Z3200 Making New Noise

[jasdown]

So I'm sitting at my computer today and all of a sudden the fan on my 2-year old Z3200 changes from its usual mind-numbing "whir-r-r-r" to a tooth-rattling "whine/buzz." It's coming from the left hand assembly; I removed the end panel and tried shooting some compressed air into what I thought were fan vents, but no luck. The Z is, of course, well out of warranty. I'm hoping against hope that the whole unit doesn't go down over a $5 part that appears to be very inaccessible. I was wondering if anyone else on LuLa has had a similar problem and what the eventual workaround turned out to be?

Thanks!

[smilem]

If the fan is simple you can replace it with another. Just Google the fan model number to see how many rpm it has, also important if it is 2wire or 3wire fan.

If the fan is very exotic, you can replace the bearings in the fan (you have to disassemble the fan to see),

Bearing can be ordered on rsdelivers.com, just enter bearing formula like "3x7x3"
Inside Diameter d    3mm
Outside Race Diameter D    7mm
Race Width W    3mm

You have to measure the bearing with a caliper to know what to order.

[Geraldo Garcia]

It happened to mine about a year ago, under warranty. The printer was working fine besides the noise, but the technician changed the whole power supply unit.
If you want to change just the fan I think it is possible, but you will have to remove the power supply and open it to access the fan. The fan itself is quite ordinