IBM ThinkPad T40 2373 Notebook Logo
Posted on May 13, 2008
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Laptop Fan? I shut down my laptop (which I never do), and when I tried to reboot it, it beeped and said "Fan Error," then shut itself back down. I'm assuming that means my fan is dead, and I need to replace it...correct? About how much will that cost, and where can I get it repaired? PS - I don't know if I entered the right IBM style (I don't have my laptop with me)...I purchased it in 2003 and it was the thin one of the two offered.

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  • jack789 Feb 28, 2009

    the fan is not dead... it is an intermittent problem...
    try rebooting until it comes back alive...
    clean the fan assembly & cooling fins with compressed air

  • jack789 Feb 28, 2009

    the fan is not dead... it is an intermittent problem...
    try rebooting until it comes back alive...
    clean the fan assembly & cooling fins with compressed air

  • Anonymous May 11, 2010

    You might luck out and find a cheap fan on eBay. If you are ambitious you can do the repair yourself, but I would recommend a respected local technician. Could you post the exact model number of the computer?

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ulupoi

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  • Posted on Jul 15, 2008
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I had a very similar problem and got the same error message upon startup, but if I kept pushing the power button, my T40 would eventually boot. In my case, the problem only occurred after shutting down the computer, not after restarting. Eventually, I replaced the fan with a salvaged fan from ebay. It's not the quietest fan in the world, but it works fine now. There are instructions on fan replacement in the "ThinkPad Computer
Hardware Maintenance Manual" at http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-46464

If you use a used fan, clean the old thermal grease off it with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab before applying new thermal grease. I just used silicone-based stuff from Radio Shack.

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  • Posted on Jun 26, 2008
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I have the same problem with my fan and I've tried the air duster. Still making a noise. Help.

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  • Posted on Jun 05, 2008
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Before getting the fan replaced you may want to try to blow the fan with an air compressed duster. Worked for me. You do not need to take the laptop apart completely. There are 4 screws that holds the keyboard in place, unscrew the 4 and you should be able to pop the keyboard out. Once the keyboard is off you should be able to clean the fan.

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Laptop Tips: Overheating Problems
Overheating Frequent overheating will damage the motherboard!..becomes unstable, no display, hang-up and worst black-out or no power at all.
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