Computer fan repair (PWJ68)

Repairing a fan from a power supply of a HP RX6600 server. This video can be used as a guide to repair any size of ball bearing fan. The fans from normal PC's look the same inside.
And also some Blinkenlights at the end of the video. :-)

[@harrysmbdgs]

Great to see a component fixed which would usually be replaced, beautifully done. I recently discovered how easily serviceable these fans are (I have a few with slightly rattling bearings) and now I'm on a KZbin tangent!

[@iceverything.j.r.2564]

People stop saying he should have bought a new one. If that was the case then he would have made a vid about how to order a new fan. This is showing you how to repair a fan with a bad bearing

[@PlaywithJunk]

That would be a boring video :-)

[@bdulAhad0]

@@PlaywithJunk sir can you name the parts especially the piece you you used to put the ring(washer) back on and the metal rings you showed at 4:15 (was those ball bearings?)

[@imnotbeluga007]

@@bdulAhad0 Yes.

[@Petertronic]

Fan tastic! Good job on the editing.

[@dmaster225]

very Nice video. repairing a fan saves the waste produced by buying a new one. Companies should make some things easily maintainable. Huge landfills of this stuff is slowly poisoning the land.

[@KoD83]

It's a must-see video for all RC "fans"! ... they always tell you to replace broken fans on ESCs and other RC parts. I never knew that there was a shaft retaining ring... Thanks to this I made 2 working fans from 4 broken fans.

[@PlaywithJunk]

well done!

[@MrSebastianr2005]

Great video, thanks for taking the time passing on the knowledge. I wish there were more creators like you.

[@thejerryzeppshow6019]

there are a lot of them

[@gordonfreeman320]

Most people would just throw the whole power supply away and get a new one. I love that you fix what you have, instead of throwing it away!

[@PlaywithJunk]

Well a server power supply can easily cost $200 used and they are heavy, so shipping cost may add... repairing the fan is much cheaper.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

Repaired, not replaced, as it should be!

[@PlaywithJunk]

And it is cheaper... Fan $50, two bearings $15

[@timjones2077]

Was the $35 in savings worth your time it took to do it?

[@stevenbiars6212]

Labor vs replacement cost. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.

[@mjyanimations1062]

PistonAvatarGuy repair means less waste

[@balaycebu9261]

Repairing without replacing parts is a tough. But replacing parts does not mean not repairing? That is stupid.

[@mcrsit]

Just did it with my PSU fan which was driving me insane. All well and good exept i've drawn my bearing in Grease in order to make it even quieter eheheh

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Playing with fans is so much fun :)

[@NoferTrunions]

1:45 removing the accursed white plastic lock washer (!) THANK YOU FOR SHOWING!

[@PlaywithJunk]

Yeah that guy is tricky.... good luck!

[@zmdeadelius]

Great video! Thanks for making it. I'm stuck repairing two case coolers and will use it as reference.

[@zyvpeecom]

I've sold thousands kinds of of fans including ac / dc cooling and haven't disassembled them like this. Great ！

[@PlaywithJunk]

If a fan fails, it's 99,5% a bearing problem. Unfortunately many fans are hard or impossible to disassemble. I did repair fans from AC and heaters too. Large beasts with the same problem... ball bearings. And repairing large fans (some small ones too) is also economical. Fix a $300 fan with two $10 bearings and it's as good as new. No need to order and wait for a new fan, no need to drill holes or build an adapter because the new one is different.

[@andywood2012]

I'm missing your voice. It's so calming

[@TomboAti-eb4xg]

thank good job...

[@ChecK0TR]

You are King dude

[@thanasis12345678]

Thank you very much. The video has helped me a lot to disassemble and fix my computer fan. !!!

[@caryrodgers1529]

this is less of a repair then i was expecting, this is just a regular service in my books, im actually looking for how to fix a fan that jitters do to circuitry failure

[@PlaywithJunk]

From my experience, from 100 fans maybe one has an electronic problem. Many years ago I had one type of fan where the hall sensors for the rotational position sensing failed.

