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fan makes noise

R

RockyMaivia

Member
Hi,

The fan by my powersupply makes a loud humming sound whenever it rotates. Is there an easy way to get in there and look at it? I took the case off and tried blowing to see if there as dust or something blocking it, but that hasn't work. There doesn't seem to be a very easy way to actually get a good look at it...

Anybody know what exactly this could be?

-Rocky
 
Is it the fan inside the power supply? That means the bearings are probably going and that when the fan fails, the power supply will be next.
If its the cpu fan on the heatsink, same thing, the bearings are going. You cant blow it out as the dust is embedded and you can put a drop of oil in but its going to go in awhile anyway.
Like a car, its cheaper to fix the small problem before it causes a bigger one.
 
There is a chance that the bearings are going out. About 5 months or so ago I had this very same problem. The fans are not that hard to replace, but you may void a warrenty if you open it up. Usually there is a fan header inside the power supply for the fan, but in some cases it is attached to the unit itself. You can easily undo this with a soldering iron. If the power supply is in good shape I would rather spend $10.00 on a fan than a new PS.
 
Thanks for the input!

The fan is in fact inside the power supply. I can make out a little label that says the warranty is void if I open it up. However, I'm not sure if I have much to lose, as the computer is 4 years old anyway.

Can anybody give me directions on how to replace it, or let me know of a resource that has directions?

 
Your going to need to measure it. Theres a 90% chance its an 80MM, but some old PSU's have 60's. If it's an 80, you can head over to here and click on the "Fans" section and order yourself a good Sunon or Panaflo (can't remember if 2cool has Panaflo's or not), but the fan is irrelevant. I'd try to get something quiet and powerful, and Sunon and Panaflo fit both.

Good luck.

SV
 
I'm still a novice with the hold hardware deal. Anybody think they can give me some general description on how to open up everything?
 


<< Also, is it safe to open up a power supply? >>


you've got to give the capicators time to discharge or else you could end up getting a nasty shock! some suggest leaving the psu a day or so after it was last used before attempting entry!
be careful in there! :Q
 
I've pulled a few fans out of power supplies, it's relatively easy, but the question arises is it worth the time, you need a new fan with the same connecter, I think you'd be better off paying $19 and getting a new power supply, or finding a computer someone is discarding, easy to do in my town, and salvaging the power supply, they're rarely the reason people get rid of their computer. The reason I've ripped apart the ps's is to take the fans, usually their of a good quality.
 
Unless you have specialist knowledge I'd leave that supply alone. Sell it for a few dollars if someone will take it. New generic power supplies are very cheap.
What I don't understand is how &quot;ultra-quiet&quot; psus can be actually quieter if they are moving more air than the average psu. How can the famous enermax be so quiet if it has two fans shifting quite a lot of air?
 
Its a real simple job-I have no substantial electrical or computer skills and was able to do a power supply fan swap with no problem.


Turn off computer, leave it off (preferably overnight or more) to let capacitors discharge. Then open computer case. Probably will have to unbolt power supply to be able to work on it easier. Open power supply case. The fan will be attached with screws. The one I fixed did not have a header for the fan so I merely cut the wires on the old fan &amp; on the replacement fan and spliced them.

Most important-when mounting the new fan, makes sure it blows out the back of the power supply. Check it again after reassembling.

i took a fan out of an old power supply/dead computer/AT box that I would never use again. Total cost= $0 and about 15 minutes time.
 
Don't just turn off the power supply - unplug it as well.

The capacitors fully discharge in a couple of seconds, at most, and so are safe.

The most important thing, next to unplugging the supply, is to be sure that no wire insulation gets pinched or cut because some components in the power supply have about 200 volts riding on them. Wires often get pinched when the power supply is put back together.

If the fan doesn't plug in, cut the wires several inches from the circuit board, and splice the new fan's wires in with tiny wire nuts, and seal the nuts with silicone rubber sealant. Of course, it's neater to solder everything, but I'm assuming that you don't want to do that.

Secure the fan with either sheet metal screws or bolts with lock nuts or thread lock (Loctite) beause you don't want a nut to vibrate loose and short against high voltage.

Some fans are designed better than others for noise, most having swept instead of straight blades, but vibration matters as well (don't buy a Delta fan).
 
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