How to relubricate a fan and/or service a troublesome/noisy fan.

[maxx2575]

It'll work short-term, but it degrades fast. It'll last maybe 2 weeks? Just guessing.

that seems a bit short considering that there was nothing lubing the bearings for who knows how long.

 

[lexluthermiester]

that seems a bit short considering that there was nothing lubing the bearings for who knows how long.

Good point. Something is better than nothing.

 

[maxx2575]

Good point. Something is better than nothing.

that's my life in a nutshell

 

[Bill_Bright]

It'll work short-term, but it degrades fast. It'll last maybe 2 weeks? Just guessing.

Not to mention it (vegetable oil) turns rancid over time, and rather quickly once exposed to the air and several temperature swings. Vegetable oil, as a lubricant on mechanical parts, would be a bad idea. Best to stick(? ) to using it to keep your pancakes from sticking to the fry pan.

 

[nomdeplume]

Same with using egg white as adhesive for a fan label in a pinch. Stay out of the kitchen in general.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Not to mention it (vegetable oil) turns rancid over time, and rather quickly once exposed to the air and several temperature swings.

That's what I meant by "degrades".

Vegetable oil, as a lubricant on mechanical parts, would be a bad idea. Best to stick(? ) to using it to keep your pancakes from sticking to the fry pan.

Short term, it will work. Better than nothing until his new fans arrive.

that's my life in a nutshell

Get yourself some motor oil or something that will work as a bearing lubricant so that in future you can service and fix your fans instead of replacing them. Motor oil is not expensive and you only need to buy it once. The shelf-life of motor oil is measured in decades, it doesn't go bad sitting on a shelf.

Same with using egg white as adhesive for a fan label in a pinch. Stay out of the kitchen in general.

Never heard of that one. Wouldn't want to try it either.

 

[maxx2575]

Not to mention it (vegetable oil) turns rancid over time, and rather quickly once exposed to the air and several temperature swings. Vegetable oil, as a lubricant on mechanical parts, would be a bad idea. Best to stick(? ) to using it to keep your pancakes from sticking to the fry pan.

the way that vegetable oil becomes rancid is that it'll just smell a bit like pennies or old paint, which doesn't seem like that big of problem as it's only a few drops worth.

Short term, it will work. Better than nothing until his new fans arrive.

I do plan on using these fans in the future for some odd jobs here and there, so I do want to keep updating on how these fans are doing or if they end up failing or otherwise unusable for any reason.

but that'll be out of pure curiosity rather than need.

 

[Bill_Bright]

That's what I meant by "degrades".

Short term, it will work. Better than nothing until his new fan arrive.

Well, to me, when it comes to vegetable oil, by "rancid" I meant it will start to stink. I think it would be very pronounced, but perhaps not. If it smells like cooking french fries, I might be okay with that!

I don't know if the lubrication properties of rancid oil "degrades" but I suspect you are right, and it would do that too.

But to me, if a short term solution is needed that badly, run down to Wal-mart, Ace Hardware, The Home Depot and buy some 3-In-One. Heck, even my local grocery store and convenience store (open 24/7) carries 3-In-One. Or surely, one of my neighbors has something better than vegetable oil.

I mean seriously! If the computer uptime is that mission critical, cannibalize a fan from another computer! Then give yourself a good talking to for not being properly prepared with a ready backup system, or spare parts, or a can of 3-In-One, or all of the above, already on hand.

I would open the side panel of the computer and blast a desk fan in there before using vegetable oil.

I have spare case fans, spare CPU coolers, spare drives, a spare PSU, even a spare graphics card. Don't you? If your equipment is that important that you would consider using vegetable oil, then why not?

I am reminded of an old quote I used to see often when I was in the military. Poor planning on your part... .

***

The only thing I have used, or would consider using egg whites as an adhesive for is egg roll/wonton wrappers!

 

[Greenslade]

I just looked up this one to see how i could open a PSU because i screw fell of in the PSU.

and saw how to sort out a noisy PSU.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I just looked up this one to see how i could open a PSU because i screw fell of in the PSU.

and saw how to sort out a noisy PSU.

It do this for a seriously stubborn fans. Most just need fresh lube. This was a good guide though.

 

[mechtech]

Well, if it's in a home, I would probably just opt for some light mineral oil from the drug store, no smell or color.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Well, if it's in a home, I would probably just opt for some light mineral oil from the drug store, no smell or color.

Why so? I'm not saying you're wrong, mineral oil likely works fine. I'm just curious why you think other oils give off a smell? And why does the color matter? The oil isn't going anywhere but on the fan, so the color should matter..

 

[Lei]

Ok, I ordered some oil, but for the door not the fan. Because I don't have fans.
Let's see how smooth and quiet metals get when they meet oil

 

[Greenslade]

Ok, I ordered some oil, but for the door not the fan. Because I don't have fans.
Let's see how smooth and quiet metals get when they meet oil

Do you mean lock on the door?I use. WD40 for that.

 

[Lei]

Do you mean lock on the door?I use. WD40 for that.

Nope, the doors that slowly close. They make a meow sound when someone leaves them behind.

