• Got sqeaky fans? Try this.
    1 replies, posted
A while ago i noticed my front fan started to squeak loudly every now and then. After a while it drove me insane, so i removed it, but my computer didn't like the lack of airflow, so i bought a new fan from an electronics store. Turns out, the fan was suited for machines, not computers, and was insanely loud. But i thought of something, and the solution worked. Here it is: [b]How to replace your fan's ball-bearings![/b] Traditionally, a computer fan's shaft was slotted into a "sleeve". This means it was just the fan's shaft going through a hole, with some washers. As you can imagine, these fans seize up quickly, and either need oil, or replacement. That's when the ball bearing fans come in. [img]http://www.ixbt.com/cpu/fans-inquestion/ball-bearing-fan.jpg[/img] As you can see in the picture above, the fan blades contain a magnet and a shaft, and the fan housing contains the motor circuit. The two little metal things at the bottom are the bearings. Now, this article only focuses on [b]Ball Bearing[/b] fans, if your fan DOES NOT contain ball bearings (Usually a sleeve jint) then you can either clean the shaft and apply some grease, OR get a new fan. However, if your fan is a ball bearing (It usually says so on the sticker), you will only need A NEW FAN :v: ! Or another old ball bearing fan. Now you may ask "Well if you are saying buy a new fan, then why bother fixing my old one?" Well, i can explain. You can buy a new 120mm PC fan which is quite expensive, or you could buy a 60mm machine fan for much cheaper. Hell, pull apart an old junked computer, and you can find heaps of fans, some of which are ball bearing, and most of those bearings are perfectly fine. [b]First,[/b] start by taking the stickers off of the back of both fans. Keep them, ditch them, your choice. [b]Next,[/b] take the fans apart. In 95% of fans, there will be a little plastic or metal clip-ring holding the shaft in place. Using a tiny screwdriver, and some tweesers (or any similar devices), locate where the "gap" is on the ring. By inserting the screwdriver into this, and lifting the ring up, over, and off the tip of the shaft (Don't damage it too much, you'll need it later), and that will release the whole fan to bits (besides the PCB, which is damn firmly attatched to the fan housing.). [u]Be sure you know where, and in which order EVERY spring, washer, and bearing goes![/u] Because if you put something back together wrong, you could make your fan's problem worse. Repeat for both fans, also be sure which fan your components came from, it's a fucking hassle to have to keep dismantling fans, trust me. [b]Now, look at the bearings.[/b] Check them fuckers out, make sure you know which bearings are which, because they all look the same. Put your 'new' bearings in, and assemble the fan, make sure everything is in good before putting the securing clip back on. Reinstall your fan, plug it in and boot your PC. I was able to do the whole thing with my pc only in sleep mode. The new fan will perform nicely, and shouldn't cause any trouble. If it does, buy a new one as a last resort... As for the other fan that you got the bearings from, keep it, chuck it, your choice, even re-assemble it and try to return it for a refund :v: I hope this helped!
While this guide is rather useful. This isn't quite the proper place to put this. Although, very informative.
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