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Let’s say you have an IBM ThinkPad laptop and when you turn it on all you get is a black screen with “Fan error” message. What could be wrong?
A few weeks ago, the fan in my trusty IBM T42 bought the farm. This resulted in the unit heating up considerably, as well as numerous “fan error” messages on bootup. It eventually became so bad that to boot up at all, I had to blow compressed air into the fan’s exhaust grill for 5-10 seconds, in order to fool the BIOS and make it believe the fan was actually spinning.
According to the IBM hardware maintenance guide (HMM) for ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p this error message indicates a problem with the fan, you can find symptom-to-FRU index on the page58.
The symptom-to-FRU index in this section lists symptoms and errors and their possible causes.
Apparently it’s time to replace the fan assembly. The cooling fan comes together with the heat sink, that’s why you’ll have to replace the whole fan assembly.
You can easily replace the fan assembly after you remove the palm rest and keyboard.
1. Remove the battery and unplug the AC adapter.
2. Remove four screws marked with yellow circles. These screws securing the keyboard.
3. Remove eight screws marked with orange circles. These screws securing the palm rest.
4. Lift up the keyboard and upnlug the keyboard cable from the motherboard.
5. Lift up the palm rest and unplug the touchpad cable from the motherboard.
6. Remove three screws securing the fan assembly, unplug the fan cable from the motherboard. Lift up and replace the fan assembly.
You’ll find step-by-step laptop disassembly and fan replacement instructions in the HMM in the chapter “Removing and replacing a FRU” on the page 70.
You can find a new fan assembly using the FRU number located on your failed fan, it might look like 91P8393, 26R7860, 13R2919, 13N5442, or 13R2657. Just google the FRU number and find a place to buy it from. Different laptop types with different screen sizes use different fans, so you have to find the correct one witch fits your model. If for some reason your fan assembly doesn’t have the FRU number, you’ll have to refer to the HMM page 216-217. On these pages you’ll find witch fan belongs to your laptop. Here you can find new and used fans for ThinkPad laptops.
For example, if have a type 2378-FVU laptop with 15.0″ LCD screen, then you need a fan assembly with FRU: 13R2657
Static electricity can kill your laptop. I recommend wearing an anti-static wrist strap while working with internal parts of your laptop.
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November 19th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
So, of course, just after posting my last comment I opened another window and began a download. The fan started to speed up and I was able to quickly look at the SpeedFan monitor. It jumped from 43C to 95C, then shutdown about half a second later. I wouldn’t think it possible for a big jump in temp to happen so suddenly. Could it really be getting that hot, or just a bad read?
I’ve cleaned out all the insides of the laptop pretty good when I switched out the fans, so I don’t think it’s dirt or dust. If the CPU really is getting to 95C, then it is being triggered only when powered by AC and only when the resources of the CPU are being pushed up to 100% usage. This sounds like something has gone wrong with the amount energy the laptop is allowing the CPU to receive. Perhaps the chip itself has some kind of electrical resistance that has failed? I’m just guessing here based on the results I have. I went into BIOS and changed two settings under CONFIG>POWER. Both were related to settings when AC power is connected. I changed them to read “Maximum Battery” which is the same setting for when Battery Power is used, which is the only time the laptop is working appropriately. This didn’t help. I plugged in AC, began a download, the fan revved up and the laptop shutdown. Only this time I didn’t see the temperature reading jump up above 46C. It all happens so quickly, though.
It looks like I’m stuck unless someone can figure out how to prevent AC from sending too much power to the CPU. I suppose I will mess with the BIOS settings some more. I saw some settings for “Minimum power” and “Always slow” processing speed, but a super slow computer doesn’t do me much good anyway.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Rob,
Using more powerful adapter shouldn’t be a problem. You can safely use the 4.5A adapter.
Maybe your problem is heat related.
In some laptops you can set the CPU speed to be different for battery and AC mode. Maybe that’s true for your laptop?
When you run your laptop using the battery, the CPU runs at low speed and do not overheat. But as soon as you plug the AC adapter, the CPU runs full speed and the laptop shuts down because of overheating.
Look inside the heat sink. Does it look dirty? Try cleaning the heat sink with compressed air. Maybe cleaning the cooling module will help.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
LaptopTech,
Actually, no, I was using the ac adapter for my docking station, but plugging it directly into my laptop (original adapter for laptop was very touchy and would cut in and out all the time). I looked at it and noticed the output is 4.5a while the adapter for the laptop is 3.5a. I tried the original 3.5a after booting up on battery power. Although it took much longer (around 1 minute, as opposed to 10 seconds), eventually the fan did start speeding up and right when it kicked into top speed, the laptop shutdown.
