I have but this in general as although it is a computer, it could be relevant to anything.
I have a video card, an ATI 4650 which has a faulty fan. It spins perfectly then runs out of puff and gives up, a gentle push will get it going again.
Now could oiling solve the problem or are the bearings or motor sleeves beyond repair? I can't get an exact replacement fan and a new graphics card costs £50 which seems mad when the fault is with a 50p motor.
So is 3 in 1 worth a go?
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Thanks I will give it a try, I have seen ebay seems to have them, but I don't have a part number so I am going to have to just measure it and hope I get the right one.
I will try WD40 and see if it frees it up.
If not will order one on Ebay, they are about £7 but the main issue is my client needs the machine back by Friday, so I will probably have to make a separate visit.
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I'd also blast it with compressed air to get rid of any loose crud in it before you spray on the wd40.
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I would suggest you install a utility to measure the chip temperature and disable the fan entirely. Run the card under load (3D Mark demo on loop?) for an hour or so with the case buttoned up and see what happens.
If at the end of that the chip temperature is under 90C then it'll be fine to leave off. Have done it several times in the past with noisy graphics card fans.
Edit: Whatever you do, DON'T spray it with WD40. It almost certainly won't work and will drain all over the board, and since it's not a conductor, once it gets into a socket you can kiss the whole lot goodbye. If you were working on my computer and it came back ponging of WD40, I'd be looking to you for a replacement machine.
Edit 2: Read edit one.
Last edited by: Alfa Floor on Thu 6 Oct 11 at 00:01
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I did think of leaving it off, but when its for a customer I don't like doing it, as the manufacturer thought it needed one, plus air flow is very poor the case.
If it was my own then yes I would leave it off and check temperatures :).
90C is a bit high though, doesn't leave much margin for thermal paste break down etc.
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Yeah I did the compressed air well before making this post.
In the end I found a fan from my spares I often buy as think they be useful, it clipped into the heatsink perfectly. I had to modify the wiring a bit and I need to buy a resistor as its spinning at 5000rpm at the moment but the graphics card no longer over heats.
Will just buy a simple 12v to 7v connector from Maplin at £2.99.
My local suppliers don't sell these anymore.
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Ahh, I see you've found a solution. But I still suggest running it without the fan entirely provided there's some decent thermal epoxy between the chip and heatsink.
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WD40, or GT85
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140614988479
which I have taken to using instead. It seems to hang around longer than WD40 - contains PTFE.
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IMHO, oiling the bearing will be only a temp fix. Within a couple of months it'll seize up again and you'll be back to square one.
WD40 won't be any good as it's mainly a paraffin based substance. Whilst it's good for displacing moisture, it's of very limited use as a lubricant.
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>>IMHO, oiling the bearing will be only a temp fix. Within a couple of months it'll seize up again and you'll be back to square one.
;-) good for business tho`
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Repeat work for the same problem is never good for business.
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Yep! course it is!! - you tell em "I can do you a temp fix every x months for £20 a go. or put a new card in for £80!! " - choice is theirs, simples!! ;-)
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I think we need a new thread to agonise over the correct grade of oil to use on a fan bearing.
Will multigrade do, or does it need to be summer grade to cope with higher ambient temperatures? When should I change the oil? Does it need to be flushed out first? :)
For all little motors and enclosed bearings I find a single drop of 3 in 1 on the end of a small screwdriver works best.
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Similar problem on my own PC with a similar card - fan was making a whine which I assumed was the bearing wearing.
Removed the fan assembly entirely.
No problems after that.
The computer case was fairly empty, however, so likely had more room for air to circulate than a more modern box.
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>> WD40 won't be any good as it's mainly a paraffin based substance. Whilst it's good
>> for displacing moisture, it's of very limited use as a lubricant.
In this application its ideal. These small fans need little in the way of lubrication, and the WD40 thins out what little they do have, washing out the dirt and crap.
In truth tho, mostly they are just crapped out, having pathetic sleeve bearings, as you would expect given the pathetic manufacturing cost.
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WD40 is not ideal. It is rubbish as a lubricant.
Based on it's performance on my front door striker, 3 in 1 with PTFE would be a much better choice (it squoke - I oiled it a little with 3 in 1 ten years ago - it's still squeak free).
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WD40 is not a lubricant, and is not sold as such. It is too volatile - it is though an excellent solvent. So you spray it in and it dissolves all the caked on crud which then spreads beautifully through the bearing. And then it evaporates leaving you with a seized bearing.
