Computer fan noise and maintenance

[RukyCon]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

a pc fan i have has lost a blade do to it falling off my table [it's the same one i use while i'm soldering]

size: 120x25mm

so i'm going to need a new one

[jiroy]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

My hp Icore7 fan is really getting on my nerves , it now sounds like a harley davidson , lol . Around midnight , Some neighbors already complaining , and this is an original and new one . What can i say ? , i told them it is a heater with a powerful fan as it's very cold at nights now .Hey HP , why don't you do something good anymore ? , lool ...

[BadCon]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

...
Now I'm asking is two stroke motor oil good to lube ball bearing fans? What about sleeve bearing ones?..

I'm sorry for 'bumping' my own post but I'm a little worried about this one (that 2t oil will gum up unlike 4t oil?), I dont want to damage 135mm fan which is hard to find/replace replace (there is not a single one 135mm in local stores). Thanks.

[Drack]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Momaka, they are everywhere over here, but we do not own one of those, I imagine they are like that, they are as light as a gutless wonder

[RukyCon]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

i have 2 cheep PC fans i use while i'm soldering one is a blue LED fan the other is a standard PC fan both of them are 120mm x 25mm
but the blue one has started to make a clicking sound
and i know it's because it's a cheap fan from Ebay

and the reason i chose Ebay is because i was on a tight budget at the time and they were less then $3ea but now i can get better ones if i wanted to but i not going to yet because the old ones still work

[momaka]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Unfortunately I'm finding more and more cheap fans that are permanently sealed, no lube bung and have some kind of press-fit assembly. Some are even semi-popular brands like Coolermaster and otherwise appear to be fair quality for their low price.

Some day if I get bored enough I might try drilling a little hole to lube one, but I have plenty of other fans so am in no rush to bother.

I have a few of those well - already drilled out too. Not that hard to do, but annoying indeed compared to "normal" fans with rubber plugs.

I found Arctic fans (their patented FDB bearings) is what I think sealed. I dissasemble them using force to remove blades from frame, clean it and put a drop or two of oil on fan shaft. Push it back altogether and works fine. Is that a proper way to relubricate them or that kind of fans should not be dissasembled (as I read that FDB should not be changed?).

Well, if this method works and the fan lives long enough, then I guess it could be considered "proper" .

... the fans don't die but sounds like a Chinese car (Cherry qq lol)

Oh no, you have those where you live?!? Last time I saw crash test videos of those, they didn't fare well at all - about as bad as a Trabant and Pinto, if not worse.

[BadCon]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Unfortunately I'm finding more and more cheap fans that are permanently sealed, no lube bung and have some kind of press-fit assembly.

I found Arctic fans (their patented FDB bearings) is what I think sealed. I dissasemble them using force to remove blades from frame, clean it and put a drop or two of oil on fan shaft. Push it back altogether and works fine. Is that a proper way to relubricate them or that kind of fans should not be dissasembled (as I read that FDB should not be changed?).

How can PC fans be maintained? (bearings, lubrication, cleaning off dust & particulates)...
For lubrication I use a synthetic oil 10-50 grade, it is thin and will not gum up or evaporate.

Recently a 135mm fan (I suppose ball bearing, because PSU is good quality FSP made) in my PSU start to make annoying noises, so I cleaned it and lube with a 2t motor oil as I was unable to find 4t engine oil I used to lube before. Fan is silent and no annoing noise anymore.

Now I'm asking is two stroke motor oil good to lube ball bearing fans? What about sleeve bearing ones? If its bad to use and I'll have problems afterwards, I'll clean the fan and lube with another type of oil.

[Drack]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Unfortunately I'm finding more and more cheap fans that are permanently sealed, no lube bung and have some kind of press-fit assembly. Some are even semi-popular brands like Coolermaster and otherwise appear to be fair quality for their low price.

Some day if I get bored enough I might try drilling a little hole to lube one, but I have plenty of other fans so am in no rush to bother.

