Reviving power supply fan that's siezing up...

[kevins_news]

It gets annoying to play Halo when I hear a constant Wirrrrrrr!....
Wirrrrrrr!... Wirrrrrrrr! out of my power supply. I'm not having any
crashes, heat or voltage issues, but it's getting noisy. I've
confirmed that it is the powersupply fan by sticking something through
the grate and stopping it for a moment. It's only that one fan and i
assume it's starting to get clogged with 3 years of dust. It's an old
Antec 300W supply from Jan 2000.

It wasn't always noisy, only since it's started to sieze up in the
last couple months. So does anyone know of a way i can get it
spinning freely again? I don't want to start opening it up due to the
dangers of shock. And spraying WD40 around through the back grate
doesn't sound like the best idea either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't want to have to go out
and buy a new one when this one works fine otherwise. Mainly because
i don't want a cheap ass one ($26 canadian) and i don't want to
splurge on a decent one (at least $60 canadian).

Any thoughts Appreciated
Kevin

 

[JAD]

compressed air.....if its dirty, but your 'seizing up' reference may mean a dive into it, to oil the bearing at the least. Danger is
present, but common sense should keep you clear.

 

[Shep©]

It gets annoying to play Halo when I hear a constant Wirrrrrrr!....
Wirrrrrrr!... Wirrrrrrrr! out of my power supply. I'm not having any
crashes, heat or voltage issues, but it's getting noisy. I've
confirmed that it is the powersupply fan by sticking something through
the grate and stopping it for a moment. It's only that one fan and i
assume it's starting to get clogged with 3 years of dust. It's an old
Antec 300W supply from Jan 2000.

It wasn't always noisy, only since it's started to sieze up in the
last couple months. So does anyone know of a way i can get it
spinning freely again? I don't want to start opening it up due to the
dangers of shock. And spraying WD40 around through the back grate
doesn't sound like the best idea either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't want to have to go out
and buy a new one when this one works fine otherwise. Mainly because
i don't want a cheap ass one ($26 canadian) and i don't want to
splurge on a decent one (at least $60 canadian).

Any thoughts Appreciated
Kevin

Power supplies are dangerous even when disconnected.I've successfully
un-siezed a PS fan but switched off at night and left power cable
in.Then in the morning isolated the Power supply by removing the power
cable and using it's isolator switch.Then removed it from the
case,dismantled and taken the small disc cover off the centre motor
and dropped a couple of drops of light machine oil(sewing machine and
or sunflower cooking oil) into the spindle.Then sprayed with Servisol
electrical switch cleaner and dried off and left for half an hour.then
re-assembled.
I would not advize WD40 as it's does not leave a proper lubricating
residue that light oil does.I have also replaced fans in PS using £2
UKP Evercool 80 mm case fans which I buy at local computer markets if
that's the fan size matching the current/power/rpm rating to the one
taken out.
HTH




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[W7TI]

I would not advize WD40 as it's does not leave a proper lubricating
residue that light oil does.

_________________________________________________________

Also don't use 3-In-1 oil. Death on bearings. Genuine Singer sewing
machine oil is probably the best stuff around.

 

[Matt]

cable and using it's isolator switch.Then removed it from the
case,dismantled and taken the small disc cover off the centre motor
and dropped a couple of drops of light machine oil(sewing machine and
or sunflower cooking oil) into the spindle.

I believe that any kind of vegetable oil is liable to become rancid and
liable to polymerize. Don't use it unless you don't mind taking the
thing apart again.

I would just replace the fan with a good double-ball-bearing fan. You
would need screwdrivers, wire cutters, a pocket knife or wire stripper,
soldering iron, solder, and electrical tape.

 

[Shep©]

I believe that any kind of vegetable oil is liable to become rancid and
liable to polymerize. Don't use it unless you don't mind taking the
thing apart again.

Never has here :O)

 

[E. Harris]

Actually, some of the best lubes for fans aren't advertised as such. A
great "all-around" lube for computer cooling fans is BreakFree CLP,
which is sold mostly in sporting goods stores as a gun and reel lube.
You have to shake it up, but it puts fans back to working, usually
better than new. A 4.5 ounce bottle is about $5. It's great for locks,
hinges, and many other things as well. Particularly slotcars and RC
vehicles.
Earl