So if WD40 gets something going THEN you need to lubricate it.
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>>WD40 is not a lubricant
It is actually, but not much of one.
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>> WD40 is not a lubricant,
www.wd40.com/faqs/#a97
What does WD-40 do?
WD-40 fulfills five basic functions:
1. CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape and excess bonding material.
2. DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.
3. PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts.
4. LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and tenaciously held to all moving parts.
5. PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.
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And dust and dirt sticks to it when it has dried.
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It's sales spiel, and not exactly true.
WD40 is a water displacement spray that works by attracting moisture. The moisture than falls off with the excess.
Which is fine - except, the remainder that stays put, also attracts moisture. So steel sprayed with WD40 and left outside, will go rusty faster than if not sprayed. So anything mechanical that received WD40 should then be oiled with a proper oil.
WD40 does have its uses, but is greatly over rated.
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A quick squirt with a silicone spray would be ok, wouldn't it?
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>> A quick squirt with a silicone spray would be ok, wouldn't it?
>>
Been there, done that, deeply regretted it. The silicone tends to migrate its way around the computer and is a very effective insulator.
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>> WD40 is a water displacement spray that works by attracting moisture. The moisture than falls
>> off with the excess.
>>
>> Which is fine - except, the remainder that stays put, also attracts moisture. So steel
>> sprayed with WD40 and left outside, will go rusty faster than if not sprayed.
>>
Eh? Any proof of your claims or is this just some junk science myth?
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>> WD40 is not ideal. It is rubbish as a lubricant.
With due respect SP, for this application It is ideal and I have successfully used it for PC fans of all types many times.
>> Based on it's performance on my front door striker,
A PC fan is not a front door striker.
3 in 1 with PTFE would
>> be a much better choice
Too thick and too persistent, for this application.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 6 Oct 11 at 14:58
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Water is a lubricant, too. But you wouldn't buy it to lubricate your locks.
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Zero, you and I will have to disagree on this.
The front door striker was merely an example - I use the 3 in 1 domestically wherever a light oil is called for. The surprise in this case was how little I needed, and how long it has lasted.
I suspect the original lubricant is minimal as in all probability, the bearing is a self lubricating type and probably very low drag. I can't help thinking there is probably something made for the purpose of being a really thin lubricant in a spray that would be better than either.
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We used to call WD40, WD sticky.
OK for the garden gate (Sorry ON, the hinge of the garden gate), but not so clever for finer applications.
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Common journalists fault, not knowing the subject.
Revenge of the non pedant. :-))))
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 6 Oct 11 at 17:08
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...Common journalists fault, not knowing the subject. Revenge of the non pedant. :-))))...
Just to heap revenge upon revenge....
There needs to be an apostrophe in 'journalists' because you mean the fault belongs to the journalist.
If you mean just my fault, then it's journalist's, if you mean it's a common fault common to all journalists, then the apostrophe is after the 's' - journalists'.
I expect you mean the latter. :)
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He responds well to a gentle prod. :-)
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...We love Iffy's opining!...
And I love to see your correct use of the apostrophe.
Although I quibble with 'opining', rules is rules, as they say.
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>> Although I quibble with 'opining', rules is rules, as they say.
Shouldn't that first comma be a semi-colon?
EDIT: ah I think I was reading it wrong
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 6 Oct 11 at 17:38
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...ah I think I was reading it wrong...
Not really, and there's an argument to say a colon could also have been used.
Journalists' classic style is to use as little punctuation as you can.
You might think it daft, but I always use a comma if possible, because it is smaller and less fussy than a semi colon.
A better example is the now old rule of using semicolons to separate items in a list.
The farmer has the following animals: cats; dogs; sheep; cows and horses.
The above sentence looks neater, and flows better in the mind, if the list is separated by commas:
The farmer has the following animals: cats, dogs, sheep, cows and horses.
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I'm quite keen on Iffy opining too.
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>> I'm quite keen on Iffy opining too.
if that's a blood sport, I am up for that.
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SP wrote...
>> I can't help thinking there is probably
>> something made for the purpose of being a really thin lubricant in a spray that
>> would be better than either.
I've suggested GT85 already - marketed like WD40 but with slightly more emphasis on lubrication, and with the addition of PTFE.
It's been said that WD40 is what you spray on when you think something needs maintenance but you don't actually know what to do.
Silicone oil spray is OK for curtain rails. Don't get it near electrical contacts or switches as cautioned above.
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Watchmakers oil: aka Sperm oil.
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Oiling faulty bearings? - Zero
