Question Pc case fan rattling noise

[Shirox]

Hi,

My pc case is an aerocool aero 1000. One of the front fan is really loud (the bottom one). I never installed new fans nor tried to fix them. So my questions are:
1. How can I fix it if it is fixable at all?
2. How can I access to the front fans? I can't/don't know how to remove the front dust filter without damaging it.
3. I tried to check where are they plugged in but couldn't find it. The mobo has 2 place for case fans but one of them is empty and the other has the back one plugged in. I don't even see where are the front fans cables are or how are they connected.
My mobo is asus h170 plus d3

 

[parker_307]

Hello
Lets start with this, how old is the fan? And to gain access to the front panel and to remove the dust filter look in the manual for the case. Can also be found here.

Check for anything maybe hitting the fan or any other observations and let me know. Thanks!

And to answer your questions.

1. More than likely, we just have to narrow down the issue.
2. Consult the manual found here.
3. is there maybe a fan hub or are they connected to a splitter from your PSU?

 

[Shirox]

Hello
Lets start with this, how old is the fan? And to gain access to the front panel and to remove the dust filter look in the manual for the case. Can also be found here.

Check for anything maybe hitting the fan or any other observations and let me know. Thanks!

And to answer your questions.

1. More than likely, we just have to narrow down the issue.
2. Consult the manual found here.
3. is there maybe a fan hub or are they connected to a splitter from your PSU?

Thanks for your answer.
The fans are at least 7 years old.
When I last checked (from inside the pc) there was nothing that touched the fan.
I don't really know how a fan hub looks like and didn't even knew that you can connect them to the psu. Even when I took off the other side of the pc where the cables are I couldn't point out which one was the fans's.
I can check the pc and fans again tomorrow. Maybe I should take some pictures too?

 

[parker_307]

Thanks for your answer.
The fans are at least 7 years old.
When I last checked (from inside the pc) there was nothing that touched the fan.
I don't really know how a fan hub looks like and didn't even knew that you can connect them to the psu. Even when I took off the other side of the pc where the cables are I couldn't point out which one was the fans's.
I can check the pc and fans again tomorrow. Maybe I should take some pictures too?

Sure some pictures would help. But maybe its time for some new fans, We'll have to see though

 

[Shirox]

Sure some pictures would help. But maybe its time for some new fans, We'll have to see though

I don't have time today so I will try to post the pictures tomorrow.

 

[Shirox]

Sure some pictures would help. But maybe its time for some new fans, We'll have to see though

So I took apart my pc and the bottom front fan (that's the loud one even if I spin it with my hand a little is loud) had some parts that came off. I took some pictures.
https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

20240807-170447 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170447 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/sq2GdKN

20240807-165139 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-165139 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/4MWXxc6

20240807-170050 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170050 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/N11v33B

20240807-170134 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170134 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/XSjNB9k

20240807-170148 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170148 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/LNQshfd

20240807-170216 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170216 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/JtBtDNR

20240807-170250 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170250 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/W2FC5bm

 

[Shirox]

So I took apart my pc and the bottom front fan (that's the loud one even if I spin it with my hand a little is loud) had some parts that came off. I took some pictures.
https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

20240807-170447 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170447 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/sq2GdKN

20240807-165139 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-165139 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/4MWXxc6

20240807-170050 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170050 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/N11v33B

20240807-170134 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170134 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/XSjNB9k

20240807-170148 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170148 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/LNQshfd

20240807-170216 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170216 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/JtBtDNR

20240807-170250 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170250 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/W2FC5bm

Some more
https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

20240807-170447 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170447 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Shirox]

Some more
https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

20240807-170447 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170447 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

 

[Shirox]

https://ibb.co/n1GrK0m

These are the parts that came off

 

[Shirox]

https://ibb.co/n1GrK0mhttps://ibb.co/FByXqtW

20240807-175653 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-175653 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/PhCb6WK

20240807-175733 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-175733 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/Jrzc1Z9

20240807-175753 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-175753 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/GTkqg4n

20240807-170050 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170050 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/N11v33B

20240807-170134 hosted at ImgBB

Image 20240807-170134 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Maybe these will help, I guess tha fans are conected with the osu under the hdd/ssd drives?

 

[Shirox]

It's still loud and the bottom one spins slower than the rest. And as I said even when I started spinning the fan with my hand it gave out the same sound.

 

[Shirox]

It's still loud and the bottom one spins slower than the rest. And as I said even when I started spinning the fan with my hand it gave out the same sound.

If I have to change it can someone tell me how and what size should I buy?

