Repairing the A/C on my laptop?

September 16, 2007 5:46 PM

How difficult is it to replace a laptop's cooling fans?

I have a Dell Inspiron E1505, and I have been having some problems with the onboard cooling fans. I would like to replace them, but I am not sure how hard it would be to do myself. I would really prefer to not send it somewhere, such as Dell's support center. Besides, it's a year old, and has dual-booth with ubuntu linux (via grub), so they probably wouldn't be too eager to replace them anyway.

I have seen various online repair stores that claim they can replace the fans, so I'm hoping that means its possible to somehow acquire the fans. If i can get my hands on them, does anyone know how hard it would be to dig into my laptop and actually replace the fans?

I've never dug into my laptop before, but it looks rather accessible. I'm not really worried about voiding warranty or anything, but I don't want to mess anything up very badly.

Or, does anyone have experience with local computer repair shops, or even the geek squad at bestbuy, replacing cooling fans in a laptop? I'm not sure if they would be able to do it, or what the cost would be.

Thanks for any advice/insight!

posted by kraigory to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

I've done this on two different Toshibas with a minimum of fuss. Have not looked at that particular Dell, but I bet you can find instructions online, if you google. Fans are pretty cheap, too.

Do not lose screws. Be very careful not to strip them. Those are my two big tips.
posted by routergirl at 5:56 PM on September 16, 2007

Geek Squad would gladly do it, but I wouldn't want to pay what they ask.

I take apart laptops every day at work, that's the easy part. The trick is getting them back together again. Is the bottom of your case solid, or sectional? Some brands/models have individual pieces you can pull off to get at the fans. Otherwise you'll need to take the whole thing apart and get the motherboard out...which can be tough, but it's not as intimidating as it seems. The most important things are to remember which screws you took out of where, and to be gentle. Everything locks or fits together in a certain way, you just have to go slow and figure out how.

You should be able to find the fans on ebay. If you want to go ahead and do it yourself, email me with any questions.
posted by Roman Graves at 6:00 PM on September 16, 2007

I'm about to do the same for my Inspiron 9300 notebook, and from what I've read on various forums it is indeed a pretty simpe deal, even on a Dell notebook (eh, lotsa things that seem fairly straightforward on other lappies are apparently far trickier on the Dells, but happily it seems that fan replacement isn't one of them). One thing that will probably help you, assuming you've not already found this, is Dell's online service manuals - check 'em out here. I've done minor laptop surgery on mine before thanks to these manuals and for my model at least there's a section that specifically addresses fan maintenance/replacement; I'm not a mechanically inclined person by nature but I've met with a lot of happy success following the directions therein.

Good luck and happy tinkering!
posted by zeph at 6:06 PM on September 16, 2007

Funny, mere seconds ago I was googling "cleaning or replacing fan in Thinkpad X31."

It appears this site has gathered do-it-yourself instructions (with pics) for a variety of laptops including three Dell models. I don't know if these models are close to yours but I can't imagine the general process would differ much. Might be a good starting point.
posted by click at 6:56 PM on September 16, 2007

One trick for disassembling laptops I used the one time I did it was to make a drawing of the bottom of the laptop. Then, when I removed a screw , I'd tape it down on a new sheet of paper, number it #n, and I'd draw in #n screwhole on my drawing. Anal but effective.

I 'd suggest you invest in a grounding strap and work on a grounded surface (e.g. a cookie sheet or bit of tinfoil wired to ground).

If you decide to send it in to be repaired, remove the harddrive first.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:12 PM on September 16, 2007

A pretty straightforward operation that you can very likely do yourself.

Best Buy and Circuit City would each charge about $40 in labor to do it plus the cost of the part (provided they had one.)
posted by deCadmus at 7:34 PM on September 16, 2007

I've always found Dell notebooks super easy to work on, especially with the online service manuals.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins6400/en/sm/index.htm

If you do this yourself, watch the keyboard when you're prying off the hinge cover.
Don't pry against the keys, they can pop off.
posted by tresbizzare at 8:22 PM on September 16, 2007

You can do it yourself if you're technically minded and have at least some experience with disassembling and reassymbling computers.

On your laptop you'll likely need to remove the keyboard and some other trim pieces to gain access to the fans. Tresbizzare's link to the service manual will come in handy.

As for replacement fans, you maybe able to order them through Dell, or you could luck out and find them on ebay (in either new or used condition - pay special attention to the seller's description.) It helps if you know the part number for the "assembly" that includes the fans.

Also you'll need some small phillips head screw drivers, a suitable work area with good lighting and (if you're really careful) some way of documenting your work (drawing, notes, or photos via digital camera) so that you can put the thing back together in the event you stray from the service manual.

Also be aware that while the power for the fans will probably have a plastic molex connector to the motherboard (which you can simply unplug) they could also be directly soldered... in which case you'll have to splice in and solder your new fans (not that big of a deal really...)

Good luck!
posted by wfrgms at 8:47 PM on September 16, 2007

Um, unless something has changed very recently, GeekSquad does not open laptops, at least not at the Best Buy stores. They will ship it off to a service center which will do the work. So in addition to paying, you'd be waiting weeks.
posted by IndigoRain at 10:47 PM on September 16, 2007