Question My Case Fans No Longer Work

[Backus17]

Hi,

So I have 3 total case fans in my setup, one in the back and two in the front. However, recently my front two have started having issues. My front fans are aligned so that there's one above and one below the other. My top fan doesn't seem to spin as fast anymore and makes a lot more noise than normal, and my bottom fan has stopped spinning altogether. I was going to just simply unplug them from the motherboard and buy new ones, but these seem to be connected to the PSU which makes me unsure as to what I should do. I've already cleaned them but it did not help, and I also tried plugging them into the motherboard but that didn't help either. The fans are what came with the computer when I bought it about 3 years ago. I will try to attach some pictures as well because I'm not really sure on what kind of connection the fan uses.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MFy5KU2WtQt6deEy7

Sorry if it's confusing, this is my first time dealing with a fan that isn't connected straight to the motherboard.

 

[jojesa]

It will help to know the motherboard model and size of the fans.
I see a little bit of dust inside the case and dust shortens the life of fans.
Placing a drop of machine oil could help bring them back to life.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPyHBH3WwBM

 

[Schlachtwolf]

Looks like they are connected to a molex and splitter so not really a problem to switch out your fans if the they are RIP.

 

[Backus17]

Looks like they are connected to a molex and splitter so not really a problem to switch out your fans if the they are RIP.

How would I go about removing the connection then? Because the wire comes from the PSU, but if I remove the fans I'm just going to buy ones that connect directly to the motherboard which means I wouldn't need the connection anymore.

 

[Schlachtwolf]

What connection does it have to the PSU for the fans, is is a molex? like this

If so just disconnect the molex and get 4pin fans that can connect directly to the Motherboard and can have the speed set to your needs. If you have more fans that MoBo headers then use a fan splitter like this. 3 pin fans will also run on a 4 pin header but you won't be able to control the speed they runand will go full pelt and make noise !!

 

[jojesa]

How would I go about removing the connection then? Because the wire comes from the PSU, but if I remove the fans I'm just going to buy ones that connect directly to the motherboard which means I wouldn't need the connection anymore.

Just squeeze the black Molex connector coming from the PSU, while pulling away the fan Molex connector coming from the fan.
The Molex connector cable coming from the PSU will remain in the case since they are hardwired to the PSU.
Make sure the PC has been powered off and the power cable has been disconnected.
Also press the power button to discharge capacitors, to prevent getting zapped.

 

[Backus17]

Just squeeze the black Molex connector coming from the PSU, while pulling away the fan Molex connector coming from the fan.
The Molex connector cable coming from the PSU will remain in the case since they are hardwired to the PSU.
Make sure the PC has been powered off and the power cable has been disconnected.
Also press the power button to discharge capacitors, to prevent getting zapped.

So I've come to the conclusion that my bottom fan is just flat out dead, or almost completely gone. It barely spins and I disconnected the Molex and tried to connect it straight to the motherboard but it didn't work, howeverthe top fan did work when I tried the same thing. So I'm going to replace it, but did you have any tips on where to place the Molex connections since I won't be using them? Like can I use electrical tape or something to tape them in the case so they stay out of the way?

 

[jojesa]

...any tips on where to place the Molex connections since I won't be using them? Like can I use electrical tape or something to tape them in the case so they stay out of the way?

Just leave the Molex right where it was, next to the PSU.
The metal contacts are protected by the plastic, not tape required.

When you get a new PSU, get a modular unit, you could just connect the cables you need to the PSU and keep the others store somewhere.