[@prabathdissanayake4184]

Thank you.🙂

[@averyoldYoutubeuser]

Wow the server fan

[@lakshmanhearath5495]

Thanks

[@prashanthb6521]

Good job, thanks for the demo. Add one drop lubricant ?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Most ball bearings are lubricated from factory. But adding a drop of *good quality* oil may not hurt it. :-)

[@duminicad]

You fixed one of your fans! > slow clap

[@PlaywithJunk]

I have powerful fans :-)

[@riodhani9675]

Hi i have a faulty heatsink fan of my laptop from the company that've been bankrupted. Nobody sells it anymore. So i will try to remake the fan by my self. Do you think i can remove the fan from the housing without breaking it? just think of regular brushless DC fan. I see your video you not removed the circuitry from it's housing. Do you think i can ?

[@PlaywithJunk]

I don't know your skills :-) And I don't know your fan either. So it's difficult to say if it's possible or not. Normally laptop fans are the same as others just much smaller. Some have a housing and some are embedded in the heatsink. Maybe you will have to remove the whole heatsink assembly to get the fan out. I can only say - try it carefully and think about how it was assembled. Sometimes they just glue everything together, then you have no chance repairing it. Maybe you can fix it with an external fan? Does not look nice but probably works :-)

[@Coolkeys2009]

I would have thought you would have junk bins full of thousands of fans, Is this repair often done I would imagine many companies just replacing the whole supply?

[@PlaywithJunk]

I think most companies will just replace the whole P.S. And yes we have drawers full of fans but there are so many different types. Size, voltage, power, speed, monitoring wires, speed control etc.

[@zeroumashi2947]

That and high or low static pressure.

[@skynetcybersystem3tech]

👍👍perfekt👍👍

[@Oliver-lh8ly]

I have a 120 v ac fan that seems to be an odd size when I started looking to replace it. The fan seems to spin very easily when I spin it but it does not spin when it is in the circuit. Is that something that I could potentially fix myself? Also is there any way to figure out what is wrong with it?

[@PlaywithJunk]

well... sometimes the electric circuit fails too. Coils can break, electronics can fail. If your fan has no mechanical issue then it's probably dead because of an electric failure. Try to measusre the windings. What is the resistance at the fan wires? Is a wire broken? Difficult to repair anyway... good luck :-)

[@simontay4851]

I noticed you didn't put any oil in the new bearings before you put the label back on.

[@PlaywithJunk]

They are already oiled from the factory.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Hi Play with Junk. I just found out a method to clean the shaft more thoroughly. I just tried this now now (w/ another type of fan), thanks. it worked. I got to revive the PC 12v .27A but I discovered something, you can take the blade off by just carefully removing the locking plastic washer (it may be metal on some branded ones) after you've pull that rubber cover covered by the sticker (I used the most powerful PVA glue to stick both the cao and sticks back, I hope it works- I'll find out after 25 minutes). You can use a good thin tweezer (I used a Victoronix Swiff Knife's trimmer to do it but it warped it a bit but your can hammer it lightly to make it as close to straight as possible) to pull out that locking thing or washer, that locks the axel of the fan blade in place. I used 99.9 isopropyl alcohol to clean the shaft hole (w/ kitchen tissue and paper clip but I think a wipe you buy without any fragrance would be more durable to wipe it with if no fragrance exists) and the magnet on the fan blades. I then tested it with a 9v battery directly connected it to two protruding wire (careful not to cross them, put an insulator between them). It took a little less than an hour the first try (but most likely it'll just take 15 minutes on the 2nd or so when another fan needed reviving), about the same amount of time, you'd spend to buy (and take risk w/ Covid though) to go the mall, park and buy and less time to wait for the order ,online:-) It's nice it's working now, I can use it again (on our CoolerMaster PC so it still has original parts, though I'm mostly a Mac user) and it just needed cleaning and it's not the windings of the motor or any sub-components like the capacitor or resistor. I think I can apply this with the iMac's fan and save $US50 and a month of waiting for it to arrive :-) God bless, Rev. 21:4

[@McFly-yb7kc]

Covid isn’t really anything more than the gov’s global propaganda. Indeed, it killed off the most costly members of society - the disabled and elderly - but for the rest of us, it was a new seasonal flu at worst.

[@gimmy9099]

hallo do you know if is possible to change a 30mm fan for a power supply (no idea about V and A) from a Satellite TV racks (4 slot 2empty 1 for cable 1 as Power Suplly

[@PlaywithJunk]

no…. yes…. huh?

