Thinkpads Forum

Hi

My T400 is getting fan error on startup. No internal display is connected, since the internal display connector on the motherboard has shorted.
Ran it on an external display yesterday with no trouble, now when I start it up, it just says fan error, followed by 2 short beeps, followed by one beep, and then shut down.

I took the keyboard off, and I can clearly see the fan is connected and running, why is this happening?


Regards
Frederik

The fan circuitry is near the video connector, so the problem might be related, but the "fan error" at startup means the fan is dead or running too slowly. Just seeing it run doesn't mean it is spinning fast enough.

buy some of that compressed air stuff, make sure the skinny straw thingy is attached to it and blow into the fan vents (externally). Do this with your laptop off of course.

Or as long as you have the keyboard off, blow it inside your laptop aiming for the blades of the fan. What you are trying to do is blow out any dust/dirt that is inside the fan.

If you are lucky, you will see stuff blowing out the vents when you do this, but either way turn your machine on and cross your fingers.

If you continue to get a fan error, that means your fan has died and you should start looking for a new one. They're cheap, ~$20 or so. Post an ISO here in the Marketplace or you can check ebay.

^^^ while blowing particulate accumulates out please hold the fan blades stationary with something. The bearings on those fans should not exceed their manufactured RPM. Your fan bearings will wear out faster if they spin freely.