Re-greasing PSU fan

[RamuBottleGrape]

So i have a corsair 600w psu in my second pc that i mostly use to host a minecraft server for me and a friend, the fan of that thing is rattling for the last year or even more.
The options would be:

• Buy a new PSU
• Replace the fan on the PSU

I will probably eventually replace the fan but today the rattling was too intense,was driving me nuts, so i was even considering the idea just to block the fan and let it run like that risking the death of it.
Then i rememberd that i have the grease (spray can) that i got to oil the bike chain, and decided to try it before i go nuts, its few hours and is dead silent (still spining,i checked).

 

So my dear tech savvy friends, how long do you think it will last and are there any risks? 
The fan is on the bottom facing the table so no risk of the grease going on the internals of the pc or psu 

[OddOod]

The risk is that there was aerosolized oil that settled into the heat generating components and will eventually combust. Not sure how high that risk is. 
The proper thing to do would be replace the PSU
I personally would probably swap the PSU fan, but there is theoretically big danger there. Don't touch the bottom of the board, those capacitors can be deadly.

[RamuBottleGrape]

10 minutes ago, OddOod said:

The risk is that there was aerosolized oil that settled into the heat generating components and will eventually combust. Not sure how high that risk is. 
The proper thing to do would be replace the PSU
I personally would probably swap the PSU fan, but there is theoretically big danger there. Don't touch the bottom of the board, those capacitors can be deadly.

I unplugged pc from the wall,pressed the power button for a 10-15 seconds to remove as much power from the capacitors before removing the PSU, removed the fan from it (being careful not to go anywhere near the board components) and sprayed the grease in to the hole (was plugged with a rubber cap) so there should be no aerosolized oil/grease anywhere 

[manikyath]

spray can oil generally doesnt last very long in fans, it's fairly thin so it just spins out the bearing.

 

i've had fairly good luck with a heavier household oil and lithium grease, but realisticly once the bearing is bad, it is just bad.

[NorKris]

replacing the fan has worked good for me many times 

[manikyath]

33 minutes ago, NorKris said:

replacing the fan has worked good for me many times 

it's like.. as if the component now has an entire rated lifespan again..

[RamuBottleGrape]

1 hour ago, manikyath said:

spray can oil generally doesnt last very long in fans, it's fairly thin so it just spins out the bearing.

 

i've had fairly good luck with a heavier household oil and lithium grease, but realisticly once the bearing is bad, it is just bad.

yeah, i will probably will replace the fan in next week or two, just curious if anyone had experience with greasing the fans =D

[RamuBottleGrape]

This is the grease btw

"Multipurpose grease with anti-corrosion and antioxidant additives. Adheres to all materials, lubricates and protects. Resists weak acids and diluted hydroxides, water (even hot), steam and temperatures from -20°C to +160°C. Can be used on almost all types of plastic (it is advisable to always perform a compatibility test). Can be used for the most varied lubrication problems: hinges, locks and mechanisms of various types, levers, all moving parts of motor vehicles, even in the presence of water and humidity"

[Lurking]

Aren't the bearings greased and SEALED at the factory? You can't just spray grease from the outside and expect it to get to the correct location. The grease will be all over except where you want it. and rattling sounds like damage is already done. If the bearing wore out due to lack of grease, adding grease later won't help. Do you even know the type of bearing? 

 

PC fans aren't designed to be serviced and greased. Large industrial fans that are designed to be greased, have grease lines you can access. but this isn't the case in small fans. 

 

i don't recommend opening a PSU, ever. but replacing the fan would make more sense. Or get a new good PSU assuming yours is out of warranty. 

 

The grease you show shows a bicycle cassette... i wouldn't even use it for a bicycle. You never use a spray lubricant on a bicycle. Unless you like your brake rotors to be well lubricated... Do yourself a favor and give it to a person you don't like. 

[RamuBottleGrape]

39 minutes ago, Lurking said:

Aren't the bearings greased and SEALED at the factory? You can't just spray grease from the outside and expect it to get to the correct location. The grease will be all over except where you want it. and rattling sounds like damage is already done. If the bearing wore out due to lack of grease, adding grease later won't help. Do you even know the type of bearing? 

 

PC fans aren't designed to be serviced and greased. Large industrial fans that are designed to be greased, have grease lines you can access. but this isn't the case in small fans. 

 

i don't recommend opening a PSU, ever. but replacing the fan would make more sense. Or get a new good PSU assuming yours is out of warranty. 

 

The grease you show shows a bicycle cassette... i wouldn't even use it for a bicycle. You never use a spray lubricant on a bicycle. Unless you like your brake rotors to be well lubricated... Do yourself a favor and give it to a person you don't like. 

As i said before i'will replace the fan this is only a temporary fix so i dont go mad, and also the fan had a rubber cap in the hole above the rotor so the grease went exactly where it should go.
Btw i bought and used it on the bike primarely, no grease on the brakes (its the classic V brakes,not disk ones) and since i used it (july 2024) made about 2350km with no evidence of grease on the brakes =D 

[OddOod]

19 hours ago, manikyath said:

lithium grease

I adore sprayable white lithium

[thrasher_565]

back in the day fans had a ball baring and you can peal back the sticker and put oil in it...but it only last like 3 moths so...so glade i dont have to oil them these days.

 

some psus use odd size fans like 119mm fan or 100mm fan but some are standard. might have to cut the plug off and solder it on the new fan as most are dc fans. just be careful you can be shocked even unpluged as the caps stores power...

[RamuBottleGrape]

If anyone curious today the fan started making noise again, it lasted 17 days =D i was tempted to regrease again but replaced the fan.
Was not willing to disassemble it again in 2 weeks

[Harpuia]

Just out of curiosity, does your PSU have a 4 pin connection for a fan or you had to cut the cables?