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An upgraded version of the Microsoft Surface, the Microsoft Surface Pro (1514) Laptop/Tablet hybrid is very difficult to open and repair without further breaking the device.

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Grinding / Buzzing Fan

Hi guys,

So my out of warranty Surface Pro has developed a potentially very expensive / annoying problem......

One of the CPU fans has become extremely noisey when the CPU is under load and it's trying to cool the thing down. We're not talking about wooshing air here, it sounds like a mosquito has got inside and is buzzing like its on drugs. Essentially its sounds mechanical...

I'm loathed to take the machine to Microsoft as I think I'll get automatically told to send it off for servicing and it'll cost me $300 - $500 to replace a $20 fan. So what I'm trying to find first is a safe lubricant that I can spray into the vents on the device (ideally while it's on) in an attempt to lube up whatever is causing the buzzing.

Does anyone really technical have an suggestions? My reading so far suggests a silicon based spray is good. But I'm terrified to spray anything into it!

If the spray solution doesn't work I'm guessing the only option after that is to surrender my credit card to Microsoft?

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Gold Mist is what I used, it made the fans run quiet for a couple of days than returned but not as loud.

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Also used a small vac to suck dust out of the cooling system.

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Try tilting your Surface Pro to horizontal then upright. If the noise level changes, then the fan blades are moving on their bearings or something inside there (dust) is moving. I found that my Surface Pro was silent in the upright position and making a noise like the fan blade was touching something in the horizontal position.

I found that giving the chassis a few old fashioned bangs, while holding in the quiet upright position, dislodged whatever the fan was touching, and I'm now back to silent running.

A very good friend of mine services hundreds of computers every week. He tells me he *always* begins by vacuum cleaning the computers. It's amazing what rubbish those fans suck in, and I'm thinking the Surface Pro's fans can't have much clearance inside that narrow chassis, so getting any dust out is a good first step.

Start with the computer powered off. Attach a vacuum cleaner hose to one of the vents using Duct Tape, or similar, to get a really good seal. Power on the vacuum cleaner and rotate the Surface Pro in all directions. Give it a few slaps on the chassis (NOT the Screen) to help dislodge any trapped particles. If my friend is right - and he invariably is - you should get a lot of dust and detritus out. This will improve the cooling airflow, even if it doesn't immediately cure the problem. Repeat the process on both sides, as particles that are trapped sometimes only release when sucked in one direction.

DO NOT be tempted to use one of those Air Blower aerosols. They spray a liquid gas (usually Butane) which may come out partially in liquid form. This isn't something you want on a live circuit board. And, yes, that circuit board is still partially live after shutdown! That's part of the reason why the Surface Pro can start up so quickly.

Hopefully, this will work for your Surface Pro.

Good-luck, Rick

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Hey Dave, any comments on how this went?

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They start up so quickly because of the SSD that's inside of them. The SSD uses the cached data inside of it to boot up instead of the HDD spinning around 5400 rotations per minute to read data.

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Brilliant saved my sanity ...I vacuumed gently tapped and that was it ...60secs later back to work

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This worked, thank you for the tip!

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Vacuum cleaner trick WORKED!!!! Thank you.

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Helo Dave,

it seems to be fault coming from coolers.This fault can be occur due to dust and bad bearing of the fans. [http://Here|Microsoft Surface Pro Teardown] is the teardown guide and replace both fans. ifixit doesnt have required spares and [http://this|http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Surfac...] one found on eBay. double check before order it with your model number.

Hope you could solve the fault your self

Cheers!

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Hi,

The thing is I don't really trust myself to open it up without damaging it further, I'm trying to avoid having to open it up, or having to pay Microsoft to open it up. Any ideas on a spray lube?

Thanks

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Spray lube doesn't really make any sense for this case

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Folks, here's an update on my earlier posting.

Previously, I advised attaching a vacuum cleaner to clean dirt and dust out of our Surface Pro. That's what I did on the advice of an expert on PC maintenance. It helped, but didn't entirely cure the problem.

Today, about a year on, my Surface Pro still has some fan noise on occasion, but the good news is that the fans have mostly quietened down. I only get the worn fan bearings noise every now and again.

