CPU fan turning on and off?

[Redturtle098]

Hey everyone,

So I'm posting for a friend, whose laptop is going nuts.

When he turns it on, everything runs fine, the computer boots, and he can get into Windows no problem.

But after a while, the CPU fan kicks in, only to turn on and off every few seconds, with a buzzing sound when it's on.

 

I'm not sure if it is somehow shorting or not, or somehow catching on a loose wire, but it's loud.
His last resort is to open it up, but he doesn't have any computer hardware knowledge, and would prefer not to.
And he doesn't have warranty either.

 

Any help on why this is (or how to fix it) would be greatly appreciated, and I can provide more info if required

Thanks!!

[Senzelian]

I guess he will have to open it up.
I'd clean the fan and reapply thermal paste to the CPU while at it. Maybe a bit of silicone oil could help that fan bearing. 

[PineyCreek]

8 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

I guess he will have to open it up.
I'd clean the fan and reapply thermal paste to the CPU while at it. Maybe a bit of silicone oil could help that fan bearing. 

If they're going to bother opening it up it may be worth ordering the replacement CPU fan spare part from the OEM.  Replacement fan shouldn't be that much.

[A Silver]

I would open it up and check if there is any dust or dirt build up which may restrict the fans movement. Also check if the fan spins freely and has little resistance when pushed by hand.

[TechyBen]

As above. Could be the thermal paste has worn out. Be careful, and check the model number, search online/youtube for tutorials if possible. As some laptops use thermal paste, some use thermal pads. Paste may not make contact in positions that have pads.

 

Or dust in the fan. Or it's got rusty. Dust is easy to clean off. A broken/rusty fan needs the whole fan replacing.

 

Sometimes it can be a driver problem. If you can post the full spec/model number, the manual/online support website will note any common faults.

[Ace McPlane]

3 hours ago, PineyCreek said:

If they're going to bother opening it up it may be worth ordering the replacement CPU fan spare part from the OEM.  Replacement fan shouldn't be that much.

Yea, or maybe something like an evo 212 or an h60.. whatever fits. Might last a bit longer than the crappy stock ones.

[A Silver]

22 hours ago, stateofpsychosis said:

Yea, or maybe something like an evo 212 or an h60.. whatever fits. Might last a bit longer than the crappy stock ones.

A doubt an evo 212 would fit in a laptop...

[Ace McPlane]

2 hours ago, A Silver said:

A doubt an evo 212 would fit in a laptop...

Crap, my bad.

I obviously mixed up the posts I was commenting on there, because I thought we were talking about a desktop

Oops.

[Redturtle098]

Not sure what happened, but it started working again!
Thanks again for the help everyone!

[TechyBen]

Hopefully just dust then!

[PineyCreek]

On 4/19/2018 at 7:56 AM, Redturtle098 said:

Not sure what happened, but it started working again!
Thanks again for the help everyone!

If you keep hearing the buzz though, monitor that.  If it gets worse...or if it suddenly stops and your system shuts down, you should probably open up the laptop and take steps.

[Redturtle098]

On 4/19/2018 at 11:23 PM, TechyBen said:

Hopefully just dust then!

Hopefully!!! haha

6 hours ago, PineyCreek said:

If you keep hearing the buzz though, monitor that.  If it gets worse...or if it suddenly stops and your system shuts down, you should probably open up the laptop and take steps.

Yeah, we'll keep an eye on it for a bit. Thanks!