I started to experiment with different combinations of the two adapters, running power through the docking station…and still would always eventually shut off. Strange thing now: I just installed SpeedFan so that I could monitor the CPU temp and test if it was actually getting hot when the AC power was plugged in (I think it is unlikely since this laptop has been left off and unplugged overnight and this autoshutoff is occuring only a couple minutes after bootup). At the same time, I decided to plug my AC adapters into a powerstrip/surge protector rather than directly into the wall. I don’t know which, if either, of these things made a difference, but so far I have been running on AC power (through the powerstrip and the docking station) for about 10 minutes now. The fan revved up once but not to full speed. It has been softly humming, and SpeedFan actually showed a drop from 52C to 43C the moment I plugged in AC power (which seems counterintuitive to me). For now it’s ok, but it’s only been a few minutes. I will post again if this doesn’t last. [Also, SpeedFan says it can control fan speed depending on hardware capabilites, but I don’t believe my T41p is allowing that. I don’t see where the program has recognized any fans on this laptop.)
Thanks for the suggestion about the wrong adapter.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Rob,
Is the AC adapter you are using is the right one for your laptop?
November 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I have a t41p. I ordered a new fan and installed it today. If I am on battery power, no problems. Fan spins (at low speeds) fine. But the instant I plug in AC power, the fan revs up dramatically, then the whole computer shuts down. It also does the same thing if I try to boot up on AC power. I’ve read a few others advising tweaking the thermal management settings in BIOS, but the t41p doesn’t have that option. Any help????
November 18th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
hitting escape does the trick, thus dont think its the fan, must be something more software wise. Any suggestions for bios changes? Ive already have the latest update for my A31 (get113).
Cheerio,
Dante
November 16th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Kristen,
It’s hard to tell what’s going on. Did you purchase parts from a reliable source?
Can you see the cooling fan spinning at all? Did you apply thermal grease on the CPU before installing the heatsink (if the heat sink didn’t have thermal grease pre-applied)?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Same error with my T42. Replaced both the fan AND the motherboard, and I’m STILL GETTING THE ERROR!!!!!! Any ideas?? This is making me crazy.
Thanks, Kristen
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:16 am
same problem with fan I would WD 40 work too
October 12th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
A parts and a technical question:
First, I want to be sure that the fan is fried, and not the circuit on the motherboard. The fan in my T42 is clearly not operating at all. Without removing the heatsink, I plugged in a scavenged laptop fan where the T42’s fan had been plugged in. This fan failed to turn on its own, but clearly would spin longer than friction would normally let it. It is two years old and may itself be on its last leg. It is labeled DC5V .2A, where the T42’s original fan is a DC5V 0.4A–but my understanding stays a fan with a lower ampere should spin where a higher one was. Am I wrong about this electrical power issue? What does this tell us about the motherboard’s ability to power the fan properly?
I am confident that I can replace the fan only, separating the old fan from the copper base and attaching a new one. (already tested the theory) I am having GREAT difficulty finding the exact replacement fan: MCF-207AM05. I can find 208’s and 205’s, but they appear to have .195A fans–will these be acceptable replacements?
October 6th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Just here to say it worked for me too, without replacing the fan. Cleaning the whole laptop internals did the trick. The fan was noisy (as if something was touching the fan blades), but I found only dirt (and I mean DIRT) on it.
Blows and proper cleaning (isopropyl alcohol, which evaporates without harming contacts) fixed it. I was able to see that the fan was in very good condition – it was just what must be from some battlefield that was preventing it from spinning correctly.
I did stop the fan for a moment with my finger to test, and the laptop said “Fan Error” too. So I guess that’s why the blowing cures the error – blowing though there does move the blades.
HOWEVER, make sure your external blower does blow in the same direction as the internal fan, or you will be counter-acting the fan motor, which does not sound good…
September 26th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I opened up my laptop, but the three screws securing the fan are extremely stubborn and would not come off, even after wearing some of the metal off my screwdriver. I don’t want to risk damaging the laptop.
Any suggestions for me?
Thanks.
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Nick,
Not sure about that. It might be normal that the smaller fan doesn’t spin on startup. Maybe the smaller fan (GPU fan?) starts only when the GPU is hot.
You’ll have to find someone with the same model and ask them.
I think Notebookreview (Lenovo/IBM discussion) site will be a good place for that. Someone with an X61 has to be willing to remove the keyboard and take a look inside.
September 21st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Thanks for the post. I have an X61 that just got this problem.