Already did it, worked ok, for an Intel fan, it lost one pressure metal bung or something like that but it has been working for a year since then

[999999999]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Unfortunately I'm finding more and more cheap fans that are permanently sealed, no lube bung and have some kind of press-fit assembly. Some are even semi-popular brands like Coolermaster and otherwise appear to be fair quality for their low price.

Some day if I get bored enough I might try drilling a little hole to lube one, but I have plenty of other fans so am in no rush to bother.

[Drack]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I use hydraulic oil, 2 drops when the fan is not making weird sound and they just last a lot, even cheap sleeve bearing fans, I do that once a year and check if the fans have enough oil when I bought them, grease don't work that well for me at least, the fans don't die but sounds like a Chinese car (Cherry qq lol)

[jiroy]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Only if one is careless.

I find that I often need to take sleeve bearing fans apart for oiling anyways. Most sleeve bearing fans are not properly oiled from the factory, especially the cheap ones. Adding a drop of oil on the back is not good enough.

For example, I just recently took apart an 80 mm fan from an Antec PSU with very little use. The fan seemed to have lots of grease/oil in the back, but it sounded a bit "dry" to me when I spun it. After taking it apart, I found that there was barely any oil towards the front of the sleeve bearing, and hence why the fan was noisy. I cleaned the shaft and bearing from the old oil/grease mix and put fresh oil in there. The fan in that Antec PSU sounds even more quiet now.

So in many occasions (but especially with sleeve bearing fans), it is better to take apart the fan fully, clean it, and then oil it. Also, some fans you just have to take apart because it's not easy to find replacements (or it is, but it takes a while for them to get shipped). So I take apart fans all the time. Never damaged one.

Yes Momaka , disassembling a fan can kill it only if one is careless , that's what i intended to say . I always speak from my experiences , and in this case , i was thinking of a scrooge client who , insisted on cleaning a fan himself in a Hp Icore 7 . I told him i can sell you a new fan or i recommend me cleaning it . He didn't listen , and the lap is right here with a burnt motherboard .

[mockingbird]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

The key for a long quiet life after repacking them is replacing the dust seal sticker...most the time once you peel it off, it won't stick again. go get some Gorilla tape (a very potent duct tape), cut it in a circle the size of the old sticker. Then clean the sticking surface on the back of the fan with alcohol on a rag, and put the tape on. it won't come off. I've got some fans 10+ years old running quiet 24/7/365 after doing this.

^this

And if you want to keep the original sticker, clean the remaining adhesive off with a solvent, and then use rubber cement to stick it back on over the rubber seal.

[Topcat]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I dont oil fans, I grease them. Hotwash in a sink after disassembling, blast dry with air compressor. Some ball bearings may not get clean with just soap if the original grease has hardened and gotten crusty, these need to be removed from the sleeve and soaked in Brakeleen. Don't get brakeleen on the plastic, it will melt it. Then pack the bearings (or bushing sleeves) with ZEP2000 spray grease. A can of this isn't cheap, but its awesome! Well worth the price.

The key for a long quiet life after repacking them is replacing the dust seal sticker...most the time once you peel it off, it won't stick again. go get some Gorilla tape (a very potent duct tape), cut it in a circle the size of the old sticker. Then clean the sticking surface on the back of the fan with alcohol on a rag, and put the tape on. it won't come off. I've got some fans 10+ years old running quiet 24/7/365 after doing this.

[momaka]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Disassembling a fan can kill it for good .

Only if one is careless.

I find that I often need to take sleeve bearing fans apart for oiling anyways. Most sleeve bearing fans are not properly oiled from the factory, especially the cheap ones. Adding a drop of oil on the back is not good enough.