[@impactodelsurenterprise2440]

These MF fan manufacturers really went out their way to make it extremely hard to dismantle the fans.

[@PlaywithJunk]

To be honest, there are not many other ways to do that. In fact in could be much worse than that in the video. Some are completely sealed and un-repairable.

[@daol03]

does all fans use the same types of bearings? or is it different on bigger fans?

[@douro20]

No. There are three main types: bronze sleeve (the most common type), ball bearing, and fluid-dynamic bearing.

[@PlaywithJunk]

Bigger fans have bigger bearings. Some even have two different size bearings for front and rear. Some fans have one sleeve and one ball bearing.... It's like a box of chocolate - you never know what you'll get :-)

[@daol03]

thanks for claryfing that :) So when the next fan fail i will open and see what kind of bearings it has and then order, and not before :)

[@PlaywithJunk]

When you repair fans frequently, you will find about 6 bearing sizes that fit for most of them. But there are always surprises. I have a supplier who sends me the bearings the next day after ordering. I just have to tell them outer, inner diameter and thickness. Or the bearing number if available.

[@zeroumashi2947]

Where can I buy bearings? I want to swap sleeve bearings for fluid bearings. The bearings are 4mm ID x 9mm OD x 4mm H. These are old fans. I'd like to get more rpm from them with more stability. I was gonna oil the original bearings with ptfe oil but was wandering if I could do better in terms of performance by switching to fluid bearings. I can't swap the fans since they're analog 4 pin fans that don't use pwm.

[@PlaywithJunk]

Sorry, I have never changed sleeve bearings because they are hard to get and also hard to replace. Sleeve bearing fans are normally low cost (not all of course) and not meant to repair at all. I only repair ball bearing fans.

[@zeroumashi2947]

The fan says brushless but I think it's ball bearing cause there was 2 bearings with a spring between the two bearings, when I disassembled it.

[@ceilingfanmusic6597]

4pin fans are pwm. 3pin fans are analog. Or volteg controled as are 2wire fans. The therd wire is for rpm monitoring. The forth wire is for pwm speed control. As far as I know most fans with 4 wires can be used like normle 3wired fans but there are exceptions. Like the intel stock cooler fans (newer ones).

[@zeroumashi2947]

@@ceilingfanmusic6597 i don't see what that has to do with bearings. also my pc doesn't use pwm, it uses some proprietary 4-pin standard involving variable voltage instead of pwm. So i can't just slap in a FDB fan, or even a maglev fan.

[@ceilingfanmusic6597]

@@zeroumashi2947 (you could pull the cdb with the coil asimbly an put it in another fan that has a dead cdb or open coil

[@pandemia000]

Which is the size of the bearings? On aliexpress there are many sizes, which one?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Which is the size of your fan? There are many sizes.... oh my crystal ball doesn't work today. :-) Look, it's simple. You take your fan apart, measure the bearings and then you know what you need to order. That's how I do it.

[@kreimer1417]

I have this issue with my nidec fan producing whistling hum noise at low speed. How to reduce that?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Replace bearings and it will be quiet. Humming sounds at low speed normally happen with sleeve bearing fans. Sleeve bearings are difficult to replace because they are installed pemanently. You could try to get some oil on the bearings, that may help.

[@antresia.9723]

Where can I find a power supply just like that you had

[@MrBoi96969]

bro in which machine you take out fan

[@PlaywithJunk]

Yo bro... did you read the video description?

[@mnhmgadka4421]

thanks nice

[@simontay4851]

Where can you buy those nylon clips/rings that hold the fan spindle in place. I've tried searching for them but can't find anything. When I've taken apart fans to clean/oil them, the nylon clip/ring sometimes pings off on the floor somewhere never to be found again. Surely there must be bags of, say, 100 available from China on ebay/Ali for not much money.

[@simontay4851]

Maybe I'm not using the right search terms.

[@PlaywithJunk]

I don't know any source. We keep some from fans that go to the junk bin. We already have a small collection and if we need one, we will probably find one there...

