Noisy fan

[Ampersand]

I'm having a problem with one of the fans inside my PC since saturday. It
started when I turned the computer on, and the fan below my hard drive (the
one that's right behind the case's front) would get very noisy. Well, forst
of all, what is the purpose of this fan? It is not placed next to
anything...my guess is that it's there to blow some cold air inside the
case, but as it is not placed next to anything...Second of all, removed the
side of my case this morning (opened the case), just to find out that the
noise would stop. Problem is I've been doing this for a few days and every
morning, the first time I turn my PC on, the fan would get noisy. It's
probably not rotating properly, but why? And how can I fix it? Thanks a
lot!

 

[ben - m00ch0]

We need more detail, pictures maybe, what type of fan

 

[Biff]

The fan either needs lubrication, or the bearing(s) have gone bad. Try
taking the fan out, removing the seal on the fan hub, and adding a drop
of clean automotive motor oil to the bearing(s). Seal everything back
up and see if the problem goes away. If that doesn't work, just get a
new fan; they're cheap.

 

[Phrederik]

I'm having a problem with one of the fans inside my PC since saturday. It
started when I turned the computer on, and the fan below my hard drive (the
one that's right behind the case's front) would get very noisy. Well, forst
of all, what is the purpose of this fan? It is not placed next to
anything...my guess is that it's there to blow some cold air inside the
case, but as it is not placed next to anything...Second of all, removed the
side of my case this morning (opened the case), just to find out that the
noise would stop. Problem is I've been doing this for a few days and every
morning, the first time I turn my PC on, the fan would get noisy. It's
probably not rotating properly, but why? And how can I fix it? Thanks a
lot!

If it goes away when you take the side off, maybe the side panel just
doesn't fit properly.

Barring that, just get a new fan - they are not worth the time to
troubleshoot. FWIW, the front case fan it not that important. You can
probably get away without it - depending on how the PC is laid out.

 

[Ampersand]

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20020521/case-15.html

On this page, you will see on the first picture, in the lower right corner,
the fan below the floppy/hard drive bays. I'm talking about this fan. It
looks like this except mine is covered with a plastic "block" (square) that
is fixed to the case.

 

[kony]

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20020521/case-15.html

On this page, you will see on the first picture, in the lower right corner,
the fan below the floppy/hard drive bays. I'm talking about this fan. It
looks like this except mine is covered with a plastic "block" (square) that
is fixed to the case.

We don't really need to know the exact fan.

If it's a ball-bearing fan, dual ball-bearing or one ball and one
sleeve, it's time to replace it. If questioning it's bearing type you
may go to the manufacturer's product page and hopefully find this
info.

If it's sleeve bearing, you may peel back the sticker and apply a drop
or two of heavyweight oil. The thinner the oil the less you should
use as it'll run out, though thicker oil towards very thin grease is
preferred. Depending on the extent of wear and the quality of the
fan this may allow it to keep working for a very long time, but
considering the low cost of a fan you ought to buy a replacement the
next time you have a chance, are ordering something else at a vendor
that carries fans.


Dave

 

[Ampersand]

Well, the way it's laid out, I believe I'd have to replace the case, because
there is something that covers the fan, and I don't think you can remove
this without wither breaking it, as I believe it is fixed to the case
itself. But every time I turn my comp on, the fan is noisy, then I turn it
off, I remove the cover, I either play with the fan a bit, or vacuum it a
bit, and then I turn it back on, and the noise usually stops. Sometimes it
stops when I simply remove the cover while the comp is on. I believe it's
just the way the fan is spinning that causes this.

 

[kony]

Well, the way it's laid out, I believe I'd have to replace the case, because
there is something that covers the fan, and I don't think you can remove
this without wither breaking it, as I believe it is fixed to the case
itself. But every time I turn my comp on, the fan is noisy, then I turn it
off, I remove the cover, I either play with the fan a bit, or vacuum it a
bit, and then I turn it back on, and the noise usually stops. Sometimes it
stops when I simply remove the cover while the comp is on. I believe it's
just the way the fan is spinning that causes this.

Differences in temp and pressure will cause the fan to be in different
RPM ranges, and also the lubricant will have spread some after the fan
has been turning... all of this is irrelevant though, you just need to
lube it and/or replace.

There has never been a case I'm aware of that had a non-removable fan.
Take a closer look at it, you'll figure out how to remove it. It
sounds as though your fan is in a plastic cage that either A) flexes a
little to allow the fan to be removed without removing the cage, or
B) the whole cage comes off by being flexed so that tabs protruding
though the metal wall of the case are no longer "catching" on the edge
of the metal. Sometimes there is also or instead, 1 or more screws
holding this cage in, which if not accessible from the case interior
may require removal of the front bezel for access. At any rate
removal of the front bezel will allow a better view of what the
situation is.

What exact case is this, or OEM make/model/etc ?
If you know of an online link to a picture of the case that might also
be helpful.

If the sticker on the rear of the fan is accessible enough that it
might be removed "intact", you wouldn't even need to remove the fan
itself for the time being, you could then remove the sticker, apply
lubricant, reapply the sticker after carefully but thoroughly wiping
any excess lubricant off the portion the sticker is affixed to, being
careful not to get any debris into the bearing or oil-well.


Dave

 

[Phrederik]

That "black plastic box" just snaps out.

Usually, you just push hard on it sideways and then you can lift one side
up, the the other side just swings away.