The cooler on the laptop does not work: causes, elimination, prevention of the problem

The cooler is sometimes called the computer's lungs. Therefore, if you notice that the cooler does not work on the laptop - there is no usual quiet buzzing, then the device can in no case be operated in order not to provoke a breakdown.

What is a cooler

Cooler (eng.cooler - cooler) is a fan, cooling processor and graphics card. The last elements in the work (especially intense) are very hot. If they are not provided with constant cooling, then they simply fail - they burn out. That's why you can’t continue to operate the device if the cooler on the laptop has stopped working.

This peculiar fan spins at different speeds: if the processor is heavily loaded, it gains speed to maintain the element at the optimum temperature, if the laptop is in sleep mode, then the cooler also rests. Unlike a computer, a laptop loads much less frequently - only when working with "heavy" applications, surfing on web pages with a large number of scripts, etc.

Some people incorrectly believe that Apple MacBook devices lack coolers, since they do not emit characteristic noise. However, it is not. Fans are certainly present there. Only due to the fact that the aluminum case of these devices is an excellent heat dissipator in itself, the load on them is small, and therefore they are not heard at all.

The average life of the cooler is 2-5 years, but in some cases the mechanism fails much earlier. If he began to humming, making noise, creaking, making strange sounds or spinning more slowly - this is already an occasion to disassemble the laptop or show it to a specialist.

Causes of malfunctions

Why the cooler does not work on a laptop - we list the main reasons:

• Heavy pollution. The fan passes air through itself, which is full of dust - it accumulates on its blades.
• Malfunction of his own mechanism.
• The problem with the motherboard - the elements responsible for the rotation of the cooler are out of order.

If the cooler does not work when you turn on the laptop , install a utility that displays the temperature of the processor (for example, Core Temp). If this value is above 40-45 degrees, then the problem is determined correctly - it is enclosed in the fan.

The cooler does not work on a laptop - what should I do?

If you are not confident in your abilities, or the device is under warranty, then it is better to contact the appropriate service with the problem, so its solution will be one - to disassemble the laptop. Immediately, we note that some models use non-separable coolers - it is impossible to disassemble, clean and diagnose them.

So, we begin:

1. Turn off the device, disconnect the memory from it.
2. Remove the back cover. On some devices, this is quite simple - it rests on plastic latches. On others, you need to unscrew all the screws.
3. Disconnect the battery if it is hidden behind the cover, in other cases it must be removed immediately after 1 point.
4. Carefully remove the optical drive, hard drive. All coolers and cables leading to it must be disconnected from the cooler.
5. After all this, you can remove the fan itself.

If its dustiness is visible to the naked eye, then most likely the cooler on the laptop does not work due to the accumulated small debris on it. With severe contamination, the radiator must also be cleaned, otherwise the cleaned blades will not be able to solve the problem. In this case, you will need to stock up with new thermal grease and thermal pads.

Cooler cleaning

The cooler can be cleaned as follows:

1. Carefully remove the sticker covering its central blades and keep it in a safe place until repairs are complete.
2. If she hid the axis of the blades, then drop a little machine oil on the last pipette. If the axis is covered by a stopper, a cover, then remove this protection, carefully prying it off with something sharp.
3. Next, you need to remove the plastic locking element - the ring, gasket and remove the "propeller" into white light.
4. Using a cotton swab, carefully clean the element of accumulated layers of dust. Finally, lubricate the axle with the same engine oil.
5. Now put all the elements in their rightful places in the reverse order.

This manipulation should completely solve the problem. If after that the cooler still doesn’t work on the laptop, then go to the next step.

Cooler diagnostics

Pay attention to the wires that integrate the cooler with the system board. They are usually three pieces:

• white (yellow) - is responsible for the speed of rotation of the fan blades;
• red - continuous supply of cooler with direct current;
• black is the mass.

Now you can test the cooler by connecting the wiring to a DC source. If the device does not start to rotate, then its electric motor is faulty. Otherwise, the problem must be sought already in the motherboard.

Problem prevention

Let's present a series of effective tips that will help your laptop cooler to maintain long-term performance:

• use the laptop in a cool, ventilated area;
• the device must be on the table (of course, not dusty) - between its bottom and the surface of the support there should always be a distance equal to the height of the legs of the laptop;
• leave the habit of putting the laptop on your knees, carpet, bed; animals basking near the cooler are also, alas, undesirable;
• carry out preventive cleaning of the cooler from dust at least once a year;
• use a cooling pad for a laptop (some models are convenient because they are powered by a USB connector) - it allows the cooler to drive air through itself faster and more intensively.

The main reason why the cooler does not work on a laptop is the clogging of its blades with household dust floating in the air. However, compliance with preventive measures will help protect the laptop from such an annoying breakdown.