Computer fan noise and maintenance

[tylerlough]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I'm curious has anyone tried a dry lubricant like graphite powder

I have tried graphite on a desk fan that I sometimes use to cool my ram when overclocking it. I couldn't get much in the bearing, most just came out and made a mess. So the result is it stayed quiet for a day or two then I went to oil. Someone else could try graphite on a smaller fan.

[bgavin]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

For $6, one can buy a new Panaflo fan that will run a very long time.

[willawake]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

ah the voice of reason.........but not in europe dammit!!!

[Fizzycapola]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Replaced Olive Oil (which appeared to have pretty much vanished on inspection since applying it few days ago) with proper mechanical oil (non vegetable based), seems noisier now but maybe because it's quiet today. After doing a bit of research apparently the famous red stripe 3in1 is vegetable oil based and is kind of ok for fan bearings. The Olive Oil I used was pretty much pure oil also note, a very light yellow color with no olive flavour (also known as really rubbish quality extra virgin olive oil).

Oh btw reason I replaced oil, asside from fear of growing new strains of bacteria, fan was making a few noises cold booting after a days rest, it went
away after a few minutes but thought what the hell change oil anyway.

Technique used: Pull off sticker, pull off sticker under sticker (if there is one), inject some oil in the bearings with syringe careful not to make a mess, put double sided tape over a finger, pull off the waxy strip and apply the clean side totally smoothly over the back of fan to seal it, then press around the tape with the waxy strip to ensure best possible seal and put back sticker.

[Tom41]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I find I have to oil the PSU fan on my Windows server on a fairly regular basis, like once a month. Could that mean that the fan bearings are actually wearing out, and it's time for yet another new fan?

Usual technique I use:
1. Turn off server and remove PSU from case
2. Open up PSU top
3. Unscrew fan from PSU chassis to get at bearing area
4. Remove fan label
5. Remove rubber grommet underneath label (some fans have this as extra protection)
6. Apply a couple of drops of all-purpose lubricant oil into the bearing area
7. Replace rubber grommet and label
8. Turn on PSU briefly while still opened up, to verify that the fan grinding noise has stopped
9. Mount fan back in PSU, close PSU and put it back in server

All being well, that should sort out the noise for another month.

I replaced the fan last time when it dropped to about 100RPM and wasn't providing adequate airflow. The question is, providing the PSU fan is providing a sufficient airflow (that I can feel with my hand), is it worth oiling the fan to cut down the grinding or rattling noise?

[willawake]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

just replace...here you are mate site

[Galvanized]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

With high ambient exhaust air operating temps, as with a PSU that uses an 80mm exhaust fan, I would only use dual ball bearing or ceramic bearing fans.
NEVER use oil with detergent additives as this will bring all the microscopic swarf into the lubricant causing further damage. It will turn into a kind of lapping compound.

Hair clipper and sewing machine oil are generally non-detergent and are to be recommended for lubing old fan bearings.

Dropping ball bearing fans onto a hard surface can ding the tiny balls and races, shortening service life considerably.

EDIT: Never under rate PSU cooling fan/s. I have seen what happens when guys look to silence a PSU that needs 50cfm at 75% of it's rated output.

[willawake]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

most importantly check your replacement psu fan is actually starting at the low voltages supplied by a temperature controlled circuit if you have that....

[Galvanized]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

The Zippy, Fortron and Enhance units I've checked start their fans at just above 8V.

[999999999]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

- I've not found detergents in oils to have any significant impact
- Thin oil is "usually" the wrong oil, use only in an emergency when nothing else is available. This is probably the #1 mistake many make.
- Graphite and other lubricants are also suboptimal, but if it were an emergency, use what you have to in order to keep it running till the replacement is available. Even better is to keep a stock of any critical fans, though some are proprietary.
- (Typical, simple designs of PC axial type) Sleeve bearing fans should only be used in a vertical orientation. Finding one needing frequent maintenance in non-vertical orientation is no surprise.

The ideal lube is a very viscous oil (80wt is not thick enough) to very light grease (drop point around room temp). The reason for this is that by the time the fan is needing relubed, it was already wearing the bearing and the tight tolerances it had originally are gone. It then requires a higher film strength and viscosity enough that it does not run out of the bearing so readily from gravity or the slight imbalance of the fan, nor from the irregular eliptical wear pattern typically associated with sleeve bearing wear.

If you were to preventatively lube the sleeve bearing before the fan began to run dry, a lower viscosity oil is acceptable, but in many cases these sleeve bearing fans aren't the best quality (beyond a few well known brands like Papst and Panaflo) don't have the good tolerances we would hope, and then will benefit from thicker oil already, before worn down further.

The bearing plug needs to seal properly, if it does not then put a sticker over it. The bearing cavity should have as much oil/grease added as possible without it running out (rubber plug must seal good for this) to create a reservoir of lubricant.

Some fans are so poorly made and implemented that there is nothing you can do to keep them running without a (roughly) annual lubrication. Particularly some of the thin, high-RPM video card fans. Try to avoid and replace any fans under ~15mm thick as that is too short a sleeve bearing, and not wide enough to house two good quality ball bearings on typical fan designs. It is then better to select and replace with fans having properties that contribute to longer life, like thicker fans with lower RPM, if not dual ball bearing fans. As others mentioned a good quality replacement fan like Panaflo or NMB is the easiest way to avoid any further action for years, though with the right lube I've managed to get several years out of typical 80x25mm fans that had completely seized up. I don't rely on them for anything important but put a few in some systems that didn't depend on that airflow just to see if it was all a waste of time or if they'd hold up (and none have failed years later).

