Strange fan problem - Toshiba

Hello gln mate I have two Toshys and have had a few moreapart and from experience it is usually down to two things.

But to start the fan will always cut in when the CPU isgiven work mate that is par for the course in any computer and more so inlaptops.


Now back to the two issues one is dust and muck in thecooler unit and fan and that the hthermal compounds are hard or need redoing.


Now if you are confident enough there is a site that givesyou piece by piece the dismantling of a Toshiba. The ref for the site isTaking apart Toshiba laptops and notebooks. DIY guides. Disassembly instructions.

Your model however is not listed but I think you will find that the L750D will be very close take a look at the pics and you will soon see I have found that either side of the model you have is very very simlar they usually differ in cosmetic changes. How to dismantle Toshiba Satellite L675D or L670D laptop >> Page 1.

One word word of caution take your time some of the small screws are easily missed and the small ribbon cables are held in with tiny black lugs on either side of the socket they re plugged / slipped into.

I meant to add that you probably cannot feel the heat coming out of the vent because it is blocked - feel under the bottom of the machine. Plus when you have cleaned it out I always put a small piece of filter material over the intake to stop ingress of rubbish - it is very close to the surface it is resting on - laps covered in cloth for example

@1Cit2lol OK, errm I'm not to sure about taking it apart though! xD I've never taken a laptop apart before... Though a few weeks ago my dad blasted the vents with one of those high power air compressor things, wouldn't that have worked? He said some dust came out. Though when he did it the fan was spinning like crazy inside, you could hear it. Hopefully that didn't cause a problem.

Also, this is when it's on idle, no programs running. I find it silly why it's around 60%. Wait, now the fan's turned off and is silent again... I have no idea what it's doing, maybe that's just the way it is?

Yep that is the way it is too gln and if your Dad blew from the fan side it would have packed the dust and crud harder against that small "radiator" you see in the pics that the heat pipes run through.

So what I do and if you are VERY gentle you can get some pipe cleaners or those craft work wires that have the spiky look about them I don't know at they are called and very slowly push them through the slots from the OUTSIDE so it loosens the dust and crud and it will tend to blow it out a bit with the fan running or while you are blowing with the compressed air can from the fan side if the fan isn't running. But only do it as long as you can feel fairly free movement od the claener in the radiator.

This isn't so good as taking the thing apart and I admit it is quite an undertaking if you have never done it before. For those cleaners see Pipecleaners | Officeworks or just Google pipe cleaners you will get pics of what I mean. Kids Crafts - Pipe Cleaner Crafts - 5 Easy Pipe Cleaner Crafts

Blowing high pressure air from a air compressor is not a good idea. It may spin the fan faster than it is designed to spin and damage the bearing.

gln2d3 said:

Yeah, I said to my dad that the fan was underneath the keyboard and all that and you'd have to take it apart, and he said he felt safer doing from the vents, but I guess it didn't get rid of all the dust; just probably pushed more up against the fan like you said. I got the computer as a present in March 2011, so the warranty is out. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try taking it apart, though I wouldn't know what to do, nor would my dad. xD My main problem is the noise of it, because I'm trying to record guitar. No matter where I put the microphone it still picks up the noise of the fan. Now, I'm not sure if the microphone is just cheap, because it was about $20. If I get a proper microphone I might be able to see if the fan noise is a problem.

Sorry late reply mate as Bear says spinning that fan is not a good idea as the compressed air does spins it way faster than it was designed to.
The only way to properly clean it is to take it down but if you are not sure don't try as it does take a fair bit of dismantling.
The screws are very small and some are tucked away where you don't naturally see them. The other important thing is with those ribbon cables if you look at that site again the home page shows you how small those little retaining lugs are that need pulling outwards to release the grip on the cable. Not so bad taking it out but very important when replacing them and you will have to remove some because they run over the bottom panel in some spots making lifting the plate impossible.
Having said that once off it is quite an easy job to clean the "radiator" once the fan is removed with a hogs hair brush (not a synthetic bristled brush) and the compressed air - the fan simply unscrews / unplugs and lifts clear of the motherboard before you do that.
TIPS if you do try:-
Use a magnetised screwdriver (simply darw one across a magnet a few times and it will magnetise it - repeat when it wears off).
Put the screws you remove into a plastic container with a magnet stuck to the bottom of it and do the job on a large white spread out towel or similar fluffy material (not synthetic) any dropped screw will simply bounce once and stay put instead of skidding right off the surface you are working on - very difficult to find if on floor. This will also protect the upside down machine surfaces.