Remove/Replace Thinkpad T60 Fan

I have a Thinkpad T60 that I bought from Lenovo about 1 year ago. Since then the fan has become very loud and annoying. It makes a sound very similar to when you have a playing card stuck between the spokes of a bicycle. I'm pretty sure this is because of dust, hair, and other gunk that has gotten sucked into the rotor and is obstructing its free rotation.

Does anyone know of how I can physically remove the fan from my notebook so that I can thoroughly clean it out? I have looked everywhere online, including these forums and the Lenovo/IBM website, but haven't found a way to actually remove the fan. I don't see any obvious ways of getting access to it from the keyboard area, or the screws on the bottom of the notebook, but I know that there must be some way to do it because Lenovo support staff have to have a way to replace it in case of malfunction. Thanks in advance.

 

Well sir, I have just the solution for you!

Say hello to the T60 series service manual!

 

Thank you, I think this is exactly what I was looking for.

 

I have been having the same problem, about a year old as well...It sounds like a jet taking off. Have followed the Manual once to get in and look at it, nothing obstructing it at all. It appears that the fan is not seated correctly as pressing down on various points while it was spinning would silence the buzzing. Please let me know if you have any success.

 

I just started having the same problem with my T60p. It is actually loudest when it is at it's lowest setting (~3000 rpm). I have had the machine for a year and the fan has run almost continuously since I have had it. I wonder if there is a way to improve the cooling of the machine. I hear the T61p has a better fan/heatsink combo -- would it be possible to get one and put it into the T60p?

 

No, the T61P uses a different heatsink, than the T60. The heatsink from the T61 is bigger and has a different organization/shape than the fan/heatsink in the T60.

K-TRON

 

If the heatsink can't be upgraded, would it be a good idea to get new/better thermal paste?

Also, how would you go about cleaning the fan? Aside from compressed air, would it make sense to use a cue-tip and alcohol or something to wipe out all the gunk in the fan? Is this likely to be the solution to the noise?

 

You can use a q-tip to clean the fan, but that means you have to take the system apart to clean the fan.
If you have a decent air compressor, you could just blow all of the dust out of your system in a quick and efficient manner.

You could apply better thermal paste, but dont expect miracles.

You have a T60, which means you have a core based processor.
Download cpu rightmark or notebook hardware control, and undervolt your processor. This will help keep temperatures down much more than thermal paste would.

K-TRON

 

I opened up the laptop and cleaned out the fan using compressed CO2. The noise is still present. In fact, when I spun the fan slowly while it was open, it almost sounded like it was rubbing against something or dirty, even though I took a lot of time to make sure it was obstruction free.

I wonder if running the computer with the fan on a high setting for an extended period of time will correct the problem?

 

Hi,
I am having the same problem as described by Nishu ...was trying to open the laptop to check the fan but it looks like I may need the manual. The link provided earlier does not work. Can anyone please help me get the manual (if you have a copy saved) or suggest a solution for this problem?
Thanks for your time,
R

 

Link works fine for me. Keep trying, in case the IBM website is flakey, it happens from time to time.

 

Hi, I know this thread is old, but I had a similar problem.
I wanted to clean my Thinkpad T60, so I cleaned it all, including the air vents with compressed air.

Now, when I try to turn it on, it just has a blank black page and says 'fan error'.

Did the air make the fan spin too fast and break it?

And what is the best solution for me right now?

Thanks!

 

Yup the T60 fans are VERY low quality. The noise is from the shaft wearing out the bearing and it creates the noise you hear. The fans were produced by a very low quality Mfr which had serious quality control issues.

Most t60 units suffer from these defective fans. Lenovo finaly started using a different model fan in later T61 units.

Sorry but welcome to Lenovo "quality"....

 

Did you make sure that the fan is still plugged in?
You may want to try resetting the BIOS, to see if that helps at all. Sometimes a laptop will not power on properly directly after being taken apart. On some machines, there are buttons, and when they are depressed, as in when a laptop gets disassembled, the system will tell you that the chassis has been intruded.

K-TRON

 

Do have to agree... even hp is no better stings and gives me a second rate DDR2 GPU....

 

I actually hadn't taken the laptop apart when I cleaned. I just blew the compressed air into the air vents on the side. But I think there is a chance it got jammed or came apart or something because I tried this:

http://www.nerdwealth.com/lenovo-thinkpad-t60p-fan-error/comment-page-1

and it worked!
I don't know yet if I'll have to do this EVERYTIME I start my laptop or if that one time was sufficient.

I wonder if I should go ahead and take it apart just to make sure it's still situated/plugged in correctly..