Lubricating a maintenance-free computer cooler

In older computers, the noise level increases, due to the grinding of the cooler bearing. This is an elementary problem that can be solved without replacing it with conventional grease - which I will do.

Inventory Required

To work, you will need:

• Silicone Grease;
• crosshead screwdriver;
• drill 1 mm;
• medical syringe with a needle.

As for silicone grease for computer fans, it is usually sold in small bottles, such as a cold drop. If you do not professionally repair equipment, then it is better to buy it in a less bulk container. In stores that sell computer parts, grease can often be purchased directly in the syringe.
If specialized silicone grease is too expensive or there is simply nowhere to get it, you can use ordinary oil for sewing machines and keyholes. It needs to be added just a drop.

How to lubricate a cooler

The cooler must be removed from the system unit. Only a screwdriver is needed from the tool. In addition to lubrication, in parallel it is better to clean the chipset heatsink, and it is advisable to change the thermal paste on it.
As for the cooler itself, there is a round sticker on its back, where the diffuser captures air. If you remove it, then in most models you can see the revision hole for manual lubrication. In my case, it is not.
The easiest way to try is to extend the cooler impeller and anoint the bearing on the back side. Sometimes it is easily removed, but it did not work out for me, everything holds very tightly. If you make excessive efforts, the plastic will simply break.
In this case, extreme measures are needed. I take an ordinary drill for metal with a diameter of 1 mm. For convenience, I built a simple clamp, since I do not have a miniature collet that modelers use when assembling copies of ships and aircraft. With a drill, I cut a miniature hole right in the center of the lid where the sticker was. It is necessary to work carefully so that the chips do not get inside.
Next, just pour a few drops of silicone grease into the hole and scroll the impeller to uniformly lubricate the bearing.
To prevent oil from spilling, the sticker must be glued back, closing the hole. If it no longer sticks, tape or tape can be used instead.
Having done everything correctly, if chips or dust grains did not get inside when drilling the hole, the noise will go away, as well as heating the cooler electric motor, as friction and resistance will decrease. After that, you can forget about the rattle, at least for several years.