Laptop GPU fan w/ grinding & buzzing noise but runs flawlessly

Hi forums,

So I have a bit of a issue I don't know if I should just leave it or just suck up and send in my laptop with money supposed to be my vacation money. I have a Lenovo Z710 ideapad and it's still running flawlessly and great.

However just recently the past 10 days my laptop GPU fan seems to be doing inbetween a grinding & buzzing sound (usually quiet grinding but sometimes a loud grinding noise temporarily). As in grinding the laptop fan I can even feel the vibrations, just a noise I'm kinda concerned about. I opened up my laptop today and went to check in to see any dust, hardly any and sprayed it off with a can but still does the noise.

The temperatures are great, as you can see from my GPU temp chart below my laptop is 32c idle and it runs at 40C while browsing the web etc. When I start up a game the laptop fan does a louder grinding noise but then quiets down to a lower grinding noise just like I'm browsing the web once settled in a game. Even gaming temperatures are still great max 70C.



Should I just send it into warranty? Thing is I'm a college student, lack of money and have money saved up for vacation and don't want to fork out money to ship it and incase they do think physical damage has been made I will have to send in even more money.

Help?

 

My only concern (other than being annoyed to death) would be that it was a sign that it was going to all out fail in the possibly near future. I would see how much a fan is to just buy (if you can find one for that laptop) as well as how hard it is to install. If it's too expensive or too hard, I would probably go ahead and at least get in touch with lenovo support and see what they say.

 

This happens when the fan gets old. You can fix it by re-oiling the spindle if your fan comes apart easily. Disconnect the fan and take a look at it. The one in my clevo comes apart like this picture: http://copirs.net/wp-content/uploads/disassemble-dell-laptop-181.jpg. Usually there is some plastic or metallic cover on the fan that screws off. After that, you can pull straight up on the spindle along its rotation axis. Don't force it though, as for some fans it doesn't come off so easy and in that case you're better off just replacing the fan. I've done this on two dell's, a lenovo, and a clevo and all have come apart nicely, just be cautious.

If it does come off, I use some rubbing alcohol to clean the spindle and then do the best I can on the receptacle side, don't use tissues or napkins that have a lot of lint as it will get trapped inside the hole. Once everything is clean, put a drop of mineral oil in the hole (i use the kind that came with my hair clippers) and then reassemble the fan. It will be nice and quiet . Hope that works out for you!

 

This is just how ball bearings fail, whether it is a wheel bearing in a car or your gpu fan. The first sign of failure is some noise. As time goes on, the noise slowly gets worse and the bearing slowly gets looser. In general though, it usually takes quite a long time for ball bearings to die after the first signs of failure. In my old laptop, the CPU fan started making noise, but I never replaced it for almost a year until I got rid of the laptop. Towards the end though, it couldn't cool the laptop as well as it used to. There was too much friction in the worn out bearing to let it spin up to its full speed how it was before.

 

he or she is right again!!!

your bearings are failing... buy a new fan before you need a CPU or GPU,,, or what ever it's cooling, because when you hear that noise it's just a matter of time,

bigO

 

Yes, you could shell out for a new fan, but with a little know-how, relubricating works just as well and is free (or close, oil is cheap if you don't have any). Unless your fan is physically deformed off-axis (for which no amount of oil will help), proper lubrication will bring it back to life. My current fan rattles once every 11-12 months and I've reoiled it 3 times with no observed reduction in cooling capacity. Just be smart and watch your temperatures (rattling or not, always a good idea) and re-oil promptly when the fan talks.

However, if it has rattled for months and caused some damage to itself, then fan performance and longevity may be affected, but oiling will still help. It'll just start rattling again sooner (or if oil doesn't stop the rattle, then you have no choice but replacement). I have a fan on a very old Dell like that and it runs 3-5°C hotter which is still acceptable to me, but needs some oil every few months. It is very unlikely that your fan will go from smooth operation (properly oiled, no rattle) to a full seizure. It will buzz and let you know when maintenance is necessary . Cheers.

 

If it is making any noise, it is already damaged. But since ball bearings take a very long time to wear out, re-lubricating as soon as you hear some noise is a pretty safe bet so good on you for that.

The oil is simply too thin and that is why you need to replace it so soon compared to the years a good ball bearing fan should last from the factory. That was my main problem when I used to re-grease fan bearings. I never seemed to be able to get the right grease or oil on there. It was either too thick and the fan wouldn't spin as fast, or it was too thin and the fan would need lubricating too soon.

 

If you can access the fan to add grease/clean it out internally, best to just remove it and replace it. You can usually find replacements on line for $10-15.

 

Never had bearings or anything wear out on a fan ever, and some of laptops in the house are over 10years old. Don't think they even come with ball bearings anymore? Just needs some lubrication. Usually there's a cap you open it put a drop of oil, I personally just use high grade stuff for sewing machines just because I got a little bottle of it around.

It is not a high wear part, so I highly doubt it's the bearings unless it's a defective unit. Recently my fan had a bit of a rattle because it had quite a bit of residue of dust stuck to blades, so I brushed it off instead of using compressed air and It's good as new...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

Some (or most of the newer) fans use maglev, so they don't wear out and grind.

Anyway, for grinding fans, use wheel bearing grease! I used to oil a grinding fan (which wasn't just failing, it became undead ) every ~6 months, until I used some wheel bearing grease and it worked without any noise for 2 years. Probably still works if the laptop is still in use .

 

Really? I found general purpose bearing grease to be too thick. It wouldn't allow a fan to spin up to its full speed. You are right about it being completely silent though, but I think that was more from the fans going slower, at least in my case.

 

these days most fans use a race bearing .ball bearings would be a big step up imo. but anyway the race plan bearing the thin layer of lube keeps the moving parts off the race .kinda like hydroplans on the oil .but as it drys out the spinning shaft hits the race making the noise .

 

sorry about the spelling on a cell phone

 

Ball bearings use races. You are describing plain sleeve bearings. Sleeve bearing fans are cheap and work fine. Their problem is that they don't last as long as ball bearings, don't perform as well, and when they fail, they simply stop working. I really don't think any laptops have come with plain sleeve bearing fans in a very long time, if ever.

 

You are describing plain sleeve bearings thats it . wasnt coming to me last night loads stuff going on. thanks Qing dao
i didnt think the fans in laptops has bearings .i was talking from case fans and cpu coolers of desktops i have worked on over the years .and they have all been crappy plain bearings .i am a motorcycle wrench turner and we call them plan race bearings and its scary how much they use them for the cams