T43 Fan Failure?

[ben.dan.coh]

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping that somebody will be willing to offer me some advice on a fan issue that I'm having with a T43 2668-NU3 that I recently purchased. I'm refurbishing it for my nephew, who will be using it for surfing, e-mail, and homework-related stuff (my wife has T43 that she uses for the same purposes and it works great). Anyway, when I received the laptop, the fan was somewhat loud and made a whirring sound similar to an airplane propeller sound effect that you might hear in an old movie. Long story short, I purchased a new (used) fan/heatsink with an identical FRU as the one that seemed to be faulty. The replacement fan came from a very reputable seller (judging by the number of favorable reviews) and was said to be tested in excellent working condition. After replacing the fan, I was disappointed to hear the same propeller-type sound that emanated from the old one (though it was somewhat quieter).

My question is, does this whirring sound signify that the fan is on the verge of failure, or can it just be seen as a slight nuisance? The sound is definitely bearable - it's just...different than I've ever heard on any laptop before (including my wife's T43, which runs really quietly). The fan seems to be doing its job (the laptop's internal temperature is consistantly at 40 - 50 c when the fan is running), but I'm afraid that it won't for much longer. My nephew lives across the country and he wouldn't know how to swap out a fan in the event of failure, so I want to make sure it will be okay before I send it off. I tried removing the fan and spraying it with silicone lube, but this didn't have any effect. I've poured through every forum regarding the T43's infamous fan noise, and if that's all it is (a noisy fan), I can definitely live with it - I just don't want it to break (my nephew is eight-years-old and would be heartbroken if his new computer stopped working).

Sorry for what is probably a dumb question. Any advice that you might be able to offer would be greatly appreciated!

Have a wonderful day,
Ben
ben.dan.coh@gmail.com

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the forum.
There's no need for a regular T43 fan to be noisy, that 'pleasure' is reserved for the T43p!
Put a WTB (want to buy) ad in our Marketforum, someone is bound to have one.
You should be asking for the long M10 fan from a T42, P/N 13R2657, they are quieter than the T43 M24 fan and do an excellent job.

[uberT]

You should be asking for the long M10 fan from a T42, P/N 13R2657, they are quieter than the T43 M24 fan and do an excellent job.

RBS, thanks for your every-helpful tips! I need to do the fan in our T43, too. It's getting noisier with every passing week.

Will the "long T42" fan fit all T43 units?

Thx.

[RealBlackStuff]

Yes

[uberT]

Excellent. Thanks, RBS

[ben.dan.coh]

RBS, thank you SO MUCH for the advice!!! I had read that the T42 fan was the way to go, but I had no idea what the part number was and I didn't want to take a chance. You are awesome - I greatly appreciate your help.

[ben.dan.coh]

RBS- I just wanted to thank you once again. I fitted the T43 with the fan that you recommended and it works perfectly. Now my nephew is very happy to have his own computer for "homework" (A.K.A. Angry Birds). You are awesome!