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FRONTPAGE Keep 'Em Spinning: How To Lubricate PC Fans

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A vegetable based oil or a synthetic oil may be a better choice for what you are attempting as they will not damage your motherboards or electronic components like automotive type oils will and mineral oils I am not sure of either! I do know that these oils that I named will not harm plastics and most of the fan is made of plastic. I also see some recommend air tool oil as it may be a good choice but because I am a retired mechanic of 35yrs I would really be wary of any oil product that is petroleum based because any contact it has accidently to your pc motherboard may cause it to swell and come apart at the layers. All I can tell you is research what you lube or possibly put in contact with the inside of your beloved computers as some products can cause harm that can't be undone!
 
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ok. found some Singer All purpose Machine oil and oiled up my 200mm fans. Its stoped the light clicking noise one of them was making. Im too lazy to do the cpu fans or the one at the back right now.
 
Big :thup: to you guys you saved me 2 RMA's with New Egg on my Ultra Kaze 120's they got really loud almost sound as bearings were dry. So thanks to this post I popped them open applied some lube and they are quieter than before by at least 90% what a difference and I also found a new use for them. At least 1 I am using as a "super duper" ram cooler that will "blow" and clip on fan cooler out there. :D

So big warm thanks to everyone who posted this! :grouphug:

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I had a UK1K that was pretty well useless. Even brand new it only spun at around 910-920 RPM, and you could hardly feel air coming from it. I oiled it, and the speed jumped to 1170-1180 rpm, and now produced a palpable output.

Fan-lubing sometimes makes a huge difference.
 
When I was doing PC repair we always used a grease instead of oil. Regular old petroleum jelly worked well, I also used used wheel bearing grease at times.

The solid aspect seemed to keep the bearings/sleeve lubricated longer than using an oil. However it does take some time (a few minutes) before the lubrication begins to take place. Customers were usually happy not to buy a new fan if they could help it.
 
I recommend against 3-in-one oil. It contains a penetrant.

I've always used 3-in-one household oil (red/black can/bottle) to lubricate my fans. It's never caused any problems for me. Maybe it just takes a really long time to cause a problem?

I've found it usually works pretty well for freeing up stuck or slow-moving fans.
 
i've been using mobil-1 synthetic. use the same thing in my air compressor. book said i could use either compressor oil or mobil-1 synthetic..

i've been doing the peel-n-lube to all my fans as i go along.
 
While I was modding my case, I found out one of the stickers on the back of one of my fans was loose. I pulled it off and there's oil all over the back of it, apparently it's been leaking ever since I've owned the thing. It was one of the fans that came with my Antec 300 Illusion in the front. It's not making any noise, and I've never lubed them before, but any advice on how to stop it from leaking?
 
While I was modding my case, I found out one of the stickers on the back of one of my fans was loose. I pulled it off and there's oil all over the back of it, apparently it's been leaking ever since I've owned the thing. It was one of the fans that came with my Antec 300 Illusion in the front. It's not making any noise, and I've never lubed them before, but any advice on how to stop it from leaking?

If you had a lot of fans you might find one with a plug that fit. Alternately, you can use 91% alcohol or acetone or fingernail polish remover to clean the surface of the fan, then lay the label down with rubber cement. Fill up the reservoir before you lay down the label. The leakage is a feature of many sleeve bearing fans.
 
n00by stupid question

This is my first post and should solidify my n00b status. :-/

I have a Noctua NF-P12 fan, and after I removed it from the case and took the sticker off, there is only a metal slug where the oil well should be. Do I have a non sleeve and bearing fan? Is there anyway for me quiet this sucker down (other than throwing it in the trash)?

Thanks for any help and this site is phenomitastical!
 
This is my first post and should solidify my n00b status. :-/

I have a Noctua NF-P12 fan, and after I removed it from the case and took the sticker off, there is only a metal slug where the oil well should be. Do I have a non sleeve and bearing fan? Is there anyway for me quiet this sucker down (other than throwing it in the trash)?

Thanks for any help and this site is phenomitastical!

Don't do anything. There are some bearings that are sealed. Noctua fans, with their 6-year warranties, are among those. Just put the label back.
 
Just wondering if anyone has done this on Delta Fans. I just bought a ebay lot for a bunch of AFC1212DE's and I'm not having any luck peeling the labels without destroying them. They're glued on pretty good, even after heating with my GF's hairdryer. Maybe I should just poke a hole in the label, inject a little oil, and recover with scotch tape when done?
 
Just wondering if anyone has done this on Delta Fans. I just bought a ebay lot for a bunch of AFC1212DE's and I'm not having any luck peeling the labels without destroying them. They're glued on pretty good, even after heating with my GF's hairdryer. Maybe I should just poke a hole in the label, inject a little oil, and recover with scotch tape when done?

Those Deltas are ball bearing fans that are designed to go forever. Don't bother trying to lubricate them.
 
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