Feel vibration under left side of laptop keyboard when the left fan is at full speed

[CaramelDonut]

When my left fan reaches max rpm, I can feel a vibration when pressing keys such as W, 2 or E. There are no weird sounds or temperature issues. Is this sign of damage to my left fan? If so, do I need to replace it, or is the issue not severe enough to warrant a new fan?

 

[Bill_Bright]

Is this sign of damage to my left fan? If so, do I need to replace it, or is the issue not severe enough to warrant a new fan?

Is this vibration new? Or has it been there since day one? If since day one, has it gotten worse?

If since day one, I would suspect the fan is slightly out of balance. That is, one of the blades weighs more (or less) than the other blades and when spinning, creates a slight "wobble" that you feel. Remember, fan blades are essentially "wings" or more accurately, propeller blades and therefore, are (or should be) designed with "precise" aerodynamics in mind. "Precise" being the key word there.

An airplane propeller costs $1000s and is professionally balanced to ensure the engine does not fly apart when spinning. A cooling fan costs a few dollars and surely does NOT go through a balancing procedure before mounted in the laptop.

So, if this vibration is not new, and has not gotten worse, I would keep watch (feel and listen) on it, but not worry about it. It is likely that one day, the vibration will take its toll on the fan motor bearings and it WILL get worse to the point the fan motor seizes. When that may happen cannot be foretold. Ideally, you want to replace it before it actually seizes up.

If this is something new, then I would suspect the vibration has been there all along and only recently resulted in sufficient wear on the bearings to cause them to bounce around in the bearing channels, increasing the vibration enough to finally be felt by you. But again, my recommendation is the same - keep watch (feel and listen) on it. And if (when) the fan seizes, or the fan noise and vibrations becomes readily apparent, then consider replacing it, again, before it actually seizes.

That said, it is possible the fan was not mounted securely and has worked itself loose in its mount. You would have to open the case (likely voiding the warranty) to check. And speaking of warranty, if still good, you might just contact tech support to hear what they have to say about it.

Good luck.

 

[CaramelDonut]

Is this vibration new? Or has it been there since day one? If since day one, has it gotten worse?

If since day one, I would suspect the fan is slightly out of balance. That is, one of the blades weighs more (or less) than the other blades and when spinning, creates a slight "wobble" that you feel. Remember, fan blades are essentially "wings" or more accurately, propeller blades and therefore, are (or should be) designed with "precise" aerodynamics in mind. "Precise" being the key word there.

An airplane propeller costs $1000s and is professionally balanced to ensure the engine does not fly apart when spinning. A cooling fan costs a few dollars and surely does NOT go through a balancing procedure before mounted in the laptop.

So, if this vibration is not new, and has not gotten worse, I would keep watch (feel and listen) on it, but not worry about it. It is likely that one day, the vibration will take its toll on the fan motor bearings and it WILL get worse to the point the fan motor seizes. When that may happen cannot be foretold. Ideally, you want to replace it before it actually seizes up.

If this is something new, then I would suspect the vibration has been there all along and only recently resulted in sufficient wear on the bearings to cause them to bounce around in the bearing channels, increasing the vibration enough to finally be felt by you. But again, my recommendation is the same - keep watch (feel and listen) on it. And if (when) the fan seizes, or the fan noise and vibrations becomes readily apparent, then consider replacing it, again, before it actually seizes.

That said, it is possible the fan was not mounted securely and has worked itself loose in its mount. You would have to open the case (likely voiding the warranty) to check. And speaking of warranty, if still good, you might just contact tech support to hear what they have to say about it.

Good luck.

First, thank you so much for the advice and very detailed reply.

Regarding when the issue started, I recently opened the heatsink to re-spread the liquid metal, and in doing so had to remove the fans. I was very careful, and the only thing I suspect I could have damaged is the fan cable (maybe this is the cause?). If it has been happening before then, the vibration must have been small enough to be unnoticeable.

As of right now, there is no unusual noise coming from the fan, just the vibration. And as I said the temps look fine (actually, they are great since re-spreading the liquid metal), so I will have to continue to monitor it.

One question I have: how can I tell if the fan is seizing? Does the vibration become much more intense or is it accompanied by abnormal noise? Also, I checked the fan thoroughly, and it seems securely in place with no visible issues. Are there any obvious signs of a damaged bearing, or is that something only detectable once the fan is opened up?

Again, thank you very much for the help! I really appreciate it.

Edit: I had one more question to ask which I forgot to before, sorry. Is there possibility anything else could be causing the vibration except a faulty fan?

 

[Bill_Bright]

One question I have: how can I tell if the fan is seizing?

It will first start to slow down, typically with a grinding noise - mechanical noise. Not the same as normal noise caused by air blowing past vents.

When the speed can no longer keep up with cooling demand, the computer will heat up.

When it seizes, the fan stops spinning completely.

 

[CaramelDonut]

It will first start to slow down, typically with a grinding noise - mechanical noise. Not the same as normal noise caused by air blowing past vents.

When the speed can no longer keep up with cooling demand, the computer will heat up.

When it seizes, the fan stops spinning completely.

I see. I have ordered a new fan, in the eventuality the fan seizies in the future. In the meanwhile can I keep using the laptop like I normally would?

 

[Bill_Bright]

Sure. You can keep using it. Just keep an eye on your temps.