Keep 'Em Spinning: How To Lubricate PC Fans

SPECOPSPC · 03-03-12, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theocnoob

Well, I mean if I get in there and there's no lube well I find out at that point which type of bearing I have right?

Why don't you list what you fans you have & hopefully the forum members can give you the proper advice before you start?

ehume · 03-03-12, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPECOPSPC

Why don't you list what you fans you have & hopefully the forum members can give you the proper advice before you start?

^ What he said.

frank_g · 03-04-12, 12:51 AM

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!

Lyian · 03-04-12, 12:39 PM

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.

Lord_of_Decay · 03-06-12, 06:05 PM

Thanks for the write up. Will take care of it while cleaning the case.

SPECOPSPC · 03-07-12, 11:20 AM

Big

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.

So big warm thanks to everyone who posted this!

ehume · 03-07-12, 06:31 PM

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.

bcsizemo · 03-10-12, 09:13 AM

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.

ehume · 03-10-12, 02:23 PM

That makes sense. We lubricate car bearings with lithium grease.

white phoenix · 03-28-12, 03:29 AM

3-in-1 Motor oil (the blue can) works great for fans. the black/red cans suck just as bad as WD-40 though.

Tech Tweaker · 03-28-12, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehume

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.

Adragontattoo · 03-28-12, 02:36 PM

I have used Gun oil, gear oil, Mobil 1, and any number of other oils over the years. I did the peel-n-lube about 3 weeks ago on the 3 panaflo blowers I have on top of my receiver. Went from sounding like a mouse convention to dead silent and higher air flow.

95blackz26 · 03-28-12, 02:56 PM

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.

Aldakoopa · 03-28-12, 04:42 PM

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?

ehume · 03-28-12, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aldakoopa

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.

Bobnova · 03-28-12, 06:27 PM

I've found ATF to work the best for me. Stinks though.

DaShiznit · 03-29-12, 10:39 AM

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!

ehume · 03-29-12, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaShiznit

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.

Rock&Roll · 03-31-12, 09:20 AM

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?

ehume · 03-31-12, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock&Roll

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.

03-04-12, 12:51 AM	#23
frank_g New Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Alabama-USA	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! Last edited by frank_g; 03-04-12 at 01:17 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-04-12, 12:39 PM	#24
Lyian Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Southern Indiana	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. __________________ CPU & Cooling:Intel i5 2500k & CM Hyper 212 EVO /w Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm Fan (for CPU) Mainboard & RAM: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 & CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3R 1TB HDD & Intel 510 Series 120GB SATAIII SSD Video & Audio: MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card (picking up a 2nd for x-fire later on) Case & PSU: Coolermaster HAF x w/ Corsair Gold AX850 Display: Dell u2410 + 2x Dell u2412m's + 1 Hans-G HW191D Input: Logitech G110 Keyboard / Logitech G700 Mouse & Zboard Fang OS: Windows 7 Ent x64
	QUOTE Thanks

03-06-12, 06:05 PM	#25
Lord_of_Decay Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Currently in New Mexico	Thanks for the write up. Will take care of it while cleaning the case. __________________ Intel i5 3570k MSI Z77A-GD55 8GB Geil PC312800 MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Aircooled with Thermalright Venomous X
	QUOTE Thanks

03-07-12, 11:20 AM	#26
SPECOPSPC Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Inside a Cooler Master 932 HAF	Big 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. So big warm thanks to everyone who posted this! __________________ Asus Sabertooth P67 Intel i5 2500K 4.5ghz (oc'd) (2) EVGA GTX 560 SC 2gb each 850-Core Clk / 1708-Shader Clk / 4000-Mem Clk 16gb of Corsair Vengeance 1600 (oc'd) Cooler Master 932 HAF Advanced 3.0 case Cooler Master V6GT CPU Cooler OCZ Vertex 3 SSD 60GB Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 1050 Gold (2)Lamptron FC9 Fan Controllers (2) Delta AFB1212GHE-CF00 120's 240cfm (2) Scythe Ultra Kaze 120's 3,000rpm 133.60cfm (1) Delta TFB0512SHF Server Fan for Motherboard 50x50x32mm 10,000RPM's 29cfm
	QUOTE Thanks

