A53SD-ES71 Fan is clicking and not working

I did something kind of dumb and left my laptop CPU mining litecoins. During that time the fan was blowing very loudly. After about 3 days though, the fan quieted down and instead there was a fast clicking noise. So I stopped mining. It's been a couple weeks and the clicking noise is still there and the fan never gets loud anymore. I can still feel somewhat of a breeze from the vent on the left, but not as strong as it used to be when I did heavy tasks. So I think maybe the fan got jammed. Maybe there is a second fan that is keeping some air blowing.

I was thinking of opening it up like in this video Asus A53S dc jack replacement - YouTube and then using some canned air on the fan. The clicking noise seems to be coming from where the fan is in the video. I'm a little worried about breaking something though because I'm not too experienced. I'm also worried the fan might need replacing. I don't see though how the fan would jam up after running for 3 days.

 

It might be an obstruction, or it could be a bad fan bearing. If it's out of warranty then by all means, clean it. Just be very careful; make sure you're grounded as you work on it so you don't cause ESD damage. It will also give you the opportunity to see if some other foreign object is brushing against the blades.

 

If it's a badly worn bearing it will make a grinding noise, usually louder at low RPMs. Less worn bearings make a more faint ticking sound and often can perform well after lubrication. If you are under warranty, open up an RMA with ASUS to get it repaired.

Otherwise, if you are out of warranty, you can extend the life of the fan by adding some 3-in-1 oil or graphite lubricant to its spindle. I detailed how to do this on a different machine here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...9-asus-u20a-owners-lounge-10.html#post7635714