noises

[Karthik1019]

If a fan makes loud chopping noises but there isn't anything (wires etc.) interfering with it and the only time it makes this noise is during startup and the noise goes away after tapping it (well, it gets harder each time, I really have to hit it pretty hard now) and it doesn't happen after restarts of come back intermittently while the computer is on for extensiver periods of time, is it time to get a new fan or is there some kind of tech-surgery I can do on it? Wow, that was a long sentence. Thanks in advance.

[Cricket]

You could try lubricating it to make it last a bit longer, but it's really better to just replace it already.

To lubricate the fan, remove it from the case and then peel the label back until you can see the motor spindle. Apply a few drops of light machine oil and press the label back down. Slowly spin the fan blades a few rotations and then install the fan back into the case. This may or may not make the noise go away and if the noise does go away, it'll return eventually.

I would just replace the fan.

Cricket

[Karthik1019]

Thanks for the help. So it's just a bearing problem then huh? Oh well, I think I'll just replace it along with the other matching fan. I've been meaning to get quiter ones anyway. The two 80's that come with the X-Dreamer II are really loud. Some people say if you get rid of the fan guards, they aren't at all, but I'd rather get new fans than get my fingers chopped off. I dunno, maybe I'm just strange like that.... Oh well, thank's anyway. The only issue I have is that shipping from newegg costs more than the fans themselves sometimes and the friendly neighborhood CompUSA doesn't have fans with LED's.

[Jaggannath]

Could it not just be the fan was poorly attached, and that's why whacking it was fixing it?? Perhaps check how it was mounted