Laptop Fans Unresponsive After Paste Change

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Yes, thank you for the reply. I guess I will use Kryonaut’s recommended method this time (using spatula they give to spread it out).

My new fans do not have that little white dot, so I double checked with my original fans and videos online: the side with the white dot (that goes up) has these 4 little golden pins. I marked that side with a small black sharpie dot for future reference, but also remembering pins side goes up.

Thanks for your double check reminder. As I was typing this I realized I put one of the sharpie dots on the part of the plastic that goes in the motherboard. Baaaad idea. I used the isopropyl alcohol and coffee filter papers to wipe it off completely, now putting it on the little end sticking out (which is what it’s like for the white dot on my originals).

New fans:
[ATTACH type=“full” alt=“image.jpg”]8637[/ATTACH][ATTACH type=“full” alt=“10816BA1-8722-4553-B78A-5B0D936CF0AE.jpeg”]8638[/ATTACH]

Original Fans:
[ATTACH type=“full” alt=“8D655F4B-A97B-4583-AAF8-7A26AB09DCEB.jpeg”]8639[/ATTACH][ATTACH type=“full” alt=“2E561353-109A-41DF-BD2D-AA4ED3FFE18F.jpeg”]8640[/ATTACH]

As you can see, the side with the pins has wires RED, YELLOW, BROWN, BLACK, from left to right.

[PeterOz]

fingers crossed

[veeg]

Any updates?

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Hi, @veeg @PeterOz

Sorry for the delay.

I applied the thermal paste using the spatula/spread method today. Is this the right amount, or too much?

[ATTACH type=“full” alt=“02595D0F-9008-4DAF-9CA8-A78B1832420E.jpeg”]8661[/ATTACH][ATTACH type=“full” alt=“B6643803-14B3-4F85-80E5-F1111FAA2141.jpeg”]8662[/ATTACH]

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Well I went ahead and re-attached heat sink anyway. I plugged fans in as said above. I noticed a bit of weird substance on one of the motherboard components.

[ATTACH type=“full”]8663[/ATTACH]

It’s the PL7103 and to lesser degree PL1801. I cleaned that gunk off with a tiny bit of the same 91% isopropyl alcohol on coffee filter paper. What was that? Some spilled thermal paste? I think I remember seeing it too before when I opened it up the last time. Or, since it’s in proximity to the fans, could it be the part (if any) that got damaged? We shall see.

[Mulder_s_UFO]

The AFTER image:

[ATTACH type=“full”]8664[/ATTACH]

As you can see, there’s still a blackness to it I’m unable to remove. Possible burn mark?

[PeterOz]

Hi - Sorry for the delay have been working on my own computer.
Could be a burn mark - Hard to say by photo. To me it looks ok. It looks like it is a RS 485 chip
Does the fan work?
Paste is a touch heavy but should be good.

The main thing does the fan spin

[Mulder_s_UFO]

OH MY GOD!!!

It’s a miracle against all odds! I honestly did not expect the replacement fans to work, but work THEY DO!!!

Thanks a billion for your invaluable help, @PeterOz. Fans are spinning, and I’m getting delightful idle temps at in the high 30- low 50 degrees Celsius range. Can’t wait to benchmark the heavy stuff.

I‘m so happy right now. This ordeal is finally over after weeks of issues (and I don’t have to buy a new computer!) I really appreciate your support through all this, thanks again!

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Before the mods close this thread, however, I’d like to ask another question.

I notice on my Predator Sense that once the cpu/gpu reaches a certain threshold (i.e. the temps are < 40 degrees or something) it ignores my custom fan speeds and just turns off. Setting them to max manually still works, but that is too loud. Rather than let the laptop warm up and then the fans kick in, I’d rather they keep the computer cool and spin at a reasonable volume (less than max). Would there be a way to override this cutoff, or is it hardwired/requires BIOS editing? Am I better off just leaving it as is?

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Update: It appears that one of my RAM sticks is not recognized by Windows. I’m going to try reinstalling them, but it’s real late now so I’ll do that tomorrow.

[Rustys]

For the Ram you will need to create a new thread.

[PeterOz]

(i.e. the temps are < 40 degrees or something)

It probably turns off as it does not think it is hot enough. Do they turn on as the temp goes up?
What if you set it to Auto

[Mulder_s_UFO]

Yeah, taking out and putting the RAM back in did the trick. Windows recognizes it correctly now.

@PeterOz Yeah that’s probably what it’s doing. Yes, they do turn on once it gets hotter, I was just asking for better control of my device. It’s not really a problem, since under gaming it’s not likely to be anywhere near that cool anyway for fans not to spin. And I’d probably set it to max myself under heavy loads.

[PeterOz]

I would test auto.
I am glad everything is going and you are back up and running especially for minimum cost.
Cheers
PeterOz