Oiling Pc Fans

[Guest]

Hi, I just read about oiling pc fans to make them quieter and last longer.
This is one of the websites.
http://www.dansdata.com/fanmaint.htm

What do you guys think about oiling fans?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

I strip my pc every 6 weeks or so to clean out the case,
checking over my fans and oiling them is part of that but I know I'm a rarity
nice link though for those who've never entertained the idea before
Moto

 

[edgaraslt]

Is it possible to oil gtx460 fan without removing heatsink?

 

[Guest]

I think you have to get to the other side of the fan on a graphics card which means removing the heatsink.

Are there any problems that might occur by oiling pc fans?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

^ yup, if you want to oil gfx card fans, your in for a fun ride
problems oiling fans?
other than clumsiness I.E. spilling oil everywhere or dropping too much into a bearing so it flies out when it turns on I dont see any downsides to it
Moto

 

[dokk2]

Hmmm,, I find that a little grease mixed with a bit of lighter fluid and the excess drained off with a paper towel works better ,, grease is heaver than oil and will not get gummed up with dust and stuff, whatever trips your trigger..

 

[Guest]

What oil would be best? Most I've read is that 3inone or sewing machine oil is good and wd-40 is bad. But than another place i read said the opposite and that 3inone and sewing machine and wd40 is all terrible and that there was an oil dedicated for pc fans, which I haven't found. What grease/oil is best?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

I use a squirt of Wd40, but then I do mine regularly,
if its a once/twice a year thing I'd say a small dab of light grease in there would last well enough, the important thing is that you do something to help keep your fans working well
Moto

 

[Guest]

What kind of grease?

 

[Ubrales]

Grease is a thick film lubricant for heavy loads that require a high film strength. It may work on old fans where the clearances are high, but will not work efficiently on newer fans with the correct bearings clearances.

As someone already mentioned, sleeve bearings (like 'Oilite' bushings) have impregnated sintered bronze bushings with an open cell structure. Generally, this is impregnated with a lifetime lubricant. However, a drop of oil applied sparingly will help prolong the life, and quieten the bearing. Synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 (SAE 30) will work fine. (BTW, the 'WD' in WD-40 stands for 'Water Dispersant').

Do not use a spout to dispense the oil. Instead, use a piece of bare 12 Ga. or 14 Ga. copper wire, dip the end in the oil, and touch it to the bearing until you get about 1/2 to 1 drop of oil on the bearing. This should last about 6 months in normal use.

 

[Majestic One]

yeah like Uberales said, the WD in WD-40 is for "Water Dispersant" meaning it will not short out any circuitry.

it is a light fish oil compound (the smell) and is light enough to saturate the bearing hub, and pour out the old dirt/dust from within the hub area.

i spray into the hub area (keeping the fan hub facing up like a bowl) and fill it full of WD then i pour it out. i do this until when i pour the liquid out it is clear and not dark. ALSO i spin the fan blade to kinda clean all the rotational surfaces inside, then i pour it out. as i said i do this till the poured out liquid is clear again.

when i am done cleaning, i slap the fan verticle and then horizontal (hub bowl facing down) into a hand towel i am holding. i slap all the liquid i can out of the fan so it will not drip when i reinstall it.

wipe down the fan housing and blades with your hand towl and if you can plug it in out of the case to let any (if any - usually not) sling out.

your fans smell a little funky, but they are clean on the inside, and look new again because of the light oil coating on the outside.

the smell goes away after a day or so.

also i have never ever had any kind of problems with new dust/lint stuff sticking to the fan blades or housing ever.

i do this every 2-3 months.

hope this helps.

PEACE!!!

 

[joelmartinez]

if you get scythe slipstreams you need to oil them other fans should be oiled but some, like S-FDB bearing ones not as much. Also WD-40 isn't really supposed to be for oiling the fans because it's a penetrant not a lubricant try bones speed cream

 

[Ubrales]

Another option is Hoppe's firearm lubricant. It is a light and effective lubricant. Stay away from grease.

 

[Majestic One]

VERY good idea Uberales ^+10

yeah when i think of grease, i think of a wheel bearing on an old 48 Chevy - LOL

Hoppe's firearm lubricant @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=+Hoppe%27s+firearm+lubricant

Check this out also:
Smith & Wesson Advanced Gun Oil with Cerflon
http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SW001-Advanced-Cerflon/dp/B000FY03K8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1307043830&sr=8-1
Learn more about Cerflon:
http://www.cerflon.com/

I just ordered some of this S&W w/ Cerflon for my future fan lubricating from now on.

