Quantcast

Computer Fan

Jan 15, 2013
93
0
Hey Guys,

My computer fan runs all the time. Cleaned and dusted the inside and outside of the box. Anyone have any idea how to fix this?

Thanks SL
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,851
9,556
AK
Back in the day I bought a fan that I attached to my graphics processor chip and it ran all the time. If the fan is hooked to a thermostat, it will be part time. Most power-supply fans are full time.
 
Jan 15, 2013
93
0
Not sure, the bot is 10 years old and has never had the fan run for any time except start up. Now it runs constantly. Googled the problem and came back with needs to be cleaned. Took the outside cover off and the unit was filled with dust. Used lightly compressed air to blow the dust off. Fan is loud enough I cannot stand hearing it watching TV. I will check the task manager when I get home. I believe it to be the cooling fan that runs to keep the CPU from overheating.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,008
Sleazattle
Did you clean the heat sink on the CPU heat exchanger? If so re-application of thermal grease may help if it is running hot. There are several free software apps out there that let you monitor the CPU temp, you may want to check one out. Also there is usually a setting in the BIOS that tells when the fan comes on. If it is running below this temp you probably have a hardware problem. Considering the age of the PC you should probably make sure everything is nicely backed up.
 
Jan 15, 2013
93
0
Did you clean the heat sink on the CPU heat exchanger? If so re-application of thermal grease may help if it is running hot. There are several free software apps out there that let you monitor the CPU temp, you may want to check one out. Also there is usually a setting in the BIOS that tells when the fan comes on. If it is running below this temp you probably have a hardware problem. Considering the age of the PC you should probably make sure everything is nicely backed up.
I know it is getting old, but do not want to replace it yet. have many bike parts to purchase first.

Already started backing up all the important stuff. Thanks for the tips. Will check it out when I get home tonight.
 

Magura

Chimp
Jan 15, 2013
37
0
Far Far Away, Denmark
Check if the thermal paste is still ok. More often than not, it has dried out over time.
Also, get yourself a new fan. The come for pennies, and can be even more silent than your fan was when it was new.
An old fan is simply noisy. The quality they're made to, is not meant to live for more than a couple of years.
So even a new fan that is identical to the old one, will reduce the issue.
Besides that, the blades of the fan usually picks up dirt in large amounts, and makes it less efficient.
So try cleaning the blades as well.


Magura :)
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,190
19,156
Canaderp
If the fan is 10 years old, I'd guess that removing the dust from the fan blades has made it unbalanced, which can create noise. I'd double check that you didn't accidentally leave a chunk of dust on one of the blades. You could also try spinning the fan with your hand to see if you can feel if the bearing is chewed up. I know that compressed air can sometimes spin the fan faster than what it is capable of.

Another point to look at, is whether its the fan that is making the noise or if its the case. You mentioned that you took the side off of the case. Make sure that it is locked down properly, with all the tabs on the edges fully seated. Also double check which fan is making the noise, if it is the fan.

And make sure you didn't blow a big dust bunny into the power supply. That could cause it to heat up and in turn make it's fan spin faster (or noisier if the dust is now on that fan).
 
Jan 15, 2013
93
0
Thanks for the help. I took the cover off again and removed all of the connections. Unplugged the fans and made sure there was not any dust anywhere. Put everything back together and voila, perfect. No noise, bot running perfect again. Going to get some of that grease for future trouble though.