VOGONS

Search

Common searches

How to grease old gpu fan?

Topic actions

First post, by Unrealdevon

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Hiya!
I recently got another fx5900xt card and i paired it with a Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3.

The fan has some noticeable sounds that the other NV silencers i got doesn't have.

Had to use Rivatuner and down the fan speed to around 55% for this to dissapear.

I play exclusively older titles on card on window 98 (dx7 is the newest)
Maybe this cooler is more than enough at 55% speed.
Even if i let's say play Unreal at 1280x960 4xAA 8xanisotropic.
Or maybe this puts an unnecessary stress on the card.

All of these gpu coolers i have are new old stock. Did a search on it and it seems they use ceramic bearing.
On their page it says the following about the fan on this model.

High Service Life (L10 at 30°C: 274000h)
Our ARCTIC Ceramic Bearing (alloy bearing and Ceramic shaft) provides our fans with an outstanding service life.

Did a search on these forums but can't find much except cooler comparisons and how silent and effective they are.

I see all kinds of advice googling this, but i won't do anything before asking here.
This place is a gold mine of knowledge 🙂.

Reply 2 of 5, by paradigital

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

The first thing I’d do is dismantle the fan to ensure the shaft isn’t pitted/corroded.

If it is then you can polish it up using a ladies nail buffing stick, then reassemble and apply a small amount of a thin bearing oil.

Reply 3 of 5, by Unrealdevon

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
paradigital wrote on 2023-03-05, 12:32:

The first thing I’d do is dismantle the fan to ensure the shaft isn’t pitted/corroded.

If it is then you can polish it up using a ladies nail buffing stick, then reassemble and apply a small amount of a thin bearing oil.

How does this spitted and/or corrosion look like?
What would i look for?

Reply 4 of 5, by debs3759

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Unrealdevon wrote on 2023-03-05, 13:12:
paradigital wrote on 2023-03-05, 12:32:

The first thing I’d do is dismantle the fan to ensure the shaft isn’t pitted/corroded.

If it is then you can polish it up using a ladies nail buffing stick, then reassemble and apply a small amount of a thin bearing oil.

How does this spitted and/or corrosion look like?
What would i look for?

If it's pitted or corroded, it will no longer be smooth.

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.

Reply 5 of 5, by acl

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Not sure it applies to fans with bearings..

Fans generally have an axle. It's tied to the fan itself. The fan is hollow and covers the coils used to make it spin. The axle goes through and is secured on the back of the cooler with a pin (sorry if these are not the correct words, not native English speaker)

To clean and apply oil to the fan, you must access to the back of the fan. Where the pin is located.

Once your cooling solution is completely disassembled, you must separate the fan from the cooler. The fan is often attached with screws that are behind (through) the blades. Often 3 screws.

Once separated, there is a sticker on the back of the fan. It's glued but can be removed. Under the sticker you will find either the axle directly, or a small rubber cap covering it (just remove it)

There is generally no need to remove the pin to separate the rotor and stator (the pin is very small and fragile).

You must clean the axle pit with WD-40 + cotton swabs. (I sometimes find metal filings inside)
Then use a thin oil (gun oil works well)

"Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen..."
My collection (not up to date)

Go to top of page Go to top of page
Back to General Old Hardware
Close window
Close window