Thanks Uberales - because I was adding the word silicon to firearm lubricants and came accros this S&W w/ cerflon.

 

[edgaraslt]

Could someone post an url where to buy gtx460 fan? Doesn't have to be genuine.

 

[Ubrales]

VERY good idea Uberales ^+10

yeah when i think of grease, i think of a wheel bearing on an old 48 Chevy - LOL

Hoppe's firearm lubricant @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=+Hoppe%27s+firearm+lubricant

Check this out also:
Smith & Wesson Advanced Gun Oil with Cerflon
http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SW001-Advanced-Cerflon/dp/B000FY03K8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1307043830&sr=8-1
Learn more about Cerflon:
http://www.cerflon.com/

I just ordered some of this S&W w/ Cerflon for my future fan lubricating from now on.

Thanks Uberales - because I was adding the word silicon to firearm lubricants and came accros this S&W w/ cerflon.

Remember to use just a drop or less. In this case 'Less is better'. Excessive oil will be a magnet for dust and other abrasive material and will actually be detrimental. I use a piece of 14 Ga. wire, apply the oil to the wire, and then direct the tip of the wire to the spot that I want lubricated. Do not use the spray to lube the bearing.

 

[Majestic One]

Remember to use just a drop or less. Do not use the spray to lube the bearing.

10-04 Uber-dood

 

[Ubrales]

10-04 Uber-dood

Into trucking or LE? the '10' codes reminds me of a nice Johnny joke.

Teacher to Johnny: "Make a sentence using the word 'asinine'
Johnny: "I'd give her face a 4, and her asinine!

Now back to the original topic.

 

[Majestic One]

heh heh heh... that's no little johnny joke, man!!! IT'S TOO CLEAN!!! (ABTW - you just goofed this thread up, man - now everybody is gonna have a joke...)

no i'm not into trucking... but that reminds ME of a joke...

(i'll clean it up... ALOT!)

trucker's going along and swerves to run into every jerkoff he sees on the highway.
he see's a priest w/ a gas can & picks him up.
trucker sees a group of jerkoffs and pretends to fall asleep in front of the priest and swerves at them.
BOOM BOOM BANG DI-BANG BOOM!!!!
"DID I GET 'EM?" his yells pretending to come out of the sleep
"Nope... but I hit every one of them with this gas can on the way by!!!"

 

[Ubrales]

I wonder what happened to the OP?

 

[Majestic One]

lol - probably oiling his fans!

 

[Guest]

Hmm... read every post immediately after you guys posted. Oiled my fans ages ago. @Majestic One do you relalize that you revived on a half a month dead thread? I don't mind but after half a month I didn't think that anybody was going to post anything.

Quick side question to add on. I remember reading that sleeve fans are best if they are orientated horizontally and not vertically. I'm guessing this has to do with the pressure being on one side. Does orientation of sleeve fans affect lifetime and noise noticeably? Or is just oiling them more than sufficient. But still don't know which lubricant is the very BEST. I've been using mineral oil only on my old fans because I heard that many other oils leave residues that may gump up the inside.

 

[Guest]

The reason I used mineral oil is because in the link that I originally posted, the person used 3-in-one for lubricant and he wrote to use the mineral one because it was better than the vegetable oil one. So I thought it was just better if I just used pure mineral oil instead. Hope i' not killing anything.

 

[Ubrales]

The ball bearing fans have sealed bearings - no oil needed.

The sleeve bearing fans have sleeves made of open cell sintered bronze material; impregnated with oil for life. If you feel that you need to oil these, use some light Hoppe's oil; available at sporting goods stores.

 

[Majestic One]

no definitely don't use veggie oil (only in a DIRE straight) & i personally would not recommend mineral oil or baby oil. it's good for skin and aching muscles - but is too thin for this application.

seriously i would personally not be that concerned with bearings and life wear considering there are 80+ CFM 120mm fans for $6 each out there... if oil don't work to get me by to my next fan purchase then the side comes off LOL.

i bought this crap today:
http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SW001-Advanced-Cerflon/dp/B000FY03K8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1307043830&sr=8-1
ONLY because I have 2 new InWin Dragon Rider cases coming and thought since the fans have never had a life yet, I might try a cheap preventative measure before they do begin their lives. seemed only logical to me.

here is a VERY good read on different types of bearings. I read this last night while on the discovery of what a rifle bearing was.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_%28mechanical%29

PEACE, bear

EDIT: by BTW folks the InWin Dragon Rider is on sale this month for $129 after $20 mail in;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108376&cm_re=dragon_rider-_-11-108-376-_-Product