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Laptop fan noise (dell inspiron b120)

MKRMKR Registered User regular
edited December 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tn3I334080

There's no dust, and it seems to be cooling normally. The noise comes and goes. No wires are getting in the fan, and there's no noise when I nudge it around with a q-tip. The noise goes away if I tilt the laptop up.

Any ideas as to what's causing it? I know it's not the hard drive since the noise goes away when the fan speed goes to 0.

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Posts

  • clam2000clam2000 SeattleRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    The lubrication on the fan is probably starting to wear out. If you don't like the noise you can try to open up the computer and replace the fan. Otherwise as long as air is flowing it's not going to damage anything - it'll just be annoying to listen to.
    wikipedia wrote:
    Sleeve bearing fans use two surfaces lubricated with oil or grease as a friction contact. Sleeve bearings are less durable as the contact surfaces can become rough and/or the lubricant dry up, eventually leading to failure. Sleeve bearings may be more likely to fail at higher temperatures, and may perform poorly when mounted in any orientation other than vertical. The lifespan of a sleeve bearing fan may be around 40,000 hours at 50 °C. Fans that use sleeve bearings are generally cheaper than fans that use ball bearings, and are quieter at lower speeds early in their life, but can grow considerably noisier as they age.

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