Common enough task, yet put together in an easy how-to sort of guide with very nice pictures, +rep.
Prepping a sleeve bearing fan for work
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When it comes to lubrication, oiling up something before you use it gets you a longer life. I am getting ready to put a computer into service. I'll be using two sleeve bearing fans on it. So I took pictures as I oiled one of them to prepare it to go to work. I'll be re-oiling it every three to six months.
Your choice of lubricants. The Singer oil is from Wal-Mart, The XL model train oil is from a hobby shop and the Precision Lubricator is from Radio Shack. Do not use WD-40: it is a penetrant, not a lubricant. 3-in-1 oil contains a penetrant. And EpicPie has recommended Bones Speed Cream, which looks promising.
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Peel back - do not remove - the label.
Use a toothpick to pry open the rubber or plastic cap.
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The open oil reservoir.
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Put the oil in the reservoir. Fill it up, but leave room for the cap. You don't want to squeeze oil out when you put the cap back.
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Clean off any oil from the fan surface. This will allow the label to stick firmly.
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One lubricated sleeve bearing fan, ready to go to work.
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As with nearly everything, the more you do this the easier and quicker it gets. Have fun!
And now philhalo66 has devised a way to resurrect his graphics card fan.
And now pyro_dude shares how he re-lubricates ball bearing fans.
Your choice of lubricants. The Singer oil is from Wal-Mart, The XL model train oil is from a hobby shop and the Precision Lubricator is from Radio Shack. Do not use WD-40: it is a penetrant, not a lubricant. 3-in-1 oil contains a penetrant. And EpicPie has recommended Bones Speed Cream, which looks promising.
Peel back - do not remove - the label.
Use a toothpick to pry open the rubber or plastic cap.
The open oil reservoir.
Put the oil in the reservoir. Fill it up, but leave room for the cap. You don't want to squeeze oil out when you put the cap back.
Clean off any oil from the fan surface. This will allow the label to stick firmly.
One lubricated sleeve bearing fan, ready to go to work.
As with nearly everything, the more you do this the easier and quicker it gets. Have fun!
And now philhalo66 has devised a way to resurrect his graphics card fan.
And now pyro_dude shares how he re-lubricates ball bearing fans.
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Quote:
Good question. I've actually thought a lot about all this oil stuff. I think if I were trying to rescue a fan I would put in the lightest oil I could find, to start. Now that I have
this blower
, I'd probably try to blow it out, put in the lightest oil I could find, then blow it out again, then put in medium oil like the Singer stuff.
Your local hobby stores have a collection of oils in various weights. I would find the store with the oldest proprietor and ask him advice on the best oil to use for a fan rescue, and follow it.
Fifty fans. If you only rescue 10%, that's five fans. Well worth it. And well worth trying different approaches. Adfter all, you have the numbers. Good luck.
Originally Posted by PhaedraCorruption + rep, this explains why I killed over 50 fans by using WD-40..... Do you think they will work again if I dab some singer oil on it? |
this blower, I'd probably try to blow it out, put in the lightest oil I could find, then blow it out again, then put in medium oil like the Singer stuff.
Your local hobby stores have a collection of oils in various weights. I would find the store with the oldest proprietor and ask him advice on the best oil to use for a fan rescue, and follow it.
Fifty fans. If you only rescue 10%, that's five fans. Well worth it. And well worth trying different approaches. Adfter all, you have the numbers. Good luck.
How often do you guys lubricate your fans? I haven't lubcricated any...
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2
Quote:
I checked on my sleeve bearing top intake fan earlier this month, after two months in place. Its reservoir was still full of oil. I'll be checking every couple of months until I get some notion of how often these will need to be checked.
If you have put some sleeve bearing fans into service without lubricating them first you should take them out and lubricate them ASAP. Then probably every six months is OK. But I'm not sure, which is why I am checking.
Ball bearing fans are different, but I'm thinking some lube wouldn't hurt them when you put them into service.
Finally, some bearings are sealed - the Noctua, for one. Those you cannot lubricate.
Originally Posted by goobergump How often do you guys lubricate your fans? I haven't lubcricated any...
|
If you have put some sleeve bearing fans into service without lubricating them first you should take them out and lubricate them ASAP. Then probably every six months is OK. But I'm not sure, which is why I am checking.
Ball bearing fans are different, but I'm thinking some lube wouldn't hurt them when you put them into service.
Finally, some bearings are sealed - the Noctua, for one. Those you cannot lubricate.
Quote:
One drop only fills up 40mm and 50mm wells.
60x25 fans and up will require 2 to 4 drops.
4 when it reaches 120x38 (UK's).
Too much oil is going to spill out when the fan spins up.
Also, don't tug or push on the blades when you're oiling/done.
This breaks the contact between bearing and rubber seal on the shaft, and in some cases will cause a severe oil leak.
Originally Posted by homestyle One drop should be enough to lubricate that small bearing. I don't know about filling the whole cap. Too much oil and it will attract dust and wear out the bearings faster. |
60x25 fans and up will require 2 to 4 drops.
4 when it reaches 120x38 (UK's).
Too much oil is going to spill out when the fan spins up.
Also, don't tug or push on the blades when you're oiling/done.
This breaks the contact between bearing and rubber seal on the shaft, and in some cases will cause a severe oil leak.
Quote:
did you ever fix your blower?
Originally Posted by Volvo I have a display rack for fans. That aside, I guess we can consider cooling as an interest... |
Quote:
No, it had motor coil failure. No hope of fixing.
Originally Posted by KoolGuy did you ever fix your blower? |
Quote:
No its fixable you just have to replace that motor.
Originally Posted by Volvo No, it had motor coil failure. No hope of fixing. |
I re-lubed my 4870's fans and the RPM on it increased dramatically after I placed a drop of Bones Speed Cream in it. I took out my GTX 465 and placed in my 4870 mainly because I had to bios flash it back to regular HIS one since it was on a ASUS bios since im selling the card to my cousin. Before the RPM's were around 1600 on 50% and 3800 on 100%. It increased to 3000 RPM on 50% and 5055 RPM on 100%. At 50% the fan is hauling air out of card and keeping the card cool at 30c idle(changed the thermal paste to AS5). The many wonders of Bones Speed Cream.
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