T43 Fan repair

[c_frank]

Hi everyone, I am working on a friend's thinkpad. It's a T43 Type 2679, It needs to have the fan replaced and i was wondering which part is the correct one, I have found multiple fru's for the specific model. Can the fan be replaced separately from the heatsink or is it one part?

Thanks for any info.

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.
The fan is part of the complete heatsink.
What is the 7-character TYPE of that laptop, looks like: TYPE 2373-45U S/N 99-12345
We want the red numbers.

[c_frank]

Here is all the information exactly like on the bottom of the thinkpad:

TYPE 2679-UN4 S/N L3-B3515 05/07
PRODUCT ID 2679UN4

[Harryc]

You need a long fan, FRU # 26R9074. Try to find a new one...EBay is one source.

[c_frank]

While i was looking on ebay, I ran across some listings that just had the fans for sale with no heatsink. Is there no way to separate the fan form the heatsink instead of replacing the whole thing?

[ajkula66]

I've never heard of a T4x fan being sold outside of heatsink, and would be very doubtful that there's anything to be gained by not swapping the whole thing.

Honestly, I fail to understand what you perceive as an issue here. Thirty bucks and thirty minutes later your T43 will be running as good as ever. If you like the machine well enough, that's not a lot of money and/or time to invest in its health.

[Norway Pad]

The fan is between two metal parts. In order to get these parts separated, you need to grind away the small knobs keeping them together and probably glue the thing back together again. It can be done, for sure, but sounds a bit half-way to me. I chose to buy a new fan. The fan also has a special connector that plugs onto the motherboard, this needs to be the correct one.

[c_frank]

How hard is it to replace the fan? what all has to be removed to get to it? From looking in the hmm, it depends on if you have the 14" or 15" display. Is that right?

[Norway Pad]

The keyboard bezel is different between the 14 and the 15" models. I have only worked on a 15", but according to what I have seen, everything else is similar.

It's hard to tell how hard this job will be for you, not knowing your background with working on stuff like this. But if you feel comfortable opening up your laptop and working inside it, and have a basic understanding of how things work, this should be an easy job. The only hard part can be to remove the heatsink from the GPU. The GPU is a weak spot, so it is important to not use excessive force there. We had a thread going here last week about removing the long fan's heatsink from the GPU, so some practical advices can be picked up there.

[c_frank]

Thanks, I will be sure to check that out. I was just wanting advice on this specific laptop. I work on them a lot but prefer the thinkpads as the hardware manuals make it easier and because they are just a much sturdier laptop and can actually handle being taken apart without being destroyed. Also, When I look at the replacement fans a lot of them have a pink thermal pad, Is that for the gpu and would i need to use any thermal grease or would it be good with just the pad? For the cpu is thermal paste or a thermal pad used?

[Norway Pad]

If you have worked on computers before, you should be fine. I really like the way things are done on the TP too, no small plastic tabs that break off, causing parts to not stick together or line up when you're done.

The heatsink rests directly against top of the CPU, aided by thermal compound. For the GPU there is just a thermal pad that rests on the GPU and some kind of compound between the pad and the heatsink. (The pad is pink and the stuff is black) The old pad sticks to the GPU, this is the reason it is hard to remove. If you buy a complete new fan/heatsink unit, the pad/stuff for the GPU and the thermal compound for the CPU is already there, ready to install. I removed the pre-applied thermal compound for the CPU and applied Arctic Silver, but that's up to you.

[bobones]

Thanks, I will be sure to check that out. I was just wanting advice on this specific laptop. I work on them a lot but prefer the thinkpads as the hardware manuals make it easier and because they are just a much sturdier laptop and can actually handle being taken apart without being destroyed. Also, When I look at the replacement fans a lot of them have a pink thermal pad, Is that for the gpu and would i need to use any thermal grease or would it be good with just the pad? For the cpu is thermal paste or a thermal pad used?

I've done the long fan replacement on my T43. It's relatively easy - remove keyboard and bezel then 3 screws for fan. Thermal grease only on CPU, I used Arctic Silver, but the fan comes with some paste pre-applied to heat sink. Pink pad is for GPU - no paste. Got my fan from IBM spares UK.

[c_frank]

Can anyone offer advice on how to properly apply the thermal paste to the cpu? I have not really had to do a lot of this type of repair and I'm not that familiar with it. The one thing I know is that the old paste needs to come off. Is rubbing alcohol okay for that?

