More Fan Issues

So about a month ago I started a thread stating my R1 was overheating. Everyone told me to spray some air into it to blow the dust out and it will be fine. I did that, and it worked.

Or so I thought.

I just ran prime95 until both cores got to 50C, and the fan didn't come on at all. I've blown air on it, and no dust comes out. The fan just won't turn. To keep my laptop cool, I had to lower the temperature in my room.

Unfortunately, my warranty expired (actually, the original problem I had occurred a little more than a month after it expired). And speaking of my warranty, Big Brother Dell didn't even recognize my service code until a month after the warranty expired.

Any idea how much it would cost to fix?

EDIT

Fan just came on for no apparent reason, it sounds like a person with asthma struggling to breathe when it starts up. Once it gets going through it runs fine-ish. I'm still upset though.

I always thought Dell was a good brand, until now. Not just because of the fan issues, but mostly because of the fact they didn't recognize that their product existed until after the warranty on it expired. I had tried using my service code while it was under warranty and their website didn't recognize it. What would I have done if I had problems with it while it was still under warranty?

 

Were you entering the service tag thats by the fan, or the one thats on the windows sticker?

I have seen lots of people try to use the one thats on the windows sticker.

But anyways, you can get a new fan on ebay or from dell for pretty cheap. Its not too hard to install either.

It will come as a whole heatsink assembly, but I think you can pull the fan out of it and just swap that if you want.

 

I tried both while it was still under warranty, and neither of them worked then. I forget which one I used after the warranty expired that then told me my product was no longer under warranty.

Also, I've never been able to get the motherboard out of my laptop. I'm willing to try a lot of things, but the last couple of times I've taken my laptop apart I've had problems getting it to boot (RAM stick slightly not in place, or my favorite: forgetting to reconnect the screen). If I mess something up, I'm stuck without a computer at all.

 

You live in the US?

 

Yes I do live in the US

 

Well, if you mess anything up, you can ship to me for repairs.

 

I'll keep you in mind.

But here's the status currently.

I took it apart and sprayed some air. I ran the computer with the keyboard unattached so I could have access to the fan. If i nudge it, it will start to move. I did this for awhile and eventually it would start moving on it's own (i am using Prime95 to manually heat up my computer, and then turned off Prime95 once the fan came on). Once I was happy I put everything back together. So I start up the computer to make everything is working. I turn on Prime 95, and the fan doesn't come on. If I put my ear next to the fan, it made a sound like it was trying to spin, but it wasn't moving. I sprayed some air on the fan while it was making these noises and it started to spin.

I just thought I'd let you guys know how it is behaving.

 

When you sprayed the fan with air did you hold the fan from spinning when you blew air into it? If not, then you might have broken the fan bearings :X

 

Ok, so I was actually able to get the motherboard out and put everything back together well enough to type this message!

Anyway, I think I'm going to buy a HSF replacement from ebay. Is there are difference between the r1, r2, and r3 HSF that I should look out for?

Also, do i need to replace the thermal compound or do I have to buy that as well?

 

if fan only you do not need compound BUT if planning to replace anyway that is the time to do it.

 

ok, but that still doesn't answer my other question. Is there a specific heatsink fan assembly for the R1, or is it the same between the R1, R2, and R3?

 

pretty sure each rev is different. im 100% sure the R1 is different from the R2/R3.

this is the R1 heatsink:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p40/robbass13b/0178af59.jpg

 

Yes the fan/heat sink is not the same between the models.

 

Alright, now can anyone give me a model number?

I would find it myself, but the only way I know how is through Dell but I need a service number for that and for some reason they are again not aware that my laptop exists!

EDIT

Is this a HSF from an m11x http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-M11X-05M8N2-Notebook-Laptop-CPU-Cooling-Fan-Heatsink-5M8N2-/270921821407?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1432ecdf?

 

thats for the R1, just like the pic i posted 2 post ago.

 

Thank you, I just wanted to make sure before I waste my money

 

The r1 head sink has 3 contact points, 2 copper ones on one pipe, then the one thats under all the aluminum for the fan mount.

r2/r3 only have 2 contact points. one per heat pipe.