Has Anyone Had Experience Lubricating Fan Bearings?

[BonzaiDuck]

Had a friend and electronics-knowledgeable in Virginia who advised lubricating our DC cooling fans with Teflon grease.

I bought the tube of grease, and tried it, although his instructions were a bit vague beyond lifting the manufacturer label on the spoked side of the frame and pulling the rubber seal from the motor-hub.

I'm wondering if I need to remove a snap-ring with some snap-ring pliers to place the grease effectively on the bearings.

I suppose I could tear up an expendable fan to figure this out, be being both cautious and lazy, thought I'd seek any insights that forum members may have on this matter.

 

[VinDSL]

I've lubed fan bearings before, but never with silicon grease - don't think that's even possible...

I've always used Break-Free and, yes, you get at the bearing by peeling back the label - never seen a seal or snap ring though.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

. . . . Teflon grease . . .

The best place to get it would be a sporting-goods store that sells guns . . .

If you're right, then I'd just do what I've done before. Otherwise . . .

More comments welcome . . .

 

[Zepper]

I think a light high-speed motor oil would be about all you could get in there. Grease may cause the fan not to start if you could actually get it into the bearing in the first place (which I doubt).

.bh.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

You may be right on that count, although this white, Teflon grease is very, very light, and enough warmth causes it to lose significant viscosity.

The fans I want to lube are Sanyo-Denki "DC San Ace" 0.52A units. They're rated in the 30's of dBA, or very low 40's. There is a the very slightest motor-hum -- I wouldn't call it a whine -- and they are secured with silly-cone rubber noise-deadening fan-mounts.

Because the machine-in-progress is still sitting with its case-rear within eye-sight of my desk-chair, I hear it more.

Of course, my strategy is -- "Foist, get da air-flo, den kill de noise . . . "

 

[aigomorla]

San Ace = 15 Dollars
Teflon Grease = 15.95

Watching the duck cook up something new with air = priceless.

 

[MadScientist]

3-in-1 oil (blue label) or sewing machine oil. For those that need a How to Guide.
I've been using a router bit bearing lube I purchased for my router bits. I believe it's fluoropolymer (Teflon) based. Works well, but a bit expensive for computer fans.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

MadScientist --

Thanks a lot. It looks as though the few times I'd done this, I did it right.

The Teflon gun lubricant costs about $5 to my remembrance. But one will not use all of it to lube a single fan. My guess -- you could probably lube about 200 fans with a $5 tube of it.

The San Ace fans -- for the air they push -- are pretty quiet. I've upgraded my BIOS today, so that the fan speeds on certain mobo plugs should be controllable to a thermal sensor and temperature threshold user-specified in the BIOS setup. But on this build, I'm taking care to go after "every grain of rice" where noise is concerned -- and do it early so that I won't be fidgeting with fans months later.

A lot of "quiet" fans that nevertheless have "strong" motor and an ample top-end speed are likely to exhibit some motor noise at the top end. The San Aces top out at around 2,480rpm -- which is probably 500 rpm faster than I want them to run at idle. Even so, the advice I have is that the almost unnoticeable motor "hum" of some fans, and the irritating "whine" of others -- can be mitigated by a little lubricant.

I'm going to post another thread now about BIOS upgrades and the C2Q B3 stepping.

 

[SonicIce]

I think most big fans like 120's have the rubber cap over the bearing while most small fans just use the sticker. The dans data link is a good site. I quieted a few fans with oil before.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Ironic, Sonic, that some for whom reduced fan-noise is an absolute imperative may not trouble themselves to dab some oil under the rubber-nipple!