[@tech4pros1]

you need M3 nylon washers... then use a razor blade or craft knife to make the little washer into the retaining ring you need. www.amazon.co.uk/Move-Moving-TM-100Pcs-Spacer/dp/B01EC03JEW/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501800998&sr=1-4&keywords=m3+washer+1mm

[@simontay4851]

I've already got 100s of nylon washers - the hole in the centre is too big. The diameter of the fan spindle is 3mm but the grove that the ring clips into is obviously slightly smaller, maybe 2.5 - 2.8mm

[@ceilingfanmusic6597]

So did the ball baring faill?

[@ciba2227]

What type of bearing does a 120mm chassis fan use sorry asking don't know anything about bearings, and also where could i get the springs and such to replace everything? thx

[@PlaywithJunk]

I don't know. Every manufacturer has it's own secrets. Open it and measure the inner/outer diameter and the thickness. Then order two new ones. I have no idea where ti get springs and stuff. But that's re-usable in most cases (except you lost it...)

[@PapaMav]

LOL, nice work but gotta say, given time, cost of parts, cost of tools, is it really worth it compared to just replacing?!?

[@PlaywithJunk]

It can be worth it depending of what device the fan comes from. A cheap PC power supply may not be worth repairing. But if the fan comes from an expensive device and perhaps it has an unusual format, speed or monitoring, it is very well worth a repair. And another thing is time. Sometimes you have to wait weeks before you get a replacement. If you need your machine repaired quickly and you have the bearings in stock... well then you repair it. Additionally, two bearings may cost about $15 each while a new server fan can easily cost $50-$100.

[@PapaMav]

You've successfully made your case ;)

[@tobiuchiha7930]

I tried oiling the double bearing in my gpu fan but it still noisy I guess I really need to replace it

[@letstalk3060]

nyc vedio

[@Heffen89]

Maybe one should have an eye on the other fan from that PSU. Probably this could also fail soon as it worked as long as the repaired one even if it felt ok. Well done.

[@douro20]

Do you resell computer hardware for a living?

[@casewalker5576]

Bro, my seal broke a little and got bent too much. What to do about it being broken?

[@PlaywithJunk]

It will be broken forever... :-( Try to find another washer in another fan which you don't need. I always keep some parts before I toss fans away, so I have a small collection of bits.

[@Max-lq6jl]

Is it possible to repair the bad bearings or do I have to get new ones

[@PlaywithJunk]

No one can repair bad ball bearings. They must be replaced.

[@NathanCroucher]

Id like to fix some PC fans, what size are these bearings and are they likely to match???

[@PlaywithJunk]

I'm not a clairvoyant.... those fans have different bearings, it changes from type to type. You have to disassemble it and see what's inside. Most fans can be repaired with 3-4 sizes of bearings. Measure inner diameter, outer diameter and thickness... and then order trhem.

[@ErSusi]

Hi. The tutorial is great. Where can I buy bearings and what is their value? Thanks

[@PlaywithJunk]

Bearings can be bought in industrial supply shops. The sizes depend on th fan you want to repair. You just need to know inner and outer diameter and thickness of the bearing.

[@PlaywithJunk]

btw some RC model suppliers sell bearings too

[@ErSusi]

@@PlaywithJunk Thank you very much for answering. I need to eliminate the noise of some fans. A greeting from Spain.

[@scarakus]

I usually chuck those little noisy things, and hook up a larger silent fan, and lay it on top the unit, maybe tie it down with some zip ties...

[@PlaywithJunk]

That's right. A larger fan runs with lower RPM but moves the same amount of air or more. I once modded an ethernet switch with a large 12V fan, running with only 5V. It was super silent and worked very well. I just had to cut a larger hole in the cover....

[@CaptmagiKono]

Snap rings are a pain in the ass, especially small ones.

[@PlaywithJunk]

Especially to remove them.... :-)

[@papadop]

I just discovered the perfect tool to putting them back in. The small ventilation hole on a Bic Cristal Pen cap. Just push in and the washer instantly snaps into place.

[@yandelyano]

I broke that ring, is there a way around ?

[@PlaywithJunk]

The only way that really works is to get a ring from another fan that fits. Those rings can be bought but then you must take 10000 pieces...

[@raym9691]

Those are some interesting test leads.. what brand are they?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Hirschmann, German manufacturer.

