Fan ran constantly and now has died... one fan error

[jeepmkcomin]

T61

So my fan was running constantly full force and if I was lucky, turning off for at most a minute at a time. I downloaded speedfan to check temperatures... everything except GPU & HDD was around 45*C, HDD even cooler, GPU was at around 65*. Only two possible changes were recently done to the computer. One is I installed a sprint WWAN usb module and one is that the laptop itself was in a pretty dusty environment. Is this a normal GPU temperature? Is the gpu also monitored and cooled by the same fan?

Now the fan no longer comes on, the computer heats up quickly, and I have received one fan error. It will still let me boot it up (aside from the time it had a fan error) but I have no interest in frying things so I'm using another computer to post. Could the WWAN in any way conflict with the mobo. fan controller? Could the heatsink have come loose, causing the computer to turn the fan fast with no effect, thus burning out the fan motor?

Any other suggestions? I'm just trying to figure out how this has happened.

Another question, is there a specific fan part number used in all T61s so I can go ahead and order one without having to pull open the case until installing it?

[richk]

I would need the full model number to answer. It is on the bar code sticker on the bottom. (xxxx-xxx)

[jeepmkcomin]

7663-1TU Thanks for the quick response

[richk]

42W2462 or 44C0557 could have been supplied originally

[jeepmkcomin]

Looks like I will be pulling apart to find out anyways. Any insight on possible causes of this? Any aftermarket remedies?

[richk]

Either of those can be used. They are interchangable. You should know that there is a small possibility that your problem is the motherboard (sensor or fuse), not the fan.

[benplaut]

I had a fan error a few days after installing a new mobo and heat sink, it was quickly fixed by pushing down on the fan until it clicked back in to place (not sure how it popped up). Try to open it up and leave it open while running, see if there's something in the way, etc. I know that my T61 has a function where the fan will momentarily stop and then restart if it is spun on it's own (from a blast of dustoff), not sure if that info helps

[DenTP4rm]

I can't answer any of your questions about WWAN but I recently had a fan go out on me. If you are still in warranty, I would think you would want to get the fan replaced through warranty coverage. In my case that wasn't an option so I ordered the fan from ThermalFX. I can definitely recommend them. As for the difficulty level for the replacement, if you can follow instructions there are videos on how do disassemble a Thinkpad at Lenovo Service and Support Training.

Once you get there, on the left side you should see a menu where you can select Notebooks / Thinkpad / T61, then select "Videos" which should be the first item. You should get a pop-up window with "Service Videos" in the title bar. On the menu on the left select "Fru Removals/Replacements". This will take you to another menu which will have a list of all the videos available. You probably want to start with the Palm Rest video, then the Keyboard video, then the Bezel, and last of all the CPU fan.

I suggest you organize the screws you will be removing in some kind of container so you can keep track of which screws go where as you'll have a lot of screws rolling around by the time you get everything removed. It's also not a bad idea to take a digital photo or two of the system, especially after you take the keyboard out.

If you've replaced your ram you know you kind of have to work at getting the palm rest separated from the body and then set back in place. The same is true of the bezel behind the keyboard. Just keep working at it gently and it'll come loose and then go back in when you're done. I couldn't get the keyboard flat cable connector to come loose from the front. I had to turn the machine around and, holding the keyboard up from the back (with the LCD against my chest) gently lift the connector out of its socket. If you notice I think the guy in the video goes at it from the same angle.

The fan takes a little bit of gentle nudging to remove. But, if you keep at it it'll come loose. You can get the exact part number from the fan housing and use that to order your replacement from ThermalFX. I used their FedEx overnight and it was there the next day. They were very prompt, the part was exactly what I ordered and two months later it's still purring away. As far as I know they use refurbished parts taken from Thinkpads they purchase and dismantle. You could also order a new one from Lenovo, though I got tired of running their menu system to get the part I needed.

Good luck,
DenTP4rm

[jeepmkcomin]

Okay so I am finally getting around to replacing the fan. The computer has acted funky recently though. The battery no longer holds a charge and the computer seems to move very slowly. I was thinking about replacing the cpu with a faster one/less wattage one while I'm in there and adding some more ram. The fan happened to be the 42W2462

I have a couple questions now:

What intel processors will the T61 motherboard support? I have been using a loaner T400 that has an amazing battery life. Part of that is probably the lower wattage processor and the other part is probably the LED lit screen. Can I use a T400 processor in a T61? (It's been a long time since I built a computer or fooled around with parts in one... this is my first time disassembling a laptop and I have no idea what the series of processors are called in the T61 nor the T400)

What speed is the ram?

I noticed the bottom of the heatsink for the GPU & CPU have a grey thermal compound on them. Do these come with their own compound or can I substitute some arctic silver 3 or something?


Thanks!!

[giorgosvam]

The reason why the fan in my T61 kept running more frequently with time was dust. This became clear once it was replaced and, after a short period of staying off more than on, it slowly reverted to running constantly again, as it died before the replacement (with no changes in the BIOS, any settings or work load this time round).

Just remove the palmrest and the keyboard and use a vacuum cleaner, making sure the fan is kept still! I do this with my T61 every 3 months or so. It makes quite a difference, even though dust is barely visible on the fan wings.

There is only one fan inside the T61. As far as I know, both CPU and GPU are attached to the heat sink.

George

[jeepmkcomin]

It turns out I have a T7300 processor