[SLUG] When the oil hits the fan, what happens?

[Rob Hall]

Yup - a nice easy fix and a way of breathing life into a groaning fan.

You will need :-

Stuff to remove the fan with (screwdriver etc.)
Decent quality black tape (or whatever colour you like really - the oil
isn't fussy!)
White spirit or meths
3-in-1 or other relatively heavy oil.
A cloth / cotton buds and a paintbrush

Remove the fan. Use a paint brush to get all the dust and crap off the fan
and give it a quick wipe over with a cloth with a smidge of white spirit on.

Find the sticker in the centre of the fan where you would expect to find the
bearing. Remove it.

The fan is generally held onto the spindle with a small plastic circlip.
Make sure this is properly on the spindle - if not, use a small screwdriver
to pop it on.

Put one drop of oil VERY CAREFULLY into the bearing making sure you don't
get it on the surrounding plastic. You might find it easier to use a
cocktail stick or something.

Turn the fan round a couple of times by hand which gets the oil settled into
the bearing.

Wipe round the surrounding plastic from where you removed the sticker with a
cloth / cotton bud and a little bit of white spirit.

Pop on a new bit of tape and press down firmly 

Voila - quiet fan!

Seriously, it is a quick easy fix and if done properly will give you a good
couple of years more life from your fan. Don't use a light oil like WD40 as
it doesn't lubricate the bearing as effectively.

Hope that helps

Rob the Bodge