As for electrical interference, address it per-item when you observe it actually causing a problem. PC components aren't particularly susceptible to such noise, are fairly immune.

Dust- when it needs cleaned off it's obvious. Cleaning period varies per environment.

[WNG]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I've had success depositing a coating of molybdenum sulfide onto the bearing surfaces as an anti-seizure measure. It's an extreme pressure dry lubricant spray from Dow Corning.
IMO, it outlasts graphite if you plan to go the dry lube route.

I following up with a coat of grease, lithium, or urea-based, for all contacting surfaces.
I found the grease holds up longer than oil.
Careful if using lithium greases, some can dry up and clump and becoming useless.
The moly grease found in mechanisms of vcrs, etc. is probably the best choice, if you can find it.

[Logistics]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Am I the only one here to actually takes fans apart and cleans them and oils them? It sure sounds like it, lol! I've been doing this to anything from case fans to chipset fans and I have never had to take another one apart or replace it since, some have already hit close to 10 years since their cleaning/lubing.

Almost all of them have been sleeve bearing fans. I just clean all the parts with alchohol, lube them with transmission fluid, and slap 'em back together.

The grommet and washers on the top side of the sleeve bearing can get VERY gummed up. I just cleaned the chipset fan on a KX7 and had to carefully use needle-nose pliers to work the washers in circular motions to get them to slide off the spindle. They obviously had crud all over them and were very dry.

[starfury1]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Humm thats interesting logistics.

I have added a bit of light oil to the bearings to keep them going a bit longer at times but
replaced them when I could...and yeah I don't do this every day like some here.

I would have thought maybe transmission fluid would be possibly destructive to some plastics used...

Maybe you might do a picture tutorial on the process for the FAQ's logistics

Me id probably get the fan apart and never back together LOL
or like the cartoon watch repairers now were did this part come from again?

Cheers

[Harvey]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I'v had some surprisingly (for me at least) long lasting results until what I think is this http://www.molyslip.co.uk/antiseize.html - a copper impregnated grease. I was reluctant to try it at first as it seems way too thick to be any use as a lubricant, but one day when I was getting totally fed up with a graphic card fan squealing [and one of those really awkward types that nothing else fits] I tried it.. and it works like a charm.

[linuxguru]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I'll second the advice about thin oil being the wrong oil. I just had a PSU failure (primary transistors) from a seized sleeve-bearing fan that I had inadvertently not replaced about 9 months ago when I recapped the PSU. At that time, I just dusted it out, opened the plastic bung, gave a shot of WD-40 to the bearing and checked that it rotated freely - *bad idea*. WD-40 dries out rapidly, especially at elevated temps and with airflow nearby. The fan *will* seize up again. I should have used thicker oil like 20w50 or similar, but in any event, that fan has now been replaced by an NMB ball-bearing fan.

Always replace any sleeve-bearing fan, regardless of condition, with a ball-bearing fan (NMB, Panaflo, Nidec, etc.) when the PSU is opened up for recapping. Otherwise, you'll definitely be wasting your time again in the future when it fails, taking a bunch of stuff in the PSU with it. This is particularly critical for always-on servers and other 24/7 equipment like routers, etc.

[MD Willington]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I have a 4 inch Panaflo... from an XT power supply it is still running to this day moving air in my computer case...

[Krankshaft]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I have a 100mm Space Fan thats still running to this day .

Those things are built like rocks.

Panaflo fans are the best I have bought tons of them however they are not the quietest IMO.

[stevo1210]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I usually use Foxconn and Thermaltake 80mm fans because they are awesome, they move heaps of air and are really silent too.... well maybe not the Thermaltake.... it's a bit noisy, but its noise is acceptable.
In my media center PC, I use Cooler Master 80mm fans. I have no idea if they are real or fake.... but are very very cheap at only $5AUD a fan which makes me wonder.
But it seems to me like a decoration to me, it hardly even moves any air, I can see it spin and when I put my hand in the direction the air is flowing, I feel a very light breeze....

[Spacedye69]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I have some Nidec 50 and 80mm fans I pulled from some old Microchannel hardware. Very quiet and powerful, even at 15+ years old!

[999999999]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Yeah, Nidec makes great fans. My short list of fans includes Nidec, Papst, Panaflo/Sanyo, NMB, (some) Delta, (some) Sunon, etc. IOW, fan manufacturer's premier models, not PC-Parts relabler's budget junk with a middleman markup. Some PC Parts relabelers will sell you equivalent quality, but unless you know beforehand what you're getting, it's a gamble and usually at a higher price if you're willing to look around for a deal since fan prices can vary so wildly (at least in the USA).

The crazy part of all this is when people claim some fan is great because it was quiet for the first hour they ever ran it, then ignore that it needs to last for the life of the system else it just becomes another needless failure point. For example, Yate Loon fans, which I've replaced too many of to count. The most common Yate Loon is a sleeve bearing fan with poor lube and a lifespan of about 2-4 years. It'll do fine at hour 1, then progressively get worse and lockup before the rest of the system was ready to die.