My psu fan seems to be going on the fritz. It makes an unhealthy buzzing noise after being on for a while i suspect its the fan berrings, *BUT* heres the problem that worries me. ALL of the fans slow down (3 in all) once the psu fan slows forcing me to make a quick reaction stop all my programs and shut down my computer as fast as i can without just throwing the off switch. After a while when the fan has rested for a bit it works just as it did before it made any buzzing, and it will stay like that for a few days.

This comp is used for gaming/surfing for long long peroids of time.. I did reduce the load of the psu by removing the extra cd-rom thats already in there. I do dust the fans every month.

Could I use a light oil (like the type for hair clippers) on the berrings of the psu fan?

I don't have the money right now to upgrade my psu unless theres a nice decent one online that will fit this case. Its an old Emachines T6524, prebuilt comp all stock stuff execpt for the extra hard drive I put in myself.

C:\ 40gb (Strictly system files)
D:\ 200gb (Games n all other stuff)

i use a light sewing machine oil.
saved a lot of fans

"I did reduce the load of the psu by removing the extra cd-rom thats already in there"

That really does little or nothing to reduce the load. An optical drive doesn't draw any power unless it's being used.

What PSU do you have? Is it the stock eMachines Bestec unit or was it replaced?

"Could I use a light oil (like the type for hair clippers) on the berrings of the psu fan?"

Sure, a light oil such as 3-in-1 is what *most* people recommend. I use a heavy oil though...90W gear oil to be exact. People think I'm joking when I say that but I'm 100% serious.

What I do is peel back the seal that hides the bearing, dip the end of a straightened paper clip in the gear oil, then just barely touch the end of the clip to the bearing so that a very small dab of oil is deposited. Then I work it in by spinning the blade back & forth with my fingers. Put it all back together & it's good as new. I've done this numerous times before & it holds up for long time.

Realistically though, once a fan starts to make noise, it's time to think about replacing it. But the above method will buy you plenty of time.

It should be noted that poking around inside a PSU can be risky business. Be extra careful to avoid making contact with one of the capacitors & getting a nasty zap. This article is about a larger PSU, but the warning is valid:

http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/lessons...

From what you have reported, it sounds like more than just a fan issue. None of the other fans should be slowing down because the power supply fan is dried up. I would replace the PSU if that is happening, just think about the spikes it's sending through your more valuable hardware.

If the PSU fan is just chattering around, then you take it apart and either replace the fan, or lube it up. "Synthetic" 20W-50 works well, Gear oil or heavy oil can be used but gear oil smells like rotten eggs. Sometimes if the fan has run dry the little black rubber/fiber spacers in the sleve bearings wear down to nothing and re-lubing the fan at that point does nothing because the shaft slides bac and forth excessively. Usually after the sticker is peeled back, the clip removed, and the fan taken apart fully. There will be little black or red shavings everywhere. The fan is pretty much useless then unless you have spares.

Just try putting some oil in first and see what happens. Dont use WD-40, it is about 85% kerozine and dries up with in minutes. Also DO NOT USE MINERAL OIL! Mineral oil will dry up with in a few weeks to months and will gum up the bearing sleve. Use synthetic oil only! The synthetic only lasts alot longer and does not seem to gum up the insides.

I had a separate thread on here about 3-4 years ago on how to maintenance computer fans of all sizes because so many people requested it. During my 10 years at Practical, I must have re-lubed hundreds of fans. I had more issues with new fans than with sending re-lubed fans back into the field. Especially 40,50mm fans, they ALWAYS wear out with-in a year or two, maybe 3.

Core 2 Duo 1.86