For example, I just recently took apart an 80 mm fan from an Antec PSU with very little use. The fan seemed to have lots of grease/oil in the back, but it sounded a bit "dry" to me when I spun it. After taking it apart, I found that there was barely any oil towards the front of the sleeve bearing, and hence why the fan was noisy. I cleaned the shaft and bearing from the old oil/grease mix and put fresh oil in there. The fan in that Antec PSU sounds even more quiet now.

So in many occasions (but especially with sleeve bearing fans), it is better to take apart the fan fully, clean it, and then oil it. Also, some fans you just have to take apart because it's not easy to find replacements (or it is, but it takes a while for them to get shipped). So I take apart fans all the time. Never damaged one.

[jiroy]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I've washed fans before just to get gunk like tobacco tar off the blades and frame, and didn't disassemble them at all, just shook excess water out and set them over a HVAC register if I was in a hurry or just sitting on a shelf if I wasn't.

The main thing was to just wait until I felt they were dry before applying power. Never had a problem doing that, though I didn't leave them soaking in water, just sprayed Mr. Clean on them and a toothbrush to loosen gunk, then a brief rinse under tap water. FYI Mr Clean is a lot better at getting old tobacco tar off than the typical off the shelf detergents, even if it's so bad that it looks like the prior system owner must have set their ash tray right in front of the system.

I think this method is the best and i usually do the same .. Disassembling a fan can kill it for good .

[999999999]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

I've washed fans before just to get gunk like tobacco tar off the blades and frame, and didn't disassemble them at all, just shook excess water out and set them over a HVAC register if I was in a hurry or just sitting on a shelf if I wasn't.

The main thing was to just wait until I felt they were dry before applying power. Never had a problem doing that, though I didn't leave them soaking in water, just sprayed Mr. Clean on them and a toothbrush to loosen gunk, then a brief rinse under tap water. FYI Mr Clean is a lot better at getting old tobacco tar off than the typical off the shelf detergents, even if it's so bad that it looks like the prior system owner must have set their ash tray right in front of the system.

[momaka]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

then dry it out - i use a fan heater.

Ah, I see.
I personally hate "wasting" too much energy on these things, so I always let things dry in the sun instead. Last June, we had one day where it was so hot here that I had a motherboard dry in 20 minutes after washing. After 1 hour in the sun, I could barely hold it - it was over 50°C. I guess that is one good outcome of the dark-colored PCBs that are popular these days.

you could strip it first, but i dont want to get all that dirt on me.

Meh. By the time I get to the fans (be it in a PSU or not), my hand are already super dirty anyways.

[stj]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Wouldn't that cause rust to build up on the stator over time, though?

no, because after you wash it you remove the clip and extract the blade assembly etc.
then dry it out - i use a fan heater.

you could strip it first, but i dont want to get all that dirt on me.

[momaka]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

wash them in the sink.
then re-lube them.

Wouldn't that cause rust to build up on the stator over time, though?

I've never had to wash any of my fans, even the really gross ones I found. Usually, I just take them apart and clean the rotor blades with a damp paper towel. For really dirty fans, I use alcohol afterwards.

[999999999]

Re: Computer fan noise and maintenance

Graphite is cheap, if it worked then that's what fan manufacturers would use from the factory.

Practically all of the sleeve bearing type use a sintered bronze bearing which has pores in it. Due to this you want a thin oil base that is absorbed into the pores, and a longer chain grease suspended to make up for the excess play and keep the oil in place so more of it has a chance to soak in.

No fancy lubricant additive is needed. It merely needs to keep the shaft from wobbling around, pumping out the lubricant once there is wear, and to absorb enough that it doesn't dry out soon which was the problem in the first place.

Some bearing may be impregnated with a very small % of graphite, but in that case the pores remain, while if you start adding too many solids to the lubricant it can clump and clog them. The same is true of too much grease. That won't keep the fan from working fine but it will run out of available lubricant sooner. On the other hand if the fan has a well sealing rubber plug, you can put a lot more lube in with that to hold the reservoir and it may not completely run out for quite a long time regardless of the above.