03-07-12, 06:31 PM	#27
ehume Member Join Date: Oct 2009	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. __________________ Fan comparison: 65 Fans Tested on a Megahalems Good Cases for Air Cooling Hotrod: Core i7 875K 1.2-4GHz BCLK 133MHz w/ multiplier up to 30x \| As.s P7P55D-E Pro \| Scythe Mugen 2 w/ 2 San Ace 9S1212P4M011's \| 4x2GB G.Skill low profile DDR3-1600 \| NZXT Beta Evo \| Gigabyte/ATI Radeon HD 4670 w/ 1GB DDR3 \| Crucial C300 128GB \| Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.12
	QUOTE Thanks

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03-10-12, 09:13 AM	#28
bcsizemo Registered Join Date: Sep 2009	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.
	QUOTE Thanks

03-10-12, 02:23 PM	#29
ehume Member Join Date: Oct 2009	That makes sense. We lubricate car bearings with lithium grease. __________________ Fan comparison: 65 Fans Tested on a Megahalems Good Cases for Air Cooling Hotrod: Core i7 875K 1.2-4GHz BCLK 133MHz w/ multiplier up to 30x \| As.s P7P55D-E Pro \| Scythe Mugen 2 w/ 2 San Ace 9S1212P4M011's \| 4x2GB G.Skill low profile DDR3-1600 \| NZXT Beta Evo \| Gigabyte/ATI Radeon HD 4670 w/ 1GB DDR3 \| Crucial C300 128GB \| Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.12
	QUOTE Thanks

03-28-12, 03:29 AM	#30
white phoenix New Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: New York	3-in-1 Motor oil (the blue can) works great for fans. the black/red cans suck just as bad as WD-40 though. __________________ Linux Selphie 2.6.7-gentoo-r14 CPU: Athlon XP 2600+ mobile @ 2.6Ghz 208x12.5 1.8v (prime stable) MOBO: EPoX 8RDA3+ MEM: 256MB Mushkin @ 416Mhz, 2-2-2-11 2.88v VIDEO: MSI nVidia GeForce FX 5700 425/550-->479/678 DISTRO: Gentoo Base System version 1.5.2
	QUOTE Thanks

03-28-12, 02:36 PM	#32
Adragontattoo Trailer Chasing Senior Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: 103 year old Victorian that I am renovat/moderniz-ing and fixing.	I have used Gun oil, gear oil, Mobil 1, and any number of other oils over the years. I did the peel-n-lube about 3 weeks ago on the 3 panaflo blowers I have on top of my receiver. Went from sounding like a mouse convention to dead silent and higher air flow. __________________ Only ISP provided, .EDU, .GOV, .MIL e-mail addresses are Classifieds approved. Are you unable to access the Classifieds? Click here to find out why! The Forum Rules FAQ\|Classies Rules and Regs Prices, slashes and edits Quality over Quantity Pictures are NOT req. Adopt an animal if you want one, dont use a breeder!
	QUOTE Thanks

03-28-12, 02:56 PM	#33
95blackz26 Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: North Brookfield, MA	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. __________________ GIGABYTE G1.Sniper I7 950 12GB F3-12800CL9T-12GBSR--GTX 460 hawk ralon attack PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 i7 2600k---GTX560 ti 2gb 16gb mushkin 997005---120gb mushkin chronos deluxe PC power & cooling 750 quad
	QUOTE Thanks

03-28-12, 04:42 PM	#34
Aldakoopa Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: North Carolina	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? __________________ CPU: FX-4100 (4.2GHz, 1.25V daily --- 4.83GHz, 1.5V max stable so far...) COOLER: Hyper 212+ MOBO: Asus M5A88-V Evo RAM: 8GB (4GBx2) PNY Optima DDR3 (1400MHz) GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7850 (1050MHz core, 1200MHz mem) PSU: 600W Corsair GS600 SSHD: 500GB Seagate Solid State Hybrid 5400 rpm HDD: 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm SSD: 128GB Samsung 830 Case: Antec 300 Illusion OS: 64 bit Windows 7 Home Premium... (OEM?)
	QUOTE Thanks

03-28-12, 06:27 PM	#36
Bobnova Air Superiority Senior Member Benching Team Leader Join Date: May 2009 Location: Humboldt	I've found ATF to work the best for me. Stinks though. __________________ "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." -- Einstein (maybe) How to check your PSU with a multimeter. 17bXw5t51rEBXGavJFMJsC8g7HQgThUGc7 Heatware.
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03-29-12, 10:39 AM	#37
DaShiznit New Member Join Date: Mar 2012	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!
	QUOTE Thanks

03-31-12, 09:20 AM	#39
Rock&Roll New Member Join Date: Mar 2008	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?
	QUOTE Thanks

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