Can I oil up case fans?
 

recently i used an air duster to clean out my case and fans but now my fans are making scratchy noises, i think i dried up some of the lube in them. how can i oil them again, can I use WD40 or something like that?

sounds more then just drying out, you may have damaged your fan. I'd replace the fan it's it's an important one.

Some say you can, others say you can't. See this page for instructions: http://www.redwing.on.ca/cleaning.shtml

After you lubricate the fan, I would connect it to the power supply, hold the fan in your hand (by the housing, not the blades), and turn on the PC. I do this to test fans all the time and it's easier than continually mounting and dismounting the fan until the point where you end up stripping the mounting holes.

It can often be done successfully, but with the low cost of new fans, may not be worth the bother.

If the sound is due to blowing dust into the bearings, or lubricant out, ball bearing fans seldom respond well, but sleeve bearings can be cleaned & re-lubricated.

Most fans are now ball bearing, and if the noise is the sound of dust in the bearings, there's not much chance of getting them quiet again.

With most fans, peeling off the label on the back of the motor gains access to a plastic split washer which secures the fan shaft.

Mac, is that experience talking here?? :D :D :D

I have disassembled and lubricated many fans with little or no success. If it does help, it will just be a temp fix and the problem will come back. As stated above, just replace it.

A good test that I use is to bring the fan up to full speed...disconnect the power and count how many seconds it takes for it to stop spinning. It should remain spinning for at least 10 seconds. This is just a good rule of thumb...some fans will spin for over 20 seconds while others will stop within the 10 seconds. Of course, if the bearings are noisey, then replace it also.

At our shop, we have a bottle labed "Zoom Spout Turbine Oil" or something like that. It is sold at hardware local stores, you might try Ace Hardware or Lowes or some such (no idea what is available where you are). It is essentially a pure parafin oil in a bottle with an extendable neck, useful for reaching tight spots.

To oil, we get the nozzle as clost to moving parts (for instance, the fan housing, and apply a few drops). If the oil starts to run out, it is too much, but we always wipe up any excess.

Usually, we just replace the fan, because usually a fan is nearly dead, choked on dust, by the time it gets to our shop. However, it is often our luck that we get Socket8 heatsink fans or case fans in odd sizes which we do not stock. Instead of ordering a rare part, we will often try oil first. I have seen quite a few "dead" fans come back to life from oiling it in this way. Not a wonder cure, though, some still have to be replaced or kludged.

No, just the standard disclaimer

success depends on the condition of the fan to start with. Since your noticing nioses from the onset it may be to late for this fan but not the other fans in your case.

Remove the fan and peel off the sticker covering the bearing. may also be a rubber bearing cover remove it as well. Add 1 small drop of any 5 weight oil. spin fan a few times to distribute the oil. Wipe away any excess and cover with sticker or comperable tape.

I always have good luck lubing up the fans, they seem to last longer if they are oiled than if you replace them. then again, thats in my experience

also if this helps any, it is the cpu fan. i tried to unscrew it off the heatsink but the screws would not budge at all, so would it be ok if i squirted some oil on it while it was still mounted? would it mess up any of the electronics in my comp if i accidentaly got the tinyiest bit of oil on anything? thanks

WD40 all the way - but not too much...
also wipe the oil "resedue" - Dust tends to get sticky.

cheers,
Gabriel

PM is great
 

Preventative maintenance on your fans (oiling, dusting, etc...) is a great thing, and can greatly extend the life of the fan. However, if you can not take the fan out, disassemble it, clean it, and re-lube it, you are better off replacing it. If your CPU fan dies on you, it can really suck. Within a few minutes the HS will be scorching hot, and your CPU will be dead. Better safe than sorry in this case.

Older sleeve bearing fans from ancient server cases respond very well to lubrication - I have acquired quite a few 80mm and 120mm fans that had completely seized through a quick cleaning and lube.

WD-40 is highly conductive, so I would only use it if you can take the fan out of the case. You don't want to get it on any cards or the motherboard due to the posibility of short circuits. I didn't see anyone mention this so I just wanted to make sure you knew this.