yet another toshiba laptop question.?
I have been using my Toshiba Portege M300 for 4 years now. Normally the fan is quite smooth and quiet, but it speeds up if the laptop gets hotter. This evening I thought the fan had a slightly different tone to it and was louder. Also, the speed didn't seem consistent; it seemed to move up and down randomly.
Should I be concerned?
Should I be concerned?
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The fan is dying - specifically the bearing that supports the fan.
Guessing it mostly 'buzzes' as the new sound, and the speed sporadically changes 'fast and slow' randomly - thats the offset bearing falling in and out of harmonic sync with the spindle.
It might be possible to replace the fan - if it's not a specific unit. Trouble is laptops 'near the cpu' are often notoriously difficult to disassemble/reassemble for laymen... Look for a guide to disassemble your laptop to find type of fan is needed for replacement.
Guessing it mostly 'buzzes' as the new sound, and the speed sporadically changes 'fast and slow' randomly - thats the offset bearing falling in and out of harmonic sync with the spindle.
It might be possible to replace the fan - if it's not a specific unit. Trouble is laptops 'near the cpu' are often notoriously difficult to disassemble/reassemble for laymen... Look for a guide to disassemble your laptop to find type of fan is needed for replacement.
Nov 23, 2009. 2:07 PMmemyselfand1 (author)
says:
there are no disassembly guides for my model on the net. trust mme, i've looked.
Not your SPECIFIC model, but I bet the 200-400 series are 'similar'...
http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_toshiba.html
Either way, you need the bottom off, and maybe (rarely) access it from the keyboard side.
http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_toshiba.html
Either way, you need the bottom off, and maybe (rarely) access it from the keyboard side.
quote from another guide I found (400 series):
"To change the fan you will need to remove the motherboard"
fuuuuuuuuuuun. Just document what you take out from where, and what order to put it back together.
"To change the fan you will need to remove the motherboard"
fuuuuuuuuuuun. Just document what you take out from where, and what order to put it back together.
Nov 24, 2009. 12:56 AMmemyselfand1 (author)
says:
yeah, thanks frollard, but i'll pass. i took it into our school's Notebook Support Centre this morning, and he said that they've never had any problems with the fans on any laptops they've had in, that the fan on the M300 doesn't actually have any bearings and that the cooling system is tiny, ie. a 1 inch long heatsink and a fan the size of a 20cent coin (australian, in america .... yeah, it's about 1.5 inches across). he had to disassemble the computer completely.
but that site's quite useful. thanks for pointing me towards it.
but that site's quite useful. thanks for pointing me towards it.
Sorry I couldn't be of more specific help...
"no bearing" - it might not have a ball bearing, but the fan must spin on something - even if its just a plain axle - THAT is wearing out :(
"no bearing" - it might not have a ball bearing, but the fan must spin on something - even if its just a plain axle - THAT is wearing out :(
Nov 24, 2009. 10:18 PMmemyselfand1 (author)
says:
i think it's just a plain axle, but he said it was in better nick than the secondhand ones he had, and that he couldn't find any problems with it.
for some inexplicable reason, i think there's more to it than what he told me...
for some inexplicable reason, i think there's more to it than what he told me...
Nov 27, 2009. 11:42 AMtragicallyhip
says:
Neivaden is correct , unscrew the single panel covering the CPU/heatsink,Remove the screws holding the cpu/heatsink and remove gently.The fan assembly is not designed to be removed and serviced as it,s a replace only item,but with a little patience it can be . Once the fan assembly has been broken down into it's constituent pieces a little dab of a light weight Molly grease on the fan's axle will do the trick.Re assemble everything and your good to go,I would not expect this Hack to be a permanent fix but it will buy you time to find a replacement fan.Im not guessing about this as I had to perform this hack on my own toshiba.
Nov 27, 2009. 6:36 PMmemyselfand1 (author)
says:
My laptop is a little different, in that the keyboard and entire body have to be removed, and the mainboard removed to gain access to the fan.
Nov 23, 2009. 1:35 PMneivadan
says:
yes u should because the longer u wait the more the problem gets worser and trust me don't ignore ti or urlap top is a goner.
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