laptop GPU fan rattling with heavy vibration

[farrier]

 gpu fan rattles quite loud, sometimes as if it beeps(starts up, with big vibrations, stops and restarts in a second) and sometimes a continuous rattle both along with heavy vibration. gave the internals a clean, no change of sound or rattling, no obstruction to fan. 

My specs are:

Edition    Windows 11 Home Single Language
Version    23H2
Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz   2.40 GHz
Installed RAM    8.00 GB
System type    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
GPU  GeForce GTX 1650
 

[PinballGamingYT]

Can you provide a video with sound, so I can identify the issue?

[thevictor390]

Probably bad bearings in the fan, fix by replacing fan.

If you take the fan out and shake it, there should be no vertical movement at all. If you can feel it moving even a tiny bit it's bad.

[Sawa Takahashi]

4 minutes ago, thevictor390 said:

Probably bad bearings in the fan, fix by replacing fan.

This can also be caused by broken impeller blades. Replacing the fan is the only fix.

In the rare case that it's only a big dust bunny stuck in the blades, you can get away with a good clean up (may require opening your fan).

Good luck !

[farrier]

6 minutes ago, PinballGamingYT said:

Can you provide a video with sound, so I can identify the issue?

you might have to turn up the volume, the video for some reason could not capture its intensity

[farrier]

20 minutes ago, thevictor390 said:

Probably bad bearings in the fan, fix by replacing fan.

If you take the fan out and shake it, there should be no vertical movement at all. If you can feel it moving even a tiny bit it's bad.

 a video i found on youtube disassembling the gpu fan(same laptop and model as mine) and he claims that the fan has no bearing or i probably misunderstood. the link to the video with the time stamp: https://youtu.be/oiQ6I7axWAc?t=1370

ps: the video of the fan behaving this way is also uploaded as a reply to another comment

[thevictor390]

3 minutes ago, farrier said:

 a video i found on youtube disassembling the gpu fan(same laptop and model as mine) and he claims that the fan has no bearing or i probably misunderstood. the link to the video with the time stamp: https://youtu.be/oiQ6I7axWAc?t=1370

ps: the video of the fan behaving this way is also uploaded as a reply to another comment

It may not be literal bearings (it could have "magnetic bearings" for example) but if the internal structure is damaged enough to cause vibration there is just not much you can do. It should not be loose in its housing at all. As @Sawa Takahashi stated you can try disassembling it and looking for obstruction.

[farrier]

15 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

This can also be caused by broken impeller blades. Replacing the fan is the only fix.

In the rare case that it's only a big dust bunny stuck in the blades, you can get away with a good clean up (may require opening your fan).

Good luck !

from the limited view i had when i opened up the bottom lid of the laptop, there appeared to be no broken blades. also as you commented, is it suggested to open up the fan case? would the laptop manufacturer(lenovo in this case) still continue to fix my laptop? say if any other component or the fan itself is to be replaced or serviced?

[PinballGamingYT]

There could be a foreign object in the fan

[Sawa Takahashi]

5 minutes ago, farrier said:

from the limited view i had when i opened up the bottom lid of the laptop, there appeared to be no broken blades. also as you commented, is it suggested to open up the fan case? would the laptop manufacturer(lenovo in this case) still continue to fix my laptop? say if any other component or the fan itself is to be replaced or serviced?

If it is under warranty, please contact them before opening anything.

If warranty period is over, it should be ok to open the fan case as long as you are cautious. When in doubt, you can also contact Lenovo to know which course of action they recommend. For a defective fan, replacing the fan is probably what will happen anyway.

[farrier]

4 minutes ago, thevictor390 said:

It may not be literal bearings (it could have "magnetic bearings" for example) but if the internal structure is damaged enough to cause vibration there is just not much you can do. It should not be loose in its housing at all. As @Sawa Takahashi stated you can try disassembling it and looking for obstruction.

i would try that but could there be any consequences by doing that? as i mentioned in a reply to takahashi.

[farrier]

7 minutes ago, PinballGamingYT said:

There could be a foreign object in the fan

i tried to clean it to the extent i could, from the limited view i have there isnt much to tell about, maybe opening up is the only way as others here seem to suggest

[farrier]

3 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

If it is under warranty, please contact them before opening anything.

If warranty period is over, it should be ok to open the fan case as long as you are cautious. When in doubt, you can also contact Lenovo to know which course of action they recommend. For a defective fan, replacing the fan is probably what will happen anyway.

it is no longer under warranty, so i guess i can open it up, however by opening it up i wish not to lose any of the remaining functionality that is left in the fan by damaging it, this is my first time trying such a thing.
anyway i'll update this thread once i manage to come to a conclusion, thank you

[Whatisthis]

The bearing is dead. It seems to reach a certain rpm and then starts to vibrate and slow down as a result. Crunchy sounds from the shaft vibrating and hitting the sides of the housing. 
 

Those fans are fairy cheap. Open it up, find the make and model of the fan (should be a sticker on the hub) and buy a replacement.

[PinballGamingYT]

4 minutes ago, Whatisthis said:

The bearing is dead. It seems to reach a certain rpm and then starts to vibrate and slow down as a result. Crunchy sounds from the shaft vibrating and hitting the sides of the housing. 
 

Those fans are fairy cheap. Open it up, find the make and model of the fan (should be a sticker on the hub) and buy a replacement.

That would be the best thing to do

[farrier]

7 hours ago, Whatisthis said:

The bearing is dead. It seems to reach a certain rpm and then starts to vibrate and slow down as a result. Crunchy sounds from the shaft vibrating and hitting the sides of the housing. 
 

Those fans are fairy cheap. Open it up, find the make and model of the fan (should be a sticker on the hub) and buy a replacement.

this also appears to be a probable reason however as my laptop is nearly 3 years old and i plan on getting a new one for college so i dont plan on investing much on this issue but it still needs to last for a few months, are there any temporary fixes for a bad bearing? oiling up or a clean up inside maybe?

[Average Nerd]

6 hours ago, farrier said:

this also appears to be a probable reason however as my laptop is nearly 3 years old and i plan on getting a new one for college so i dont plan on investing much on this issue but it still needs to last for a few months, are there any temporary fixes for a bad bearing? oiling up or a clean up inside maybe?

Oil isn´t going to help a lot, the only thing that will fix this is getting a new fan. From my experience they aren´t very expensive, somewhere around 10-20€, or cheaper if you find a good deal for a aftermarket fan.