Fixed a buzzing laptop fan with a toothpick and some oil

After 6 months of my Dell XPS sounding like a tiny lawnmower, I stuck a toothpick with a drop of sewing machine oil into the fan hub through the vent hole and the noise stopped completely in about 2 minutes.

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2 Comments

cameron4262mo ago

You sure it's okay to use sewing machine oil in there? I thought laptop fans usually need something thinner so it doesn't gum up over time.

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theawest2mo ago

@cameron426 it's a fair point honestly. I used sewing machine oil on my old Dell and it worked fine for like a year, but yeah it did get a little sticky eventually. I'd go with a lighter synthetic oil if you can find it, just a tiny drop is all you need.

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