case fan dying?

[peekaboo]

i have a sonata ii which is a few months old.
almost immediately there was a tiny buzz from the case fan.
it sounded like a very soft zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and i assumed that the fan was slightly vibrating in its place because it would stop if i touched it and if i slightly rearranged the wires it would stop for a while (no wires ever got in its way).

a while later the noise started to sound like there's a little piece of paper or something slapping against the blades.
it would come and go and i could not really do anything noticable about it.

today it started to squeek like a mouse.
I opened the case again and the fan seems to be having a hard time. it spins intermittently. starts, stops, goes slow, stops, squeeks...
if i give it a spin with my finger it'll spin for a bit and then stop.
i've left the case open for cooling.

so should i go buy a case fan asap?

[peekaboo]

i decided to open up the fan to take a look at what's going on.
i've attached pics of what it looks like.
basically i found some gunk in the central hole. i can't tell if it's some kind of lubricant or debris and i don't know if it's supposed to be there or not.
anyway, it's out now.
i turned the computer on with the fan in my hand and it vibrated but didn't manage to spin.
Should my computer be off in the meantime?

[Cricket]

The fan's sleeve bearing is shot. Replace the fan.

You can use the computer, just watch for heat related problems like lockups and freezing. If these happen, turn off the computer until you get another fan.

Cricket

[MaxRat]

you can try to relube the sleeve....run a pipe cleaner thru it...to clean it... use some 3-in-1 oil to lube it...

I use auto engine assembly lube when I redo mine...you can buy it at any auto parts store...I prefer Sealed Power brand...This has a very high shear strenght... still there when wiped off... and just the right thick ness...

[peekaboo]

i called antec and told them to read this thread.
they're sending me a new fan.

[MaxRat]

wow.... that worked....good job...

Life should be that easy....

[peekaboo]

the fan arrived.
antec let me know when they shipped it, and kept contacting me when ups couldn't get in the building.
they really wanted to get that fan to me and i am very impressed with their service.
i wish all companies treated their customers like antec does.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Wow...thats great loll. OCZ was a little late on my rebate so they sent me some gifts as a apology lol. Its really worth it to deal with known quality manufactures. They also sent me a replacement stick of my faulty ram overnight through fedex

[kingsownall]

wow taht was solve rather quick. that gotta be some customer service by antec. and thats the reason y we buy thier products/ quality goods and godlike customer service. and that was a case fan too... dammm