How to remove and replace CPU fan in Toshiba Satellite A65

Here’s how you can replace the CPU cooling fan in a Toshiba Satellite A65/A60 laptop without taking the whole thing apart.

If the cooling fan has become very noisy and started making a grinding sound, apparently it’s time to replace the fan with a new one.

The cooling fan can be accessed if you remove the keyboard as it explained in the disassembly guide (steps 5-8).

Remove two screws (red circles). In order to unscrew the last screw (green circle) you’ll need a very small Phillips screwdriver. You will not be able to remove the last screw because it’s partially covered by the top cover assembly. Simply unscrew the last screw and leave it in the fan.

Unplug the fan cable from the motherboard. The connector is pointed with the green arrow. Unroute the fan cable so it’s not attached to the heat sink.

Carefully remove the cooling fan. As you can see on the picture below, the last screw is still seated in the fan.

The CPU fan has been removed. Now you can replace it with a new one.

The CPU fan comes as a part of the heat sink assembly and it’s possible you will not be able to buy this fan separately. Here’s what you can do. Find a new heat sink assembly (with fan) for Toshiba Satellite A60/A65 laptops here.

Remove fan from the new assembly and install it instead of your old defective fan.