[@PlaywithJunk]

That Hirschmann stuff is a bit expensive but you can keep it for 20 years without falling apart.

[@raym9691]

Play with Junk any available eBay links for the states?

[@ColbElite]

what tool is used to tighten the bearing?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Tighten the bearing? You mean to install the retainer clip? It's a simple piece of round brass with a hole in the center. I think you can see it in the video...

[@bluefoxtv1566]

To bad a lot of newer fans have a plastic end cap so you can do this no more.

[@PlaywithJunk]

Some of the plastic caps can be removed too. But most of them have sleeve or magnetic bearings anyway. Nothing to replace there. The non-ballbearing fans mostly just need a drop of oil because the old oil got sticky.

[@tpcdude]

The Wordless Workshop

[@setyadhitya]

Help me so much

[@Sam-K]

Can you make a video about converting a brushless computer fan into a single ball bearing fan?

[@douro20]

Bremi power supplies, made in the region of Parma which is a bit odd...

[@PlaywithJunk]

These power supplies are indeed a bit wierd. Even the voltmeter scale divisions... 5V steps divided into 10 divisions with a larger line at 2.5V. To set it for 12V you have to count 4 divisions above 10....! I plan to update them with some chinese digital power supply modules (Aliexpress DPS3005)

[@saultube44]

You shouldn't pull connector by the cable but by the connector. You need to wash with a little hot water with detergent and after you assemble it, anti-corrosive oil and/or machine oil

[@PlaywithJunk]

You're right.... in theory. It is not always possible to grip the connector, so pulling on the wires (with care) is the only way. The bearings are oiled from the factory and corrosion of the other parts is not a problem. Except the fan is outside in wind and weather. Air conditioning for example.

[@islamicjolsha9241]

How to repair circuit board

[@PlaywithJunk]

I have never repaired one....

[@TheKingArabia]

I'll just order new ones I am not going to start a workshop to fix a fan lol good video thu

[@PlaywithJunk]

For your business you need about 4 different sizes of bearings and you can repair 80% of all small fans :-)

[@bdulAhad0]

@Play with Junk sir can you name the parts especially the piece you you used to put the ring(washer) back on and the metal rings you showed at 4:15 (was those ball bearings?)

[@PlaywithJunk]

Even if I think this was a question you could answer yourself (google: ball bearing) .... I will tell you what you want to know. Yes in that bag were new ball bearings. Size depends on the type of fan. You measure the old ones and then order same size. The tool I use to install the plastic ring is clearly seen at 5:25. I made it myself from a round piece of brass, I just drilled a hole in it. You can make that from metal or plastic, whatever fits in size and stability.

[@bdulAhad0]

@@PlaywithJunk Thank you.

[@guersomfalcon7544]

i break the plastic ring, what can i do? :(

[@PlaywithJunk]

I always keep rings from scrapped fans, so I have replacements if I break or lose one. Try to find another fan with a ring that fits.

[@guersomfalcon7544]

thanks for the recommendation, but i don't fix computers to have replacements : /

[@ceilingfanmusic6597]

Don't worie to much as the blads shuld stay in the fan as long as it's not upside down.

[@guersomfalcon7544]

@@ceilingfanmusic6597 hahahhah, this fan is upside down

[@guersomfalcon7544]

But I already replaced the plastic ring with a modified curtain track glider, so far I have not had any problems

[@antresia.9723]

The fan you just fix from the power supply where can I find it.i want 60,000 computer fans.

[@PlaywithJunk]

60 000? You better look at alibaba.com....

[@r-f-t189]

hi there ... i have a fan almost like that in size and shape ... i try to make it run on 5v and run faster no matter how much current it sucks ... or just keep it on 12V but make it run faster ... how i can achieve that ?

[@PlaywithJunk]

normally the speed of the fan depends on the voltage. You can't change the current without changing the voltage.

[@r-f-t189]

@@PlaywithJunk for example i want to make a 12V fan run on lower voltage such as 5V how i can do that ?

[@PlaywithJunk]

@@r-f-t189 then you connect it to 5V.... and it will run slower. If you want it to run faster connect it to 12V. I don't see the problem...

