3 ms·

Anyone here know if it's possible to fix a t43p cooling fan that sounds like a bumblebee? I doubt I can find a replacement

• zen_1 4y ago
  https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=t43p+fan https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=t43p+fan Looks like there are still some replacements kicking around. I've never seen a computer fan be repaired, and it seems the bearings all tend to fail eventually.
  • neilv 4y ago
    I've had good luck with the ThinkPad fans from eBay. A few tips to anyone doing the replacement: * Find the PDF of the ThinkPad Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for your model. This will give valuable step-by-step instructions for disassembling the parts that you need to, and not the parts you don't. * Just buy the fan part, not the whole heatsink+fan assembly, even if the HMM tells you that the FRU is the assembly. * Keep track of the screws as you take them out. I like to use a sheet of paper with loops of tape, and label as I remove (see photo on "https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/ https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/"). * Have some thermal compound handy, as well as a way to clean the old compound. Since either you'll end up separating the heatsink from the CPU (and possibly other chipset packages), or you might as well replace compound while you have it open. * You might need new tape to attach the fan part to the grill.
    • zen_1 4y ago
      Ebay has been great for thinkpad parts in general (I've replaced keyboards, screens and trackpads) as well as fans for other laptop models.