Cleaning PSU

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HavocXphere

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My NoNameBrand PSU has lately taken to making a noise....the dirty fan kind of grinding noise. Usually its starts shortly after startup. Powering down & back up fixes it for that day weirdly.

Now its making a noise after already running for ~5hrs which is new so I assume its getting worse.

Do you guys reckon the ball bearings are shot or is it something that can be cleaned out? Is it even safe to open a PSU (Presumably its full of capacitors etc)?
 
Sounds like it could be the bearings on the fan, time to replace with a new PSU?
 
Sounds like the cooling fan bearings are shot, like you said. Those capacitors can store power for days, so if you don't know what you're doing then it's not recommended to open it up. However, it's normally really simple to just swap out the faulty fan with a replacement and wire it up again. It all depends on your technical know-how and if you feel comfortable doing it, and know the risks. I'd say it's probably best to just fork out a few hundred bucks and get a replacement quality PSU for the sake of your PC's components.
 
Yeah exactly why replace the PSU just cause the fan is failing? It doesn't make sense, my fan is also failing on my PSU and it's barely 8 months old!! It's still under warranty, so I'm not sure if a failing fan falls under the warranty :confused:
 
NomNom said:
Yeah exactly why replace the PSU just cause the fan is failing? It doesn't make sense, my fan is also failing on my PSU and it's barely 8 months old!! It's still under warranty, so I'm not sure if a failing fan falls under the warranty :confused:
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Of course it will, because if the fan fails the PSU is going to start overheating and then your machine is going to start freezing randomly. If the fan is failing or has failed, and the PSU is under warranty, get it swapped out asap.

I recommended replacing the nonamebrand with a quality PSU, as the PSU is a very important piece of the puzzle. Your whole machine runs on DC power, so rather pay a bit more and get a decent one to protect your components in the long run.
 
You can try just giving the fan a dab of oil first. Has a rubber seal on the one side (under the sticker), remove this, put a drop of oil in, spin it for a while, replace the seal.

Fixes em 90% of the time.
 
South_Bit said:
However, it's normally really simple to just swap out the faulty fan with a replacement and wire it up again.
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Wait, those things have standardized spec case fans in them?:wtf: Looking at the back the size looks about right.

So its just a matter of getting a case fan, cutting out the existing & soldering the new one in?:confused:

South_Bit said:
I'd say it's probably best to just fork out a few hundred bucks and get a replacement quality PSU for the sake of your PC's components.
Click to expand...
Thats what I was afraid of. The gear is pretty old (C2D)....worth maybe 3k...so buying a R600+ PSU doesn't particularly appeal if it can be avoided.

Stopped making a noise out of the blue while writing this. Doubt it'll stay that way though :erm:
 
You can change the fan or for a quick fix remove the fan, clean it, peel back the little sticker covering the bearing/sleeve and put a drop or two of machine oil in there. Sometimes this will fix it for a long time but on other occasions the beering/sleeve might be shot and it will only work for a month or two without squealing.
 
ponder said:
You can change the fan or for a quick fix remove the fan, clean it, peel back the little sticker covering the bearing/sleeve and put a drop or two of machine oil in there. Sometimes this will fix it for a long time but on other occasions the beering/sleeve might be shot and it will only work for a month or two without squealing.
Click to expand...

When you hold it you will feel if it is permanently damaged or just needs some oil.
Once oiled it will either vibrate alot, or not.
 
I also had the same problem with my old pc but my PSU's fan sometimes did not want to turn my old pc froze a couple of times and I opened the PSU unit and opened and cleaned the fan and put some grease or oil in the fan and it still works without a problem

I done it with alot of dc fans.
 
chrismine said:
Q20 works well.
Click to expand...

Castrol DWF works better.

mco_nonengine_motorcycle_dwf_pl_105x250.jpg
 
ponder said:
You can change the fan or for a quick fix remove the fan, clean it, peel back the little sticker covering the bearing/sleeve and put a drop or two of machine oil in there. Sometimes this will fix it for a long time but on other occasions the beering/sleeve might be shot and it will only work for a month or two without squealing.
Click to expand...
I'll give that a shot. Failing that I'll replace the fan. Last resort is a new PSU.
 
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