I have one question: I opened her up and noticed 2 fans. I tried starting up.. and one fan spins during BIOS for a small period of time while the smaller fan does not spin at all. Im guessing that the fan not spinning at all is the problem??? I wanted to double check with you before I dropped the $90 for this mini fan.
Thanks!
September 15th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
This is my exact laptop and I was able to replace my fan no problems, and it worked! Thanks for this post!!!
August 20th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Laptop Tech,
As far as I can tell, I did purchase a new, factory replacement part. But, your comments raise another question. What I am calling “thermal tape” is covering a material applied along the outer edges of the copper heatsink that could be the thermal grease. The tape is clear and very thin and has a very strong adhesive on the side facing the heatsink. I did not remove this tape because it had not been removed from the original part. I did buy this computer brand new (5 years ago) so I did what it appears the OEM did. The other confusing part of this is that the tech person at Impact said this part came without thermal grease applied.
Regardless, thanks for your comments. I learned a few things from this experience, and so far, things are working well.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Midlifemack,
Apparently they assume you are going to use a factory replacement heat sink which comes with thermal grease pre-applied.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I recently replaced the fan assembly, which includes the heat sink, in my ThinkPad R40-2897 after almost five years of good service. Symptoms over the past few months included an increasingly noisy fan that ran almost constantly, freeze-ups, slowdowns, unexpected shutdowns, finally ending with the dreaded “Fan error” message and not booting up. I did not know about the ESC trick but went ahead and purchased a new assembly (www.impactcomputers.com), which I was able to install on my own using the instructions from the manual. Finding out about that last screw to loosen the right side of the rear bezel took some doing (found under “Replacing the LCD”) but I did it. My bigger issue was whether or not to apply thermal grease. The failed unit did not appear to have any on the heat sink, so I did not apply any. The fan and machine are running fine so far. What I found out later is that the heat sink for this fan assembly (46P3099) has thermal tape applied and apparently does not require thermal grease. The instructions also DID NOT call for the application of thermal grease so I’m hoping I did the right thing. Hope you find this minor essay helpful.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:05 am
I fixed the fan on my T42 using some “Oxide clean” and lubricating spray:
I took it out and connected a 5V source, but it didn’t rotate at all. I think it was the red and blue wire that corresponded to the 5V input for the motor but I’m not completely sure. There was too much resistance in the fan. From one side of the fan it is possible to see the PCB card with some electrical components on it. The ball bearings for the fan seem to be located under this card, so I put some lubrucation oil in under the PCB card by letting it run along a thin knife blade (a Stanley knife) and putting the tip of the knife into the thin gap under the PCB card. Thus I was able to not spill any lubricating oil onto the PCB card. Then I rotated the fan by hand and noticed that it moved more easily than before after a few turns.
Then I sprayed some electrical oxide cleaner onto the PCB card where one can see the electronical components inside the fan, and then I let it rest until the spray had done its job.
After that it worked great again. No more overheating and no more “FAN ERROR” on startup
However, I have only used the laptop now for one hour after the repair, but I hope it is “permanent”.
Btw, I anyone wants to try this, I think it is a good idea to use the spray sparingly.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
The instructions are perfect!
When I removed the fan assembly I saw that it was full of gunk. I cleaned it and now my laptop works again. I didn’t even need to replace the fan!
Thanks so much!
(Now I’ll try that with my old HP that’s overheating).
July 21st, 2009 at 9:03 am
A quick question for anyone who has an answer…
I am currently experiencing this very issue, but I notice that the fan actually works once the computer is booted up (which I do by hitting escape and blowing in the vent…) Is it possible that the fan error during the boot process stems from a software problem and not a mechanical malfunction?
July 20th, 2009 at 12:52 am
My laptop would freeze every once in a while and not respond to anything. Whenever this happened I would unplug it, remove the battery, wait a few seconds, replace the battery, plug it in and then restart the unit.
My younger son, internet addict, had the same problem and just left the computer alone. Whatever applications he had running continued to run and when I found it the next day it gave me the Fan Error upon start up.
I figured that the laptop ran until it overheated and the fan went out. The machine is 3 years old.
After several failed attempts at starting the laptop, I pressed ESC immediately upon seeing the Fan Error message. I was fortunate enough to have an external laptop fan (about $20 at Fry’s) and immediately installed it.
I ended up permanently attaching the fan using velcro and the machine works like a charm. I never shut the laptop off, I have it set up to go into stand-by when I close the lid.
If for whatever reason I have to shut the laptop off, I just know to press ESC when as soon as I see the Fan Error message.
The reason I’m here is to find a more permanent solution. Buying a replacement (internal) fan seems to be what I was looking for.