However, my concern was whether the fans were still doing their job. Well, a bit of research has revealed that the i5 processor should operate at a core temperature between 40 and 80°C. If it exceeds these parameters (bearing in mind the maximum temperature for the i5 processor is 100°C) then your Surface Pro should automatically shut itself down, with a warning message to tell you what's happening, and not permit a restart until a safe temperature is reached. So you should be safe, even if the fans aren't doing their job.

Tonight, my Surface Pro was getting hot while I was playing a video. I had the idea to find a core temperature monitor that'd confirm how hot the Surface Pro was getting. I downloaded the Open Hardware Monitor. This has confirmed that both i5 cores were operating at around 60°C, well within normal operating parameters. So, if you're concerned about overheating, I suggest you download a core temperature monitor.

One last thing. Some of these monitors will (apparently) also give information on fan speeds. I've not yet found how to do this. If you find out how, then please post a reply.

In summary. Your fans will probably get quieter over time. Do clean your cooling ducts with a vacuum cleaner, and keep an eye on cooling with a core temperature monitor downloaded from the Internet. In any case, fear little, as your Surface Pro's self-protection features mean it will automatically shut itself down if it's in danger of reaching an unsafe temperature.

Hope this is helpful,

Rick.

(A professional in the computer industry)

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CoreTemp gives CPU temps as well as fan speeds.

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Hi Guys,

I know i am quite a few years too late but I think i found the answer, and a good ol’ fashioned cleanup and smack won’t do the trick 100% of the time.

I recently refurbished my old SP3 due to cracked screen and noisy fan when tilted. I had to open everything including replacing thermal paste.

Upon investigation, 2 major causes aside from dust accumulation.

  1. The fan’s Axle and Hub lost its lubrication! There’s a tiny gap between the axle and the brass hub and when you introduce a movement that would oscillate the fan to its axle, it rubs and creates a weird noise. It does not sound scraping against the wall because the axle is rubbing the hub without any lubrication.

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Solution: Add a lithium grease or RC car grease to the hub and axle. Not too much. Just enough to cover the whole mechanism. I wouldn’t recommend WD-40 as it is too thin.

  1. If the sound seems like it is scraping something, it could be because of the corrosion of metals around the fan blades. The aluminum surface directly in front of the fan is corroding and creating small spots that is raised and the fan hub is scraping it. The fan case is metal too so a small rust will scrape to the fan blades. Better try to scrape those with the blunt edge of your pry tool.

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Solution: Scrape using your hardest plastic or mild scraping of the blunt edge of your metal pry tool.

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hiarvi, after using grease on the fan, did it worked fine or the noise came back?

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The noise did not come back. There's still a very slight hum but not as ridiculous as before. This is the best solution IMO apart from replacing the fan unit.

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Hi Arvi, better late than never! I have been having issues with my fan as well, but after seeing the issues with taking apart the SP3, I decided to live with the fan issue.

Of course luck this morning was not on my side and my tablet got away from me and met the floor with a spectacular crash ;-( The chassis is ok, but now I am going to try to find the parts to replace the screen and going to take your advice on lubricating the axle.

I'm curious, if I can find the parts, do you think it's just worth it replace the fans entirely?

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Guys, it seems like popping open the screen is a big issue without actually breaking it. How did you all end up opening it anyway? I know I can find a tutorial but all that I watched end up breaking their screens. Any advice? It's annoying to have this fan grinding on the chassis.

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Hi Ariva,

Good job. Can you tell me how you disassembled the fan? I'm afraid to break it. Mine is surface pro 4

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hiarvi, after using grease on the fan, did it worked fine or the noise came back?

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It worked fine. Noise did not come back. I suggest a RC car grease.

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This is very much workable part where you will be having it for the valuable part which is going to have it for the possessor to get it work for the computer where it will be having the best for the user so netgear tech support will provide you the best information

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This post makes no sense whatsoever. Sounds like a phishing post to me.

If you're genuine, try using proper English.

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great advice not quite sue if it worke for me. Yet to be seen

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See my solution. Hope that should do the trick.

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Quite late but one solution that is working for me is using throttle stop and under volting you computer by -70mv try it out.

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Dave P will be eternally grateful.
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