I ordered the same x61s (7666-AG6) as your's when IBM was selling them for $239.20 + taxes with a free 1 year warranty extension last November. Unfortunately, that warranty isn't valid in Europe.

Mine developed the same exact problem. The buzzing noise happens just when the fan starts and when the fan is right about done throttling off.

I took apart the whole system and when I got the system board out, realized that the heatsink-fan couldn't totally be taken apart. I unscrewed the four screws holding the heatsink fan's cover on but could not take the cover off. Instead I basically just bent the whole thing up and to a 90* angle so I could get at the fan.

When I removed the fan (it just slides out from the bearing shaft, seems like it is held in place magnetically) I realized that nothing is actually grinding. The metal axle on the fan is smooth and I can't see anything loose anywhere which would cause the rattling. The base where the fan attaches to the heatsink has four magnets that probably accelerate the fan by alternating on and off in a circular series so that means nothing moves there.

After a little investigation I discovered that the whole....actually this is probably easier to visualize so here's a gratuitous mspaint.


wow mspaint really needs a spellchecker

OR

maybe the fan is a pos and just needs some lube :\
_________
By the way why does my system have the little fan under the palmrest when there's no wwan card or lcd wwan antenna?