Fan with a bad noise

[Bludd]

I have a case fan which sounds really bad when I start the system from a cold state. After a while it quiets down.

Are the bearings shot? What kind of problem can cause this kind of sound? It isn't loose, and it doesn't spin so fast that it could really be a problem with it being loose, but I don't know.

Any ideas?

 

[Mize]

I have a case fan which sounds really bad when I start the system from a cold state. After a while it quiets down.

Are the bearings shot? What kind of problem can cause this kind of sound? It isn't loose, and it doesn't spin so fast that it could really be a problem with it being loose, but I don't know.

Any ideas?

Blow the dust out of it with canned air first. That's often the cause.

 

[Bludd]

Blow the dust out of it with canned air first. That's often the cause.

Done that already.

 

[Mize]

Done that already.

Then she's on her last legs. Time for a new fan.

 

[Bludd]

Then she's on her last legs. Time for a new fan.

Yeah, I figured. I will use it until it starts being noisy all the time, because when it's not noisy it works like a charm.

I was just wondering why it's only noisy when it's cold.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Yeah, I figured. I will use it until it starts being noisy all the time, because when it's not noisy it works like a charm.

I was just wondering why it's only noisy when it's cold.

It's binding/catching until it warms up a bit. Could be lubricant is wearing out and leaving parts bare when sitting for a while. When its warmed up the remaining lubricant will again be spread more evenly and be less viscous. Overtime it'll get worse as it develops minor physical abnormalities due to this behavior.

Regards,
SB

 

[MfA]

Had my computer off for a couple of days, and all of a sudden my Slip Stream fans went to shit :/ Oh well, 3 years out of sleeve bearing fans is about what was to be expected ... didn't expect my fans to suddenly cost almost twice what I paid for them then though.

 

[Bludd]

It's binding/catching until it warms up a bit. Could be lubricant is wearing out and leaving parts bare when sitting for a while. When its warmed up the remaining lubricant will again be spread more evenly and be less viscous. Overtime it'll get worse as it develops minor physical abnormalities due to this behavior.

Regards,
SB

The blades are not touching the casing, if that is what you mean. I haven't checked what kind of bearings it uses, though.

Thanks for all the answers, btw, guys.

 

[Grall]

Oh well, 3 years out of sleeve bearing fans is about what was to be expected ...

3 years out of sleeves sounds like fantastic performance out of sleevers, at least in my experience. They've always crapped out far earlier for me.

 

[MfA]

Well I've only used them for vertical fans that might help.

I used fluid bearing ones for horizontally mounted fans. Which I must admit still all work fine, maybe I should just use all Xilence Red Wing next time (cheapest fluid bearing fans around, used to be able to get them for 3 euro a pop ... price inflated a bit though). Slipstreams benchmarked as one of the best for really low RPM 120mm fans at the time though so and were cheap (in cooling per dB, nothing is going to give much backpressure at 600 RPM).