[@r-f-t189]

@@PlaywithJunk I know that method already .... but what i want is to run it on 5V bur without losing any speed ... and of course there are no 5V fans in my local area ... so .. Maybe you can help me to transform a 12V fan to 5V fan without losing any speed ....

[@PlaywithJunk]

@@r-f-t189 that is not possible. you would have to change everything like motor windings and electronics. The only way possible is to use a dc-dc converter to make 12V from 5V. Look for "step-up" or "boost" converter on Aliexpress.

[@troyguererro0898]

I accidentally plugged my 19v power supply to my CPU fan. My fan is NIDEC BETA V. And it doesn't spin anymore. What is the possible remedy?

[@PlaywithJunk]

hmmm... to buy a new fan? I mean you could try to remove the circuit pcb and try to find the transistor that failed cause of the overvoltage. But maybe you also fried the motor windings. I wouldn't put too much effort in it to repair that.

[@troyguererro0898]

@@PlaywithJunk That's what I thought too. I ordered the same thing yesterday, cause the air flow is great. Thanks for the reply bro

[@jagjeet_fancollector6199]

:-)

[@Amirkhan-wr1bf]

Sar ye fan 12 Volt h ya 24 Volt

[@AyrikGemrey]

what is the size of thet ball bearing?

[@PlaywithJunk]

Every fan has different sizes of bearings. I don't know what you have.... Ususally there are about 4-5 sizes that cover most fans of standard size. Take yours apart and measure the bearings. Make sure you check both bearings because some (rare) fans have two different sizes.

[@nalasetyani2301]

bang klo punya ane sya coba pake arus AC lsung gk bsa idup itu msih bsa dbenerin gk bang

[@PlaywithJunk]

English please ?

[@guilhermebep7081]

How to remove the coil if burned?

[@PlaywithJunk]

If the coil is burned, a repair is not possible anymore. Well, you could wind new wires onto it but that's not worth the trouble. Fortunately I never had a burned coil in a fan.

[@paugasolina5048]

first time i see a pc fan with a ball bearing. usually its just a bushing

[@PlaywithJunk]

Ball bearings are more expensive. Server fans do all have ball bearings.

[@chrissimpson-challis]

I'm trying to fix mine

[@journeyquest1]

Spent an hrs labor to fix a $5 fan. Ugh.

[@PlaywithJunk]

This was not a $5 fan! And it didn't took an hour. And sometimes a short downtime of a server is more important than repair cost. ugh!

[@pardeepsuthar8038]

CPU ke big fan ki wending karo

[@visrupt]

I bet THE VERGE been here.

[@dishakoli7146]

Is fenko ham Bina circuit board name ke bhi chala sakte hain to sar vah circuit bhi banakar dikhao

[@metallicrock5946]

no oil ? mmmm

[@PlaywithJunk]

The new bearings are pre-lubricated for lifetime. No need for additional oil.

[@davidreynolds4684]

Speaking woud be helpful. I you happen to be mute i apologize.

[@PlaywithJunk]

I'm not mute 🙂 but I thought the pictures speak for themself. Is someting not clear...?

[@davidreynolds4684]

@@PlaywithJunk youre ok. The video is ok. Just find most verbal instructions with the visual helpful.

[@PlaywithJunk]

@@davidreynolds4684 OK... next time I will speak again :-)

[@aldrin.sarmiento]

just buy a new one

[@PlaywithJunk]

You can't always "buy a new one". Older hardware is difficult to get and to wait three weeks for a new fan is in most cases not acceptable. And if you get the right fan, it's not certain that it's actually new. It might come with worn out bearings. And BTW... where is your ecological sensibility? Things can be repaired, that saves ressources.

[@GWorxOz]

Another useless silent video! 😡 🤬

[@PlaywithJunk]

You are the first one saying this video is useless. 306000 others don't mind the silent style...

[@GWorxOz]

@@PlaywithJunk You offer no information therefore you are just posing. 'Look at me'.

[@PlaywithJunk]

@@GWorxOz This is a clear step-by-step guide to repair a fan. And because there is no text, everybody can understand it, worldwide.

[@SakiSkai]

1st

[@markwarren7116]

Cheaper to replace....Zzzzzzzz

[@khoirussiva]

thanks