Loud X200 Fan Solved!

When I first received my x200 tablet, it emitted the infamous "fan error" code and shut off. A quick blowing of the fan vent solved this annoying issue, but the fan continued to emit a subtle purring sound, which almost became popping sounds when the fan really revved up. I could also hear the fan rubbing against something when it 'grinded' to a halt (had to listen very carefully).

So instead of sending the new latop back to Lenovo's questionable service department, I decided to do some surgery of my own.... The process was pretty easy (just undid 4 screws on the back to remove the keyboard). Upon a quick investigation, I realized that Lenovo installed the fan mount too low and that the blades were rubbing against the bottom part of the computer.

Stuffing some folded up slips of paper under the fan mount pushed the fan up enough so that the blades cleared the bottom of the laptop and now the fan is silent!

Just wanted to post this up because I read that a lot of people are getting annoyed at how load their Thinkpads are.... This might be a common case among Lenovo owners albeit less drastic..... But now I can't even hear my fan!

 

Questionable uh ? how so ?

 

Won't that add friction to the fan, slowing it down and potentially making the computer run warmer or use more power to stay cool?

 

I don't really understand what you are getting at.....

All I did was raise the fan blades off from the floor of the laptop so the blades wouldn't rub on the bottom.

 

There just has been a lot of complaints about the service department.

 

You said that you raised the fan blades by putting paper under them. Doesn't that mean the blades are being pressed against by paper? That sounds like it would add a lot of friction to the fan and also block some more air flow.

 

Oh! What I meant was that I put paper under the blade shielding; not the blades themselves....

 

Lenovogringo, can you take a photo of the screws you are speaking of.
Does it void the warranty.

 

Oddly enough, I don't think it voids the warrenty. Lenovo make their laptops to be easily upgradeable. When people have problems with their tablets later on, they are encouraged to replace any upgrades that they have made to the computer with the original components before they send the laptop in for repair (so the upgraded parts don't get lost and such).

In this case, if you do the 'paper thing' and still have problems and decide to send the laptop into Lenovo, I would encourage you to take out whatever modifications you made so everything would be as if it came straight from the factory.

BTW, the screws for the keyboard are located on the bottom of the tablet. They are labeled with a picture of a keyboard right next to them. There are 4 on the X200T. (should be similar to this: http://www.insidemylaptop.com/images/IBM-ThinkPad-T30/remove-replace-keyboard-04.jpg)

You may see a similar looking symbol (a keyboard with a tear drop; 3 of them) but those are just holes for drainage (in case you spill something on the keyboard).



Before you take the 4 screws off make sure that:
1. The tablet is off (duh).
2. The battery and ac adapter are both unplugged.

Below are some pics of the screw locations:












When you have removed the 4 screws, turn the tablet over and try to lift the keyboard up.





You have to slide the keyboard forwards before you can lift the keyboard up. This can be done by sligtly pushing down on the keys with your fingers and gently pushing forward.



You'll know that you have successfully 'slid' the keyboard out when you see the bottom tabs.





IMPORTANT!!!! Once the keyboard is loose, lift it up GENTLY! The keyboard is attached to the motherboard via a short wire strip, so be sure not to pull away too fast (or you may rip the wires off of the motherboard and ruin the connection).



It definately helps to have something supporting the keyboard as you fiddle around inside (I used the battery).





You should be able to lift and move the keyboard just enough for you to see the fan.



If you look closely, you would be able to see the paper modification that I made. I used some scotch tape to securely prevent the paper from flying everywhere.







The position of the paper does not inhibit airflow in any way. I also used a black tip of a zip tie to add of the height of the paper stack. I ended up needing a lot of upward positioning to get the fan quiet (a lot of pressure is being pushed onto the paper/zip tie tip combo).

You should download the FRU replacement guide for the X200T here:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/45n3683_01.pdf

In fact, I encourage all Thinkpad owners to download all of the support materials from the Lenovo website (manuals, etc...).

BTW:






When you put the battery back on, be sure to lock the mechanism securely; otherwise you'll get a beep code when you boot up and get a 'fan error' message (besides the fact that you risk the battery falling off when you carry the tablet around!)

 

Thanks a lot ! I am really liking this tablet's easy access !
Has anyone replaced the fan by a more silent model ?