Question Why is the case fan not working?

[blueskyx5]

I am using "Cooler Master pro 120 air balance". After about 2 years it suddenly stopped working. When I checked the motherboard settings, it is in DC mode and the RPM settings are high. But it does not respond at all. Thinking that the SYS Fan pins might be bad, I plugged in another fan and it works great. When I checked the impeller, cables and pins of the non-working fan, there is no physical damage and they are in very good condition. The propeller also spins and glides wonderfully by hand, without any difficulty...

Since I have given up on this fan now, I want to try to repair it and will remove the impeller. (Maybe WD40 would work... I don't know.) I wonder why a fan that looks so solid from the outside would suddenly stop working? And is there a method I can try to recover it?

 

[Paperdoc]

Your description suggests it has a significant electrical failure. That could be anything. Simplest is a broken wire connection, and IF that is in the wires OUTSIDE the fan (between fan body and cable connector end), you might find that and fix. If it is inside the fan, your biggest barrier is not getting it apart. That is hard, but so hard that you are likely to BREAK some pieces and then you cannot re-assemble. So for interest in what the innards look like, have fun! Don't really count on getting it to work after disassembly. The fact that the fan spins smoothly by hand suggests this is NOT a case of worn bearings that cause it to stall, so spraying oil on it anywhere won't help.

 

[blueskyx5]

Your description suggests it has a significant electrical failure. That could be anything. Simplest is a broken wire connection, and IF that is in the wires OUTSIDE the fan (between fan body and cable connector end), you might find that and fix. If it is inside the fan, your biggest barrier is not getting it apart. That is hard, but so hard that you are likely to BREAK some pieces and then you cannot re-assemble. So for interest in what the innards look like, have fun! Don't really count on getting it to work after disassembly. The fact that the fan spins smoothly by hand suggests this is NOT a case of worn bearings that cause it to stall, so spraying oil on it anywhere won't help.

I previously removed the propeller of one of the two fans on my graphics card. (Of course, not every fan blade comes out the same way and requires great care). While doing this, I broke one of the three plastic legs that sit on the heat sink metal. But this did not cause any problems. The fan was out of balance and was working very loudly, I poured some engine oil and silenced the noise. In short, I have experience disassembling a fan. But I think the case fans are supported by an extra gasket and their removal requires a slightly different method.

I think I'll try this, because it doesn't matter if it doesn't work for me anymore. (I already bought a new fan.) Indeed, when viewed from the outside, there is no physical damage. This sounded interesting. (Maybe there is a break in the thin wires inside.) Thank you for the ideas. If I manage to fix it I'll report the results here.