Z11 Fan Clicking/Ticking Sound??

Has anyone else with a Sony Z11 experienced a strange ticking/clicking from their fan? For me, it occurs on startup once the the fan has whirred up to full speed and throttled back to a sort of idle. After a few seconds on idle the fan sounds like it is catching momentarily on something every second. This also tends to only occur on start-up from a cold computer after being turned off overnight.

The problem goes away after 5 minutes and tends to come and go throughout the day. A temporary fix seems to be turning the Z11 upside down and the ticking sounds stops, even when I put it back right-side up.

I did try and dislodge anything with a can of air, both casually from the outside and later by examining the actual fan unit and checking for obstructions when I disassembled the Z to replace a cable and upgrade the SSD.

Any ideas? What should I do? Is the fan unit worth replacing or even feasible? The heatsink/fan unit seems to be part of the motherboard. Hmmmm

 

I had this happen with a Vaio GRT-150 back in the day. I had to get the fan replaced, which was not cheap.

You've done what I would have suggested, which is using compresed air. You didn't see anything fishy when you disassembled the Z? I'm assuming this sound occurred before you did this and not after?

I will add that I definitely think the fan is worth replacing, if there actually is a problem. You need proper and efficient cooling in a package this small (well...with any laptop for that matter). I do not, however, know how difficult or expensive a replacement would be. I would imagine the answer to be "very" to both questions.

 

This happened twice with my sony SZ, first time I got it repaired under warranty, 2nd time they wanted 90GBP to repair. I didn't want to pay so I figured out a way to get it to stop. In the SZ it was caused by the fan assembly getting loose so the fan rattles up and down, I fixed it by shoving a coin inbetween the bottom of the laptop body and the fan to stop it from rattling . Best to get it repaired imo, the fan is going to get worse over time.

 

My VGN-Z is suffering from 'sounds' of its own from the fan area.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/512958-cpu-whining-sound-c2d-machine-3.html#post6681203

It's probably too late for you to get a replacement Z, so I'll suggest getting the fan replaced under warranty, as soon as possible.

My VGN-Z came with a 2 year warranty, and considering I can now only spare time during November (1 year 10 months into warranty), I'll get it done then. My issue's been around for a good year or so, though its been getting on my nerves more recently...

As for whether the fan is replaceable. Yes. It is. But there MAY be different fan types for different VPC-Z, depending on the CPU (I know this is the case with the VGN-Z). Typically, from an OEM parts dealer you are looking at US$350 to US$450 for the fan and heat sink (don't think they sell those seperately). Or from Sony as well, if you can get the Japanese department to sell you one; you'll need to provide them with a service tag and serial number of your machine though (they cross check those codes with parts).

 

Thanks for the responses, it's a most strange problem because in writing this right now on the Sony Z, I have only had the problem for about 10 minutes early this morning, 5 minutes around 10 AM, and then no more problems whatsoever during the day, even through multiple fan speeds etc. However, tomorrow morning, it'll do the 'spooling' sound that a dirty CD might make all over again. I don't think the cooling is compromised because, unlike other fans I've replaced, it doesn't make a 'grinding' or otherwise worrying sound, just a spooling sound like something is rubbing slightly.

@JP$--I didn't see anything fishy at all when I opened up the Z. To be honest I did open up the Z without touching anything to take some pictures prior to the problem, but since the problem started a month and a half later, I can't think of an obvious connection. I was thinking I might have somehow been too careful with my Z with my weekly routine of dusting/wiping down the computer after work could have somehow dried out the bearings on the fan?? It's a weird problem because the sound, although slightly frustrating for 10 minutes every morning, vanishes during the day and throughout multiple fan speeds/restarts etc.

@jkh13--Yup I am leaning towards getting it serviced since I have a 2 year extended warranty. I would rather not because it seems like a simple fix and I have modded my BIOS/hard drives--I would hate for the service techs to go crazy and ruin my config.

@5ushiMonster--Thanks for the advice, but it seems your problem is more so the high pitched sound? I listened to your recordings and read your posts--I think our problems are a bit different. For me the sound seems to be like almost something is wrapped around one of the fan blades and causing a 'spooling' or 'ticking' sounds but only during the morning when the computer is booting from a cold state. Best of luck, and I would agree to get it serviced. Luckily my Z is one of the newer ones and so should be covered under the year Warranty as well as my extended warranty. I would replace the fan myself since I opened up the Z and removed the motherboard to take a look, but the fan/heatsink assembly appears solidly attached to the motherboard. Not at all an easy fix compared to many other laptops.

 

I have attached a zip file with an mp3 of the sound. The recording makes it sound a little more scary than it really is!! If the fan were really doing this more than a few minutes per day, I would immediately send the laptop for a service. But since the sound fades out by changing the fan speed (when I 'beep' in the audio track by pressing the speed button) or by moving the laptop, I'm not immediately concerned. However, I would love to be able to fix this myself--it would seem so straight forward given other laptops!

My bet is maybe a bearing has gone or the fan has some sort of wobble? From visually inspected the fan, I really don't see anything wrong and it is dust-free, but is only from outside the compartment. The fan compartment on the Z11 appears sealed and part of the motherboard

 

Be careful.... based on how quickly the temperatures can slide from high to room temperatures, I think the fan cools really well. Which also means that if it's not fixed before it breaks, I think it's more likely that the CPU + GPU will destroy themselves before you're aware. And more repair may be necessary then...

 

Doesn't opening up the machine void your warranty?

 

Probably, but I don't believe there are any seals or any way they would know it was opened. After all, I believe one guy here bought several just to dissemble, photograph, and then sent them back I've also read of a few people getting the accidental cover just to cover any 'accidents' in opening the computer. Naturally, if I further mod the notebook, then it would be obvious that I had opened it, so before sending it in I would need to reverse anything major or face the possibility of paying up.

 

Sony says it does, but i remember hearing someone countering that with a few court cases where a person upgraded their HDD but their CPU failed and the company refused to cover it, but the court ruled in the favor of the customer because his actions did not affect the CPU or something, in short, if you didn't touch it, it's the manufacturer's fault. But then again, I guess you would have to prove you didnt mess with the fan when you opened it up...