HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

[binsonk]

HP Pavilion 501n, 1.3 GHz Celeron, 512 mb ram, 40 gig hdd. Owner did not provide adequate space for tower, so the back end was up against the wall, and consequently the mouse/keyboard mobo onboard I/O tower was impacted, gives keyboard errors, stuck key. PS2 mouse and keyboard cause the computer to not boot. Connecting a USB mouse and keyboard allows the machine to run again. But for only 36 minutes from cold boot, after which there is an event, a clunking sound like something kicks in, as the computer shuts itself off. There are no swollen caps. The CPU fan is running. Although Celeron processors run cool, I point out that this is a substitute for a 1.3 GHz Pentium, one of the hottest processors around for the time. I guess I should monitor the processor temperature with Everest Info, if I can. The power supply doesn't work immediately after the shutdown, but after a few minutes of being taken off the grid, the computer will come back to life. I just powered up the unit about 5 minutes after a spontaneous shutdown, and it ran for 19 minutes. Sounds like processor is overheating?

Any opinions or suggestions?

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

check the inside of the power supply and check the soldering on the ps2 connector-stack.
it must have taken one hell of a beating to actually damage the ps2 stack.

[Agent24]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Clunking sound is probably the hard drive losing power and parking the heads when the PSU shuts down.

I suspect either overheating, or the PSU is dying...

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

I never had a good experience with 1.3 GHz Pentium 3, always seemed a bit flaky, ran too hot, being at the top end of that architecture. Toshiba laptop with 1.3 GHz processor had a class action suit against it for overheating. (I had better luck with the Athlon Thunderbird.) I think I will downgrade the Celeron processor, to cool down the operation. It's a proprietary power supply with 3-screw mounting, got my fingers crossed PSU is not the culprit.

No temperature monitoring available in BIOS.

Argh! I thought I observed a non-moving PSU fan during boot. I shut down, tapped the fan blades with a toothpick to check spin, and when I rebooted, the fan rotated normally.

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

but how loose did it spin with the toothpick?
better yet, when you turn it off, how long before the blades stop?
if it's almost instant then you need to rebuild it or replace it.

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

The fan spun very easily, and spun down as does a normal fan. The owner had been away for some time (a month, say), and when he powered it up, the fan was on a null or something and didn't start, apparently. I just checked air flow. Seems like the PSU fan blows into the box while the CPU fan blows up and away, through a plastic duct. The computer had been running without shutting off for over an hour, so I set it upright to see if the fan will run in the normal position. Good so far. Have to check the fan spin from a cold boot. Might need to spray a little WD40 on the PSU fan.

EDIT: Computer has been running fine for several hours. That must have been the problem: the PSU fan was temporarily frozen. Which is not to say it won't happen again, unfortunately. And I'm not sure a WD40 bath is gonna fix it, ultimately.

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

dont use WD40 - that's the devils lube.

if you have to do the fan, get some teflon-loaded oil.
then take the slit-washer off the shaft under the sticker and pull the blade assembly out.
clean any dried crap and dust out and oil it.

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Teflon-loaded oil? Can you specify a brand?

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

no, any light oil in a container with a spout - no spray cans.

the problem with WD is it contains solvents & stuff and it dries up pretty fast.
it's sold as a "penetrating oil" for getting stuff loose.
and it "penetrates" pcb's and lifts the tracks btw!
NEVER use it as switch/contact cleaner!!!

------------------
actually, if your in the u.s. then see if you can find an oil called "rocket fuel" for fishing reels.
that stuff is said to be seriously good, but in Europe it costs so much you would think it had gold in it!

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

forget the rocket fuel, i just checked ebay.
i think it's sold under another name in the u.s.



find some stuff called "Super Lube" - that's the stuff.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400719037214

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Yep, the PSU fan is frozen from cold boot. Probably a little sticky dust in the bearings. I give it a little nudge with a toothpick, and it spins up. It's blowing air right into the side of a large air duct for the processor, so the air flow is almost blocked.

You say, WD40 "lifts the tracks". What do you mean by that phrase?

[TechGeek]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Yep, the PSU fan is frozen from cold boot. Probably a little sticky dust in the bearings. I give it a little nudge with a toothpick, and it spins up. It's blowing air right into the side of a large air duct for the processor, so the air flow is almost blocked.

You say, WD40 "lifts the tracks". What do you mean by that phrase?

It lifts up the power traces that carry electricity around the PSU.

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

I found a dead PSU from which I can cannibalize a replacement fan. I am considering not re-installing the big plastic hood/duct over the CPU because it obstructs air from the PSU. Aggregate air flow would not be ideal, however. The CPU and PSU blow air into each other's flow at 90 degrees. The resultant vector of flow would be towards the corner opposite the PSI slots. No exit. I would rather avoid another fan, a rear-firing case fan, which would help a lot. But this PSU is really low power.

[stj]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

is this a 60mm fan btw?
because if it is, they always end up failing.

[binsonk]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Replaced the fan on the PSU, and it's running fine now. I managed to extract the old fan and install the replacement fan without disassembling the whole unit, and that worked out good.

[TechGeek]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Replaced the fan on the PSU, and it's running fine now. I managed to extract the old fan and install the replacement fan without disassembling the whole unit, and that worked out good.

YaY!! Whenever you want to, just format the HDD ind install whatever OS you want to on it.

[lalin]

Re: HP Pavilion cuts off after running 36 min

Yes