Resolved Lubricant for Laptop fan

Discussion in 'Tech Discussion' started by mm38910, Nov 12, 2018.

  1. mm38910

    mm38910 Well-Known Member

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    My laptop is 3 years old. Its fan was making too much noise in the past month so I decided to take it out and clean it. I cleaned it 2 months ago before. There was little dust so i think the lubrication is the problem. So what lubricant should i use or should i buy a new fan? I currently have olive oil with me, what is its lubricating effect?
     
  2. RimuruT

    RimuruT Well-Known Member

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    Sewing machine oil for the lubricant
     
  3. RimuruT

    RimuruT Well-Known Member

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    Just one or two drops at the axis hole
     
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  4. Jarrow

    Jarrow Well-Known Member

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    None. Order a replacement. Those small DC fans don't need lube in their lifetimes - it will almost certainly cause more problems, mostly due to dust sticking and thus getting pulled into the bearings.
     
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  5. mm38910

    mm38910 Well-Known Member

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    Anything else, I don't have any.
     
  6. mm38910

    mm38910 Well-Known Member

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    Most likely I will, I just like to experiment and if it does work it is good, even if for a short period of time. What I want to know is if it can have any harmful effect on the laptop itself. Somewhere I have seen somebody comment that it could be dangerous as oil could spill to other parts of laptop.
     
  7. Sircus

    Sircus [Well-Known God]

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    It´s not actually the lack of oil that makes the noize, most likely while you cleaned it you actually touched the fan inappropriately and therefore caused it to no longer be in perfect alignment. Buy new one is my tip.
     
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  8. justmehere

    justmehere Well-Known Member

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    Ky jelly
    ...
     
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  9. prongsjiisan

    prongsjiisan Apostle of Violence

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    WD 40
     
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  10. SoulZer0

    SoulZer0 Heaven Refining

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    Ejaculate on the fans.
     
  11. SomeDude

    SomeDude Well-Known Member

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    Lube Your dick and forget that shit, buy a new one.
     
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  12. justmehere

    justmehere Well-Known Member

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    Never lubricate your fan while it's in the laptop. Pull it out, dry it off, test it out and put it back in.
     
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  13. xTachibana

    xTachibana Wincest King

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    You do not, repeat, do NOT put any obviously conductive materials or liquids on an electrical device, let alone one that's going to be on your lap LOL

    To answer your question though, if the noise isn't being caused by a loose mount, it's probably already too late, I think the bearing is no bueno.
     
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  14. Jarrow

    Jarrow Well-Known Member

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    Naturally, that would depend on how much lube you add. However: #1: you are probably going to be unable to access the spindle where any friction would occur - it's almost certainly in a sealed / pressed plastic housing that you can't get to. #2 If you insist, you may have better results using 91% rubbing (not drinking) alcohol, soaking it briefly in a shallow dish and swishing it around, then drying it in the sun for a few hours - the bearings are likely self-lubricating (ie: sintered steel mixed with lubricant, then formed under high pressure) and the alcohol bath may remove any dust / grime that is fouling the spindle. #3: If you really insist (and my decade old Dell laptop repair cert is yelling at me to discourage you more) use something like wd-40, or a mineral oil well blended with rubbing alcohol and give a very tiny squirt - head-of-a-pin magnitude, really. An insulin syringe may be helpful to get the small amount to the right place.

    Those fans are basically disposable. The most I've ever done for one was the alcohol bath for cleaning an oil clogged 7-inch custom fan from a ancient box we couldn't find a replacement for that controlled a custom CNC that was spraying the oil that clogged it. It worked that time, but it was a more robust, old fashion brick of a fan, probably made to higher specs than anything you'd see in a laptop these days (or for the last decade). That was a one-off, and any laptop or desktop fan that couldn't be fixed by compressed air, or showed enough friction or loss of magnetism that the blades wouldn't spin easily and hop to the poles was junked and replaced on the spot.

    Finally, odds are your fan is either off-center, demagnetized, or clogged with debris. If it's the first or second, just give up. If it's the last, a brief but vigorous alcohol bath may fix it, but for goodness sake let it dry for hours in hot, dry sunlight conditions before testing it. The alcohol will get into the nooks and crannies and be more difficult to evaporate, and while I don't believe a wet fan would actually start a fire, YMMV, and I always prefer paranoia to risk. : )

    Addendum: Olive oil would dry to a tacky glue that would kill it quickly, and maybe even cause enough friction to start smoking (pretty unlikely, though - too little power) as well as attract and stick to dust. Bad idea.
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2018
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  15. mm38910

    mm38910 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, I opened up my fan. Lack of lubrication was the problem so I will most likely do this.