question about laptop fan

[Madison Kelly]

Dominic Bonfiglio wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have an IBM T42p that I've owned for four years. For the last two
> weeks, I've been hearing extra noise periodically from the fan, a kind
> of fluttering sound. Yesterday when I went to turn on my laptop, I got a
> fan error, and the computer refused to boot. Fortunately after a few
> attempts the computer eventually started. Based on some Internet
> research, it seems likely that my fan needs either cleaning or servicing
> or replacement. Has anyone out there had similar difficulties with their
> fan? Would cleaning a fan be easy for a novice? Or should I just take my
> computer to a professional and forget about tinkering with it myself?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dominic

I've replaced four or five fans in various laptops... This usually 
happens when a cheaper manufacturer (Acer is terrible for this, as are 
some Dell) use sleeve bearing fans. These tend to "spin out" (they use 
oil instead of ball-bearings, and a spin-out is a tear in the sleeve and 
the oil spins out). IBMs though generally are a lot higher quality (save 
the iSeries) so I am surprised you are having this trouble...

By chance, do you (or someone who is near the laptop) smoke? The tar in 
the smoke can build up over time and is sticky, which can mess up 
bearing...

Regardless, you need to replace the fan. Generally you can order 
replacement parts from IBM directly and they tend to be somewhat 
reasonable with their prices. I would expect ~$20? Once you have the fan 
in hand, replacing it comes down to a question of comfort. How 
comfortable are you with opening a laptop?

IBM is *very* good about providing docs (and sometimes even videos!) on 
how to replace just about anything in their laptops. You will need to 
search in the tech docs section, but you should find it there somewhere. 
If you opt to let someone else do it, and the store on Eglington is too 
expensive, send me an email. I'd be happy to replace it for you (might 
charge you a coffee though). :)

Madi
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