A faulty fan can shorten the life of your computer, not to mention that it makes a lot of unnecessary noise. For the computer to last longer, the fan must be lubricated with oil.
Most computers are equipped with three fans. One is in the power supply, the second is in the computer case, and the third is in the central processor.
A faulty fan can be identified by noise.
Fans are needed to cool the system. If even one of the fans stops working, the system may overheat and some of the information may disappear.
The first impulse may be to replace the cooler. But this is most often not necessary. You can simply lubricate the faulty fan with just one drop of oil.
How to choose oil
The wrong choice of oil for the fan can lead to its complete failure. Many people use WD-40, a special grease developed by an American company to lubricate all kinds of noisy and squeaky surfaces. But don't use this tool on a computer fan.
It only helps if you lubricate an object that is rarely in motion, such as a door hinge. But the fan is in constant motion and rotates at high speed.
Better to use a household lubricating oil designed for sewing machines, power tools, door locks, hinges.
There is a special oil for sewing machines. It is lightweight and viscous, withstands high temperatures and is specially formulated for the lubrication of high speed parts.
How the fan works
Most fans are supported by sleeve bearings, which consist of a shaft that rotates inside a cylinder or bushing.
The cylinder consists of oiled porous metal. When the shaft starts to rotate, some of the oil from the bushing moves closer to the shaft, creating an oil film. So the metal parts hardly touch, they are not damaged, and the noise is almost inaudible.
Ideally, there is always enough oil inside the cylinder and the fan does not wear out. But at some cost of production, for example, if the bearing is poorly glued, some of the oil evaporates. Then the fan will start to work slower, its parts will rub against each other and wear out, the computer will overheat. Noise will appear.
In this case, drop one drop of oil into the cooler.
How to lubricate a fan
To lubricate the fan, you need to disassemble the computer and remove the cooler from it. Place the fan on a table and carefully peel off the sticker. The part of the sticker is located just above the wiring gap. From here it is easier to bend it.
Remove the rubber plug from the middle of the fan. To do this, you can use a small screwdriver, carefully pulling it over the edge of the plug.
You will see the end of the shaft inside the cylinder in the groove. Place one drop of oil in the well.
Just one drop is enough, no need to pour oil into the bearing.
Replace the rubber stopper, cover it with a sticker on top. Sometimes the sticker stops sticking. Then you can use ordinary duct tape.
After the fan is back in place, the computer must run for a few minutes before the oil completely lubricates the cooler. After a while, the computer will become quieter and stop heating up much.
