Vibrating CPU fan in the P150SM

Just recently the CPU fan in my P150SM started to vibrate uncontrollably and it's accompanied by a loud whirring sound. The vibrations are so bad that the whole laptop starts vibrating as well. I replaced the thermal paste, and it didn't solve anything. There is nothing clogging the vents, and as a last resort I gave it a smack, which seemed to fix it temporarily. I checked the CPU temps, and it was at a stable 40C with ~20% CPU usage, but it would randomly start vibrating out of control, as if it was running at max speed. Any suggestions on what might be the issue? Time to replace the fan?

 

Seems like it's not necessarily an issue with the heat, but an issue with the fan being off balance. What I mean is even if you replace thermal paste or other heat sink components to prevent temperatures from rising, you'll be making it so that the fan has to go to max less often, but it's still the fan that's causing the vibration issues, which will recur as soon as it inevitably reaches max speed again.

TLDR:
1) blow out the fan with compressed air
2) perform visual inspection to try to spot anything else that might be affecting the fan's balance
3) outright replace the fan (shouldn't be too expensive or difficult to do yourself, I think, if you can find the replacement fan online)

EDIT: typically fans can become off balance if they're not seated correctly or if the laptop is dropped or hit with enough force. sometimes you can fix it and sometimes the bearing is just too messed up and requires replacing

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I tried running the laptop with the fan out of its socket and the fan itself still vibrated intensely.

Seems like the fan is unbalanced within its casing. If I can't resolve this issue, I guess I'll have to replace the fan. Might I ask for a recommendation for reputable resellers?

 

I think RJTech should be good http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30133

 

I always like Eurocom for looking for things that other resellers may or may not have. Eurocom always seems to have older parts in stock, they have quite an impressive inventory. They're one of the only resellers that I know of that would actually let you buy an older Clevo like a P150EM or even older than that like an X7200.

I would definitely suggest getting a new fan.

 

sounds like a fan replacement is indeed in order. as for spare parts, ive had some nice experience with RJTech

 

If it turns out to be a bearing, a good quality lubricant might resolve it. Otherwise, yes: it'll need swapped out. Good luck!

 

Your reseller may ship one out to you if you are under warranty and need it, talk to them for advice on how to go forward.