[Norway Pad]

I use acetone on a q-tip to remove old compound. That is however a strong solvent, so I am a bit careful when working on non-metal surfaces.

Before I removed the pre-applied thermal compound, I made marks of the location. Then I put back small dots of Arctic Silver and smeared it out a little bit. The amount was a little less than the pre-applied stuff. I also applied a thin, thin layer on top of the CPU heatsink. Remember that this compound is just to fill in small gaps between the two metal surfaces, removing air, which doesn't transfer heat very well. In a perfect setting, it should just fill in imperfections in the metal.

Edit: I found this picture showing a "little too much" He, he. http://paulstamatiou.com/wp-content/upl ... _21_06.jpg

[NerdPope]

Rubbing alcohol is what I use, acetone is good too. Qtips, prepare to got through about 8 of them during the process. I find it easier to initially remove most of the old compound with a soft scraper. I use a folded index card and scrap off as much as I can, then I go after the residual with q-tips and alcohol. I use a 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

Applying the compound only has 2 universal rules; don't apply too much, and apply only on the die/heat-spreader. Too much compound can act as an insulator and if you are using an electrically conductive compound it can come in contact with any SMDs on the top face of the CPU (if any).

Compound type is up to you, but generally Arctic Silver is preferred by most.

I apply a little dab (about half the size of a Tic-Tac for exposed cores and a whole Tic-Tac for those with heat spreaders) of compound on the center of the CPU. I install the heat-sink and press down gently with about 5lbs of pressure while making a tiny circular pattern. Like applying wax to a tiny car. This compresses the compound and spreads it as thinly and evenly as possible. Remember, the compound is supposed to fill in tiny crevices in the surface of the heat-sink. Install screws, and you're done!

Oh, this video will show why I stopped pre-spreading the compound altogether. AIR BUBBLES!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

[Tasurinchi]

Oh, this video will show why I stopped pre-spreading the compound altogether. AIR BUBBLES!

Jeeezz! That's what I used to do when applying paste in my desktops! Thanks a lot for sharing!

[RealBlackStuff]

That clip is not applicable to the tiny surface of a laptop CPU!
You put paste about the size of a rice corn on the CPU. Then use a credit card or razor blade to spread it out.
Put the cooler in place and twist it around a bit before you tighten the screws.

[NerdPope]

That clip is not applicable to the tiny surface of a laptop CPU!

I just put a T7800 in my R61i, I did not take the risk. I'm not risking the spread method. With even less surface area to transfer heat, it's not worth getting a bubble. My temps are lower than expected anyways!

[RealBlackStuff]

It's your laptop, but AFAIK everyone on this forum uses the "spread method".
Nobody has yet blown a CPU using this method. We can't all be wrong, now can we?

[Tasurinchi]

I recall the spread method was being recommended and documented together with the manual of each processor I bought. But the documentation of my last CPU (a Pentium Quad) recommends the "line method" (following the terminology of the video), so it seems Intel has also learnt something about cooling

I have to add that none of my previous desktops did ever overheat...

[c_frank]

Thanks for the input and the video link everyone. Just to be clear though, the thermal paste gets applied directly to the cpu and not the heatsink right?

[c_frank]

Okay, so today I got the rebuilt fan in the mail and put it in but when I turned the laptop on for the first time after replacing the fan, the fan just starts to spin really fast and continues to do that for a few seconds then it slows down and the fan stops. Right after the fan stops, I get two beeps but the computer stays on because I can still see the backlight on and hear the hdd spinning.

I could really use some help with this one!

[ajkula66]

Well, it comes down to one of two things:

a) Either the fan is defective/not installed properly or

b) You have a motherboard problem.

I can send you a known good fan to test with, if that would help you.

[c_frank]

The fan does not run at high speeds right at start up so i don't think it's the fan but I really appreciate the offer to send one. What could I have done wrong when putting in the new fan? I put it back in just like the old one was and was very careful when applying the thermal paste.

[RealBlackStuff]

The fan always comes one when you boot the laptop. Then it switches off until it is needed.
If there is no requirement for cooling (speak high temp in the CPU), it can stay off for a long time before it comes on again.
As long as it starts at every boot, the fan is fine!