Sorry, too much beer at the moment. I may not be comprehensible momentarily, but certainly I'm not pointing at the lock on the door.

 

[mechtech]

Why so? I'm not saying you're wrong, mineral oil likely works fine. I'm just curious why you think other oils give off a smell? And why does the color matter? The oil isn't going anywhere but on the fan, so the color should matter..

More personal preference I suppose, anything 'inside' the home or more in habbited locations I usually stick with medical grade stuff whereever I can, another one is all the interior doors, I use vaseline on the hinges and pins. I mean if there is a cleaner safer alternative that's cheap and available................

Exceptions......... furnace motor, etc., I will use recommended oil if it is sleeves..........however most of these now are sealed bearings and just replace them.

 

[Shrek]

Some people use vaseline on plumbing threads and o-rings, but this attacks the carbon based plastic; silicone based (dielectric) grease is way better in this application.

 

[Greenslade]

Nope, the doors that slowly close. They make a meow sound when someone leaves them behind.

Sorry, too much beer at the moment. I may not be comprehensible momentarily, but certainly I'm not pointing at the lock on the door.

No problem hope you're having a good time.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I mean if there is a cleaner safer alternative that's cheap and available................

Dielectric grease, because...

Some people use vaseline on plumbing threads and o-rings, but this attacks the carbon based plastic; silicone based (dielectric) grease is way better in this application.

...this.

 

[Steevo]

Well, it's not all created equal.

Scotch 35+ or heavy duty specialty brands can be as tough as nails. The packs that used to come in weatherproofing kits for microwave cables in 3/4 and 2 inch wide was amazing but unmarked and after attempting to take a connection apart a few years later it was easier to use a heat knife to cut through the tape and rubberized sealant with a heat knife than even hook knives.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Ummm, okay.

 

[lexluthermiester]

It seems we're getting a bit off-topic, let's rope ourselves in, shall we?

 

[Tecchie]

I've seen a number of complaints recently about users experiencing problems with the fans in their system.

Most fans are serviceable by design. Whether they're a case fan, a fan mounted on a CPU heatsink or a fan mounted on a GPU heatsink, the vast majority of fans can be serviced.

Today, I'm going to show, with photographs, how to reoil/regrease a fan bearing. He we go.

I've selected a pair of fans I've had for years. Neither actually NEED servicing, but for the purpose of today's demonstration, they will make for a good showing.

The first is a CoolerMaster 120MM model.
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Let's first peal up the label, but take care not to pull it completely off.
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Most fans have a rubber or plastic gasket covering the bearing chamber. It needs to be lifted up.
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I use a razor blade to gently lift it up but a small flat-tip screw driver should do the trick as well.
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Now that we have direct access to the bearing chamber, we can apply the lubricant. I use a special blend I mix using 10W40 motor oil and Dielectric grease in a 50/50 ratio.
However, any quality oil will work fine. Try to avoid spray-can lubricants as they can be very messy to apply. WD-40 should be avoided as it's not designed to be a bearing oil.
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It's easy to apply and only 3 or 4 drops are needed.
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Not shown is how work the lube into the bearing shaft housing. Holding the frame of the fan with one hand and the fan hub in the other and work the fan hub in and out a few times. Then spin the fan a bit. Then pull the hub in and out a few times. Repeat that cycle a few times and your fan bearing is now well lubricated. Put the gasket back in place and seal the label back up.
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And you're done!

Now we're going to look at a fan that is NOT easily serviced. This is uncommon, but they do exist. This example is from a Sparkle GeForce GTX560 2GB model.
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Here is the fan dismounted from the heatsink.
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And again we lift up the label.
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And here I had to use a drill to remove some of the plastic frame to get access to the bearing chamber.
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With this particular fan, the spaces in the bearing chamber housing are smaller and as such, less lubricant will fit in. I used 2 drops in this case. Worked the lube into the bearing by spinning the fan and doing the pull/push thing on the fan hub, then put in one more drop. Then I sealed up the label again.

Anyone is invited to pose questions and ask for advice on how to perform a fan servicing. Photo's are always helpful and encouraged. Please limit resolution to 1920x1080ish and use the "Attach files" button to post photo's directly in the forum post. External image hosting services can be troublesome.

As far as the "best" lubricant to use, I use something special and I can give a guide on how to make it, but any bearing oil you can find at a hardware store will do the job well.

So there you go folks, be courageous and service your fans with confidence! Cheers All!

@Greenslade

While I created this guide for everyone, you were the motivator for this thread. I hope this helps with your fan issue.

You do what I've been telling people to do for years.. Last time I oiled any of my fans was with 5W-30 full synthetic engine oil.....that was 15 years ago and they;re still in service... LOL

 

[mclaren85]

Good job. I thought pc fans are not meant to lubricate.

 

[Bill_Bright]

They aren't. Like many products out there, the manufacturers would much rather we buy new fans rather than repair them ourselves.

But that does not mean they can't be re-lubed, if you know how. Note doing so will surely void any warranty - but odds are any warranty the fan had has long expired.