Please help, I don't know how to take the fan off

[plmijn]

Everyone please help, I don't know how to take the fan off to replace the CPU. I dont know what screws should I unscrew. I downloaded the pdf file from the lenovo website about the hardware replacmement for T40p. But I still don't understand. Could anyone help me please

[sjthinkpader]

After you remove the keyboard, you will see the three screws used to secure the heatsink/fan assembly.

[plmijn]

But the fan still got stuck after I took the screws off. I am thinking if I need take the palm rest off as well. But the screw that holding it is very special, it is a 6 sided star with a tiny nipple in the middle. Anyone know if I need to take that off or I can pull the fan out by force??

[Robbyrobot]

You definitely need to remove the palmrest before trying to take off the CPU cooler, but a T40p only uses standard Phillips screws. There are no Torx screws (the six-sided star) normally used in this. Have you looked at the head of the screw with a strong light and a magnifying glass?

If someone has actually used a Torx screw to put your T40p together, you'll have to get the corresponding Torx screwdriver or bit to get it out. Don't try to use any other kind of screwdriver, as you'll only butch the head and make it impossible to get the thing out. But I'd replace the screw - if it is actually Torx - with the normal Phillips screw when reassembling.

One other thing: if somebody really did use a Torx screw to assemble the machine, it's been taken apart before and you might check to see if everything is properly assembled - and present. Using the wrong kind of screw isn't a sign of particular care in working with such a machine.

[rkawakami]

Six-sided with a post in the middle is usually indicative of a "tamper-proof" screw head; a standard Torx or a hex wrench with a hole drilled out.

ref: http://www.tamperproof.com/tamperproof-screws.cfm
ref: http://www.aaronssecurityscrews.com/SecurityScrews.htm

[RealBlackStuff]

Go to Lowe's or HomeDepot etc. and buy a set of 6 Torx tamperproof bits.
Cost maybe $10.-
Or buy a set of 100 different bits on eBay for about $15.-
http://cgi.ebay.com/100-PC-SECURITY-BIT ... 0349543405

Or try these crappy outlets like [something] Harbor, and get a 33-bit set for about $6.-

[ArtShapiro]

I vaguely recall having the exact same problem, and posting here for help.

It turns out I was laboriously removing the wrong screws! I think there are several, maybe the ones inside little protruding cylinders, that simply hold the assembly together. They're not the same ones that hold the assembly to the motherboard. And IMHO the HMM didn't describe things very well in its pictorial representation.

Anyway, see if this makes sense - if you remove the correct screws the assembly just lifts off, period.

Art

[poshgeordie]

This diagram may make the official manual a bit clearer.