I think my T42p fan just broke...

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guboogi · #1 Post by **guboogi** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:14 am

I've had my T42p (2373 1.8 ghz) for a few years now and the fan has always been relatively quiet. A few days ago, I was playing a video game that made the fan turn on full blast (which is normal) and then several hours later, I was browsing the Internet when I heard this weird grinding noise. I immediately powered down my computer and let it cool down for the rest of the night. The next morning I realized that it was my fan that was making the noise. While my computer now seems to be running fine, the fan is on full blast all the time (even when I'm just running Windows alone.)

Is there anything I can do to fix this? Do I have to buy a new fan and replace it, and is this something that I can do on my own? I'd really rather not have to send my computer in to IBM right now since I'm taking the bar exam on my computer in two weeks. At the same time, I'm also afraid that my fan might simply crap out sometime before the exam. Any suggestions? Thanks!

gunston · #2 Post by **gunston** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:55 am

yup, you may buy a new fan and replace it yourserlf

#3 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:01 am

Some have oiled the fan bearings and this fixed the problem for a time. I would view this as a short term solution. I really don't know how long a re-oiling will last.

Here are the System service parts - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p. Note that there are several different types of fans used in those models. See items #18 in the list.

I don't know if you can order this from Lenovo or not, but if you Google the FRU number, you should find some suppliers of the part.

Here is the Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p. It has instructions for dismantling the T42p.

TTA · #4 Post by **TTA** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:33 am

I have a T4x fan here in my hand it's FRU 91P9759
You can change it yourself but you'll have to pull the keyboard and palmrest off to access it.
If you download the HMM and keep track of what screw goes where you should be able to change it and reassemble the machine in about 15 minuts.

guboogi · #5 Post by **guboogi** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:12 am

GomJabbar wrote:Some have oiled the fan bearings and this fixed the problem for a time. I would view this as a short term solution. I really don't know how long a re-oiling will last.

Here are the System service parts - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p. Note that there are several different types of fans used in those models. See items #18 in the list.

I don't know if you can order this from Lenovo or not, but if you Google the FRU number, you should find some suppliers of the part.

Here is the Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p. It has instructions for dismantling the T42p.

Thanks for the tips. I have a T42p 2373-H16 with a 15" LCD and (I think) the Radeon 9600 (I'm pretty sure it's the Radeon 9600 but the Windows driver says ATI Mobility Fire GL T2). According to that list, I only see the 2373-H16 under "Fan assembly, Short 14.1 inch, T42 Radeon 7500 32MB Systems". Is this the right one, or should i get the "Fan assembly, Long, Radeon 9000 32MB / 9600 64MB Systems"?

#6 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:04 pm

I know there have been some errors regarding FRU part numbers and the T4x series. People have received the wrong motherboard even though the part number seemed correct. If Windows reports you have a Fire GL card, then you need the Long M10 Fan - 13R2657. I remember that some of the fans have a plastic sheet that needs to be removed from the fan before installation. I am not talking about the rubber thermal pad, but rather a thin sheet on top of it. See the Hardware Maintenance Manual for details.

Fan assembly
Long M10
Fire GL 128MB Systems
13R2657

You can go to Parts lookup to verify again which parts are in your T42p.

#7 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:26 pm

Here are a couple of threads where people got the wrong parts.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=25026

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=25073

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=7380

guboogi · #8 Post by **guboogi** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:49 pm

Another question: I have since downloaded the tpfancontrol program and can manually set the fan to 1-2 when the computer is just running basic programs, and as far as I can tell everything is working fine. Does that mean that my fan is actually okay and the problem lies somewhere else? Is there a separate sensor that tells the fan what speed to run at based on heat, or is that on the fan itself? Thanks everybody.

Also, what's a "safe" temperature for running my CPU/GPU at, if I'm going to be controlling it manually? Is 61 degrees celsius too hot?

guboogi · #9 Post by **guboogi** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:44 pm

So I decided to just send it in to Lenovo for repairs as my warranty was expiring, and received my computer back today. Instead of the 5 second spurts of on-again-off-again fan action, now the fan is literally on high speed all the time. It's a constant sound, at least, but it's significantly louder than it ever was before. Is this normal w/ the new Thinkpads? I'm thinking about sending it in again or maybe even asking to have the entire motherboard/fan replaced. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

gunston · #10 Post by **gunston** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:50 pm

guboogi wrote:So I decided to just send it in to Lenovo for repairs as my warranty was expiring, and received my computer back today. Instead of the 5 second spurts of on-again-off-again fan action, now the fan is literally on high speed all the time. It's a constant sound, at least, but it's significantly louder than it ever was before. Is this normal w/ the new Thinkpads? I'm thinking about sending it in again or maybe even asking to have the entire motherboard/fan replaced. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

well, it is not surprising that your fan literally getting lounder, because the Replaced Part from Lenovo might be the "refurbished" one

guboogi · #11 Post by **guboogi** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:36 pm

gunston wrote:
guboogi wrote:So I decided to just send it in to Lenovo for repairs as my warranty was expiring, and received my computer back today. Instead of the 5 second spurts of on-again-off-again fan action, now the fan is literally on high speed all the time. It's a constant sound, at least, but it's significantly louder than it ever was before. Is this normal w/ the new Thinkpads? I'm thinking about sending it in again or maybe even asking to have the entire motherboard/fan replaced. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
well, it is not surprising that your fan literally getting lounder, because the Replaced Part from Lenovo might be the "refurbished" one

I'm kinda new here, what's this "refurbished" fan you mentioned? Is this a known issue where Lenovo sends out fans that aren't new or working properly?

PanEuropean · #12 Post by **PanEuropean** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:37 pm

Just for the record - if you have fan problems and need to order a new fan from IBM, it is also wise to order a small tube of 'thermal grease', IBM part number 46L4855. Some may prefer aftermarket thermal grease that is reputed to perform better, but if you are not a grease connoisseur, and are willing to settle for the OEM stuff, now you have the IBM part number.

Michael

I think my T42p fan just broke...

I think my T42p fan just broke...

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