🚀 go-pugleaf

Michael Salem wrote on Wed, 22 Nov 2000
>Oz wrote:
>
>> Have tried both types of fan over the years, including expensive papst fans.
>> IME (which is quite a bit) the cheap fans last longer.
>
>If we're going down memory lane: 

Waddayamean 'memory'? I'm still using ..... er  um... forget it.

>I've sometimes lubricated fans as an 
>emergency measure. I use an oil which works at high temperature, and 
>is OK if it gets in food (this shouldn't be relevant for people with 
>normal habits, but may help to identify the oil). It is clear with 
>cloudy sediment of teflon or something, and comes in small vials with 
>pocket clip. 

Yup, that's a higrade oil able to run dry quite well. You can also use a
synthetic, preferably silicone, oil as sold by RS. However in this case
it may be cheaper to change the fan.

>The type of oil is important; many soon break down to a 
>gummy state. Pull the sticker off the bearing side of the fan, add a 
>single drop of oil, and reseal. When this was last discussed about 2 
>years ago Oz pointed out that this was only temporary. 

I did. However you may have noticed that I both smoke and work in an
environment best described as a 'farmyard'. This provides both tars,
airborn particulates (incl, but not confined to, fibres) and other more-
or-less noxious airborn contaminants. Suffice to say that when fans are
discarded they invariably show considerable wear in trailing and leading
edges and usually have asymmetric loading of a tar-cemented particulate
aggregate. I really must get that filter installed.

Under these conditions, and operated 24/7/12, one might consider the
possibility of significant wear in the entire rotary suspension system
is not entirely improbable. Due to the operation significantly beyond
the stress specification of the bearings, oil tends to be a temporary
solution.

>A fan I oiled 
>"temporarily" before then has worked ever since without trouble -- 
>being on a machine of mine, I haven't bothered to replace the fan.

Typical. Bloody typical!

>While this repeated discussion will surely provoke groans, it is the 
>sort of thing that can save time and trouble for people not around 
>the first time.

Absolutely.

>Some other tips: 
>- if a machine which was working OK starts to crash or show errors, 
>  check the fans. 

Absolutely. Out with the airline ....

Often a quick clean of fan, PSU and cpu heatsink is all that is
required. I use an airline for convenience.

>- Some cases have "cooling" holes placed to allow cool air in from 
>  one place and out of another without passing over the processor and
>  other hot bits. Typically, a row of circular holes above the 
>  expansion board slots. Blocking off these holes with insulating 
>  tape can effect a miracle repair.

On some towers removing an appropriate expansion blanking plate (usually
a lower one) can have a similar improvement despite external hot air
recirculation. Mind you, dunno about ATX boards cos they are too modern
for me.

-- 
Oz