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    SZ fan getting louder

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Goren, Nov 26, 2008.

  1. Goren

    Goren Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    I've an SZ 440.

    for the past week, its been making a loud humming/buzzing sound (like a desktop).

    It seems to be coming from the fan.
    its quite annoying.

    I regularly shoot air into the vents, so its not too dusty and I've cleaned it again.. but its still making this noise.

    any idea what could be causing the fan to act in this way?
     
  2. X2P

    X2P COOLING | NBR Super Mod

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    Could be just dust that wont be blown out, its hidden on the inside near the center of the fan blade and often can not been seen without opening up the notebook.
     
  3. pkja1

    pkja1 Notebook Consultant

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    or it could also because of wear and tear.. could be due to age of ur laptop.. could attempt to get a replacement? but yes, i also agree with x2p
     
  4. Goren

    Goren Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    unfortunately. After opening it up and looking at it more closely.. seems like there's no gunk around the the center of the fan blade. I've had this SZ for about a year and 3 months now.
     
  5. b|lly

    b|lly Notebook Deity

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    Buy a new cooling system. The price is around 70$ and includes "heat pipes" + a new fan.

    Sounds cheap to me, for what you get.
     
  6. grisjuan

    grisjuan Notebook Evangelist

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    It's a pretty big job to replace the fan, you have to take the entire laptop apart. I just did it on my SZ110 with a $20 fan I bought off of ebay. It took me about 5 hours...it was an interesting experience, but definitely nerve racking!
     
  7. pkja1

    pkja1 Notebook Consultant

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    did it decrease the fan noise coming from your vaio?
     
  8. grisjuan

    grisjuan Notebook Evangelist

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    My old fan was definitely dying. It went "GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" almost all the time. The replacement works fine, it's quiet and the machine seems to run much cooler.

    This is now the 3rd fan my SZ110 has had. Sony replaced the original fan when the unit was just under 2 years old (the repair was paid for by the extended warranty on my credit card). Sony warrants repairs for 90 days and annoying the fan started making the same GRRR noise again just after the 90 days had passed.
     
  9. hd1a32b

    hd1a32b Newbie

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    Goren
    i have the exact same problem as you with the same laptop. It seems like thers somethign stuck in the fan thats making all the noise. I think the best way to describe the sound is like slowly sticking a pencil into one of those cheap-dollar store battery fans and it makes that buzzy noise. I unscrewed the bottom shell as much as i could and used a air-spray duster can, but it still makes the noise.

    Did you figure out the solution yet? the noise gets really annoying
     
  10. hd1a32b

    hd1a32b Newbie

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    PS, the sound comes from around where the ESC key is right? just to make sure we're on the same page.
     
  11. hardc0re

    hardc0re Notebook Guru

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    When you clean the fan, be careful NOT to just spray compressed air or use a vacuum cleaner on it! If the compressed air / vacuum cleaner forces the fan to spin, you could actually be damaging the fan's motor.

    If you want to vacuum the fan area, make sure to put in something to stop the fan from spinning first.

    For SZ cleaning, I find it sufficient to remove the heatpipe assembly and clean that - its easily accessible from the underside of the laptop. Usually the fan itself isnt very dirty, but the dust has blocked up the heatpipes.
     
  12. hd1a32b

    hd1a32b Newbie

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    So i definitely stripped a screw thats holding the heatpipe down, not allowing me to take it out to clean up. What can i do now?