CPU fan not spinning just jiggles

Jerod_z

Commendable
Sep 13, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hello all i am having an issue with my CPU fan. Everything else on the computer is working just fine. the 4 pin connector is connected properly. Some background is that there was alot of dust gunked up underneath the fan i used a small probe to fish it out and the can of air of course. i don't remember this being an issue before than. so my thought is that i might need to take the fan off completely and see if it's jammed with dust. my question regarding that is will i need to reapply paste if i do so. thank you in advance for any advice or info, hope to hear from you soon.
 
Solution
If possible try connecting the fan to another fan header to see if it will spin then. Given the type of dust buildup you described it's likely that enough dirt/dust got up into the fan spindle and gunked up the bearing. With the system off and powered down remove the side panel and reach in, give the fan blades a gentle flip with your finger to see if it spins. It should spin freely and make several rotations, if it doesn't then you probably need a new fan. Doubtful the fan is designed to come apart, if it did you could try wiping the spindle and applying just a tiny amount of oil to lubricate it.

If you remove your cooler then yes, you should clean off your existing thermal paste with a lint free cloth, coffee filter etc then use...
If possible try connecting the fan to another fan header to see if it will spin then. Given the type of dust buildup you described it's likely that enough dirt/dust got up into the fan spindle and gunked up the bearing. With the system off and powered down remove the side panel and reach in, give the fan blades a gentle flip with your finger to see if it spins. It should spin freely and make several rotations, if it doesn't then you probably need a new fan. Doubtful the fan is designed to come apart, if it did you could try wiping the spindle and applying just a tiny amount of oil to lubricate it.

If you remove your cooler then yes, you should clean off your existing thermal paste with a lint free cloth, coffee filter etc then use just a little isopropyl rubbing alcohol with a lint free cloth to finish thoroughly cleaning it. Reapply new paste and remount the cooler.

Giving the fan a quick nudge while it's powered may get it spinning again for the moment but chances are it will just seize up again within anywhere from a few minutes, few hours or a day or two. It's a very short term solution.
 
Solution

Jerod_z

Commendable
Sep 13, 2016
2
0
1,510


thank you everyone seems like you are all right. i went down to the local hardware store and got the thermal paste so i could disassemble the cooler and fan. there was even more under the fan than i had previously thought (dust that is). So i took it all off cleaned the fan the cooler and the cpu with iso. after everything was surely dry i put on the thermal paste mounted the cooler with the fan attached again and tryed her out. now i'm not even getting a jiggle so i assume its either the terminal i'm plugging the fan into or like everyone said the fan is now seized and dead. After checking all the connections on the motherboard and to the power supply it seems none of the other fan hook ups either have the correct 4 pin to try and power it. but it is still jiggling every now and then. even tryed spinning it while running and it just jiggled to a halt. so i need a new fan huh?