 

[Paperdoc]

Good photos - well done!

First, it IS possible that the fan has a worn-out bearing and needs to be replaced. The typical symptoms of that are:
From a cold start the fan makes a lot of noise, but after 5 min or less it gets silent.
If rebooted while still warmed up, fan is silent
Period of noise gets longer as many days (months?) go on.
Eventual y the noise is permanent

However, that may NOT be your case. The photo of parts that fell off shows a fan hub sticky label that fell off, and two small items. At least one of those looks like a stick-on rubber circle used as a noise suppressor that should be between a fan frame point and the sheet metal it is fastened to. Further, one photo appears to show that the bottom fan is farther away from its mounting plate than the one above, as if its fastening is loose. So MAYBE that fan really is simply rattling around just because its mounting screws (inserted from the front) are loose and the rubber pads are missing. Try this. With the case open so you can reach the fans easily and the noise happening, just touch that fan's frame gently and feel whether it is vibrating. Now push it firmly against the mounting plate so it cannot shake, and see if that stops the noise. If it does, try tightening the front mounting screws.

If that does not stop the noise, carefully touch the spinning fan blades to stop the fan completely, then let it go again. If the stopped fan is silent, then you know it IS that fan making noise.

If the fan bearings are worn, you cannot repair. You must replace. See if you can trace the cables from each fan to a common point where they all are connected. A photo of that would help. Also then trace where a cable from that common point goes to - a mobo header, or maybe a PSU output. You'll need this to work on replacement. Let us know what you find.

 

[Shirox]

Good photos - well done!

First, it IS possible that the fan has a worn-out bearing and needs to be replaced. The typical symptoms of that are:
From a cold start the fan makes a lot of noise, but after 5 min or less it gets silent.
If rebooted while still warmed up, fan is silent
Period of noise gets longer as many days (months?) go on.
Eventual y the noise is permanent

However, that may NOT be your case. The photo of parts that fell off shows a fan hub sticky label that fell off, and two small items. At least one of those looks like a stick-on rubber circle used as a noise suppressor that should be between a fan frame point and the sheet metal it is fastened to. Further, one photo appears to show that the bottom fan is farther away from its mounting plate than the one above, as if its fastening is loose. So MAYBE that fan really is simply rattling around just because its mounting screws (inserted from the front) are loose and the rubber pads are missing. Try this. With the case open so you can reach the fans easily and the noise happening, just touch that fan's frame gently and feel whether it is vibrating. Now push it firmly against the mounting plate so it cannot shake, and see if that stops the noise. If it does, try tightening the front mounting screws.

If that does not stop the noise, carefully touch the spinning fan blades to stop the fan completely, then let it go again. If the stopped fan is silent, then you know it IS that fan making noise.

If the fan bearings are worn, you cannot repair. You must replace. See if you can trace the cables from each fan to a common point where they all are connected. A photo of that would help. Also then trace where a cable from that common point goes to - a mobo header, or maybe a PSU output. You'll need this to work on replacement. Let us know what you find.

The first thing that you described is what happaned with time, and now the sound is always there. The thing is if I have to replace it, that a little stressful for me because I don't really like doing works inside my pc and even now I tried to trace back where the fans cables are going but I'm just not sure. I tightened the screws but didn't help.

 

[Shirox]

A

The first thing that you described is what happaned with time, and now the sound is always there. The thing is if I have to replace it, that a little stressful for me because I don't really like doing works inside my pc and even now I tried to trace back where the fans cables are going but I'm just not sure. I tightened the screws but didn't help.

And yes, the bottom fan is the loud one.

 

[Paperdoc]

This may sound scary, but if ONE original 7-year-old fan has its bearings worn out, then ALL of three are nearly worn out, and all three should be replaced. But once out figure out how to do one, the rest will be easy! Let's look at the steps.

Background info. Fans basically come in two different designs, with several sizes for each. MANY modern fans also come with lights built into the frame, but you do NOT have any of that type, and you should not change to this variety. The older fan design is called 3-pin or Voltage Control Mode fans, and that is what you have. If you look at those fans (it's visible in the photos), each has a cable from it with THREE wires in it. If you follow each to its end you'll see a connector about 3/8" wide with a couple of ridges running down one side. If you unplug that momentarily you will see it has THREE holes to fit 3 pins on the other part of the connection. The little ridges fit around a "tongue" beside the male 3 pins so you can only plug it in one way. The newer fan design uses 4 wires and pins and holes and is called a 4-pin fan or PWM Mode fan. You do NOT have this. Further, that fan needs a different type of mobo fan header you do not have, so do NOT get 4-pin fans.

You need power AND speed control for your fans, normally provided by a mobo fan header. Your mobo has three headers in total, but one of them is the CPU header at top centre to be used only for the CPU chip cooler. The other two are CHA_FAN headers - one right next to CPU_FAN at the top, and another below and to the rear from the CPU chip socket. You say you know the REAR fan is plugged in and where, but do not know how the two front ones are connected. I suspect the rear one is plugged into the CHA_FAN2 header closer to it. So MAYBE the two front fans are connected to that CHA_FAN1 header at the top beside CPU_FAN. Is there something plugged in there? If so, try following that cable and you MAY find it meets up with the TWO cables from your front fans. If so, then you have found the connections AND know how to connect any replacement units. Post back here what you find so far.

I'll do details later, but very briefly this is what you will do. Buy three identical fans (I'll provide some details to choose the right ones). For EACH fan you disconnect its cable from its power source and untangle it from the rest so the cable is free. Then from OUTSIDE the case you unscrew the four screws that turn into holes in the corners of the fan frame and this frees that fan for removal. Installing the new one is just the reverse using the same mounting screws. One small note here. the holes in the frame of the new fan are NOT pre-threaded so the screws have to cut their own new threads in the frame plastic. This takes some twisting effort, it is not super easy, so don't be alarmed.

Let us know what you find so far, and we can proceed with full remaining details.

 

[Shirox]

This may sound scary, but if ONE original 7-year-old fan has its bearings worn out, then ALL of three are nearly worn out, and all three should be replaced. But once out figure out how to do one, the rest will be easy! Let's look at the steps.

Background info. Fans basically come in two different designs, with several sizes for each. MANY modern fans also come with lights built into the frame, but you do NOT have any of that type, and you should not change to this variety. The older fan design is called 3-pin or Voltage Control Mode fans, and that is what you have. If you look at those fans (it's visible in the photos), each has a cable from it with THREE wires in it. If you follow each to its end you'll see a connector about 3/8" wide with a couple of ridges running down one side. If you unplug that momentarily you will see it has THREE holes to fit 3 pins on the other part of the connection. The little ridges fit around a "tongue" beside the male 3 pins so you can only plug it in one way. The newer fan design uses 4 wires and pins and holes and is called a 4-pin fan or PWM Mode fan. You do NOT have this. Further, that fan needs a different type of mobo fan header you do not have, so do NOT get 4-pin fans.

You need power AND speed control for your fans, normally provided by a mobo fan header. Your mobo has three headers in total, but one of them is the CPU header at top centre to be used only for the CPU chip cooler. The other two are CHA_FAN headers - one right next to CPU_FAN at the top, and another below and to the rear from the CPU chip socket. You say you know the REAR fan is plugged in and where, but do not know how the two front ones are connected. I suspect the rear one is plugged into the CHA_FAN2 header closer to it. So MAYBE the two front fans are connected to that CHA_FAN1 header at the top beside CPU_FAN. Is there something plugged in there? If so, try following that cable and you MAY find it meets up with the TWO cables from your front fans. If so, then you have found the connections AND know how to connect any replacement units. Post back here what you find so far.

I'll do details later, but very briefly this is what you will do. Buy three identical fans (I'll provide some details to choose the right ones). For EACH fan you disconnect its cable from its power source and untangle it from the rest so the cable is free. Then from OUTSIDE the case you unscrew the four screws that turn into holes in the corners of the fan frame and this frees that fan for removal. Installing the new one is just the reverse using the same mounting screws. One small note here. the holes in the frame of the new fan are NOT pre-threaded so the screws have to cut their own new threads in the frame plastic. This takes some twisting effort, it is not super easy, so don't be alarmed.

Let us know what you find so far, and we can proceed with full remaining details.

Thank you. My mobo has 2 placse for case fans but only one is used (the fan in the back)
I guess maybe the front ones are connected to the psu in some way but I couldn't find it and it's already late where I live so I can't try and check/untangle the cables. If I link a website that is located in my country can you tell me which fan shoukd I buy? That's the easiest step at least for me. And can something go wrong in my pc while the fan is this loud?

 

[Paperdoc]

Yes, a link to a place you are likely to buy is good. I can see exactly what they sell suited to your needs.

Using your system with the noisy fan will do NO damage. The only problem might be if that fan gets so bad that it completely freezes up and stops, so you get less air flow. That is NOT likely to happen very soon, so don't worry.