Fan Error

[p2b_steve]

I have a type 7675 Thinkpad X series about three years old.  Out of warranty but a great laptop.  I had the fan replaced and after about a week a "fan error" message came up when trying to boot it up.  The shop replaced the fan with the heat sink this time.  After 3 days use it is giving the "fan error" message again and won't boot up.  I get the impression it must be something more than the fan as it was running smoothly and quietly the last time I could use it.  Any ideas what might be causing this?  I did notice a soft snapping sound in about the middle of the laptop from inside (nothing big, but I did notice it), one of the times I picked it up the last time I could use it.

Thanks for any input you might have.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

If there is constant fan error, then your motherboard is probably having a problem.

[heretohelp]

The repair shop obviously did not fix the issue take it back most shops have a warranty period on repairs fans don't really cost much you might just have a faulty one.

If it were me I would remove the keyboard and try to see if something has become dislodged and stuck in the fan I would be looking to see if the fan spins at all when you start it up.

(You can power on the computer and have the keyboard ribbon cable attached you just need to be careful not to yank the cable too much just lay it in front of the palm rest and hit the power button on the keyboard to start it up)

[andyP Community SuperMod]

Some X61 7675 systems have two fans, both will throw a fan error. Could you post the complete 4 + 3 digit model number. If it ends in cto there may be a number underneath, please post this.

Does your system have 3G / UMTS?

Thanks

[p2b_steve]

The numbers are 7675-CTO for Type and the same for Product ID below the Type line.  I do not know if my system has the 3G UMTS or not.  I plan to take laptop back and have them replace it but with two in a row doing this so quickly I want to learn as much as I can rather than rely only upon what they tell me.  At this point I think if I were to open the laptop up they would claim I broke it and not honor any warranty.   Thanks for any input, it seems pretty unlikely to me that two fans are bad or are fans notoriously unreliable? 

[andyP Community SuperMod · Accepted solution]

You are permitted to remove the palm rest, the second fan sits under it to the right of the touchpad, without vioding your warranty; It's classed as a CRU "Customer Replaceable Unit".

Instructions can be found in the Hardware Maintainance Manual for the X61.

Fans are electronic - mechanical devices, these can break. With fans it's mostly that they get filled up with dirt, dust and who knows what else. When they get loaded with crud they have to work harder, or can't any more and break. And no I wouldn't say fans are unreliable.

edit; typo

[p2b_steve]

I picked the laptop up from the shop this morning and they had some good news.  When trying to boot the computer the fan would start to spin and then stop as if the power was cut off.  They did find someone on the internet that had run into this problem before and was able to suggest a word around.  I am told that if I press the ESC button when the fan error comes up it will go on to boot up.  Somehow the fan is working fine and it is booting properly (for now).  Thanks for your help and suggestions.

[richk]

The fan ALWAYS spins for a short time and then stops. You have a bad fan or a bad thermal sensor. Hitting escape only masks the problem. You are risking damaging your motherboard. You need a different shop.