On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 19:38:08 +0200, Ken <_ken_3_@telia.com>
wrote:

>On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 14:46:00 GMT, kony <spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>>>> My el cheapo Dell Dimension 2400 is normally _very_ quiet, which is
>>>> exactly why I use it. But lately the fans seem to be going full pelt all
>>>> the time and the noise level is starting to annoy me. The weather is
>>>> very hot, which is the only factor I can think of. Is that connection
>>>> probable and likely? Or is it silly? I don't really know anything about
>>>> PC hardware, so I apologise if that's a stupid question.
>>>
>>> Lube the fan or replace it.
>>> http://tekniken.se/docs/image/example/fan01.jpg
>>> http://tekniken.se/docs/image/example/fan02.jpg
>>
>> Dells often had ball-bearing fans, which may get no quieter
>> (sometimes even louder) if lubed.
>
>That's not my experience after lubing a lot of ball-bearing fans.
>I don't use thick oil, very thin. They always get quilter.
>That's practice, not theory. Dells fans maybe are different?

I have exactly the opposite experience, have lubed MANY
ball-bearing fans with several viscosities of oil, grease,
even the two mixed together. It almost never benefits them
as by the time a ball-bearing fan is making noise the
bearings are shot and lube doesn't make them round again.
Thin lube usually makes them significantly louder.

Which specific fans have you lubed and do you know who made
the bearings? Among those I've lubed include Superred, Yate
Loon, NMB, old Panaflo (back when they made ball-bearing
PC-sized fans), Sanyo (and probably others, I wasn't trying
to keep track at the time).