Replacing a CPU fan in laptop

[PepePeru]

Dell Latitude D620.
How difficult is this usually?

Do you typically need any other tools besides a small Phillips head screwdriver?

My GF's laptop's fan sounds like it has been on its last leg for months now. Its definitely out of warranty, so I'm not concerned about voiding it.

This temp. monitoring / fan control program I installed to make the fan run at high speed 100% time, registered a high temp of 83C. That's obviously getting dangerous, I'm surprised there wasn't any permanent damage done.

I have built 8-10 desktops and am 100% comfortable doing repairs on them, however, this will be my first foray into attempting to repair a laptop.

Does anyone have any experience / tips they wish to impart upon me before I start this?

 

[Ksyder]

You shouldn't need much other than a set of precision screwdrivers. Sometimes picks can be helpful to undo clips for keyboard ribbons, etc, but this can also be accomplished with the screwdriver set.

Taking apart the laptop is not too big of a deal if you are very careful and very organized. it will take alot of trial and error when figuring out how to get it apart and even more trial and error to get it back together. It might be helpful to document the disassembly with a digital camera so you can refer to pictures of what it was before it became a pile of pieces. Plastic trim pieces need to be carefully pried up to reveal screws. Be careful not to break any plastic clips. Be gentle! You shouldn't need to use extreme force for anything, it will come apart easily on

 

[Ksyder]

My edits aren't working so the last paragraph got cut off... I was just saying be careful when removing keybord and all of the wiring on top because if you break any of the clips the ribbons won't stay in place.

 

[Paperlantern]

Unfortunately the D620 fan is not as easy as the fan in the D600 and requires removal of the palm rest to unscrew it. A Phillips Head screwdriver along with a case removal tool would be ideal, but not everyone has a case removal tool. Firm but ginger prying with your hands should work fine though. Could always do a google search for "D620 fan removal" or "D600 teardown guide". One of the first results will probably yeild a guide of some sort.

 

[PepePeru]

Unfortunately the D620 fan is not as easy as the fan in the D600 and requires removal of the palm rest to unscrew it. A Phillips Head screwdriver along with a case removal tool would be ideal, but not everyone has a case removal tool. Firm but ginger prying with your hands should work fine though. Could always do a google search for "D620 fan removal" or "D600 teardown guide". One of the first results will probably yeild a guide of some sort.

Thanks for the tips guys and especially the tip to search for "D620 fan removal", I had tried other terms, that site that came up is perfect. However, this sentence and the sequence of photos isn't filling me with a lot of excitement about doing this.

"Congratulations you have disassembled one of the hardest notebook disassembly process. Well, the most tedious I would say."

Its still a good laptop and perfect for our needs. I hate to take it in to a repair shop and face, what I'm sure would be over a $100.00 repair bill and I really don't want to buy a new one for what should be a relatively simple fix.