[SOLVED] Front case fan making weird noise at low RPM. Is this a bearing issue, or?

[Rhez]

Hello there!

So, I recently, as in within the last year, replaced my old cooler master fan in the front of my case. I got the BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 120mm, because I've only heard good things about it. It has worked pretty flawlessly, and I've made sure to keep it clean by airdusting and brushing it at least 6-7 times over the last 12 months. But recently it started doing this:

View: https://youtu.be/QyliY50UUfg


I'm not sure what is causing the issue, I've deep cleaned basically the entire case. Does this seem like it needs oil, or something? I thought that would be weird, seeing as it is not that old. It's completely quiet once it gets going, but it makes this weird noise, and seems to have startup issues at low RPM.

 

[Ralston18]

First check the fan's power connections - make sure that the plug is fully and firmly in place.

How do you "air dust" the fan?

If done incorrectly the fan can be damaged. Maybe not all at once but cumulatively over time....

For example, if compressed air is blown on to the fan blades making them rapidly spin that will cause damage.

 

[Rhez]

First check the fan's power connections - make sure that the plug is fully and firmly in place.

How do you "air dust" the fan?

If done incorrectly the fan can be damaged. Maybe not all at once but cumulatively over time....

For example, if compressed air is blown on to the fan blades making them rapidly spin that will cause damage.

Thanks for the quick reply!

I know about having to be careful when air dusting. So I always hold the fans in place, when I give it a cleaning with my wall powered air duster.
The power connection thing is interesting, I didn’t even consider that. It is actually “sharing” a power connector with two other fans, simply for space-saving purposes. But the extension thingy is rather flimsy. I’ll try giving it its own connection when I’m done doing a review write-up in an hour or so. I’ll let you know if your advice helped me!

 

[Rhez]

First check the fan's power connections - make sure that the plug is fully and firmly in place.

How do you "air dust" the fan?

If done incorrectly the fan can be damaged. Maybe not all at once but cumulatively over time....

For example, if compressed air is blown on to the fan blades making them rapidly spin that will cause damage.

Hey, just wanted to let you know, that plugging the BQ-fan in on its own with no splitter seemed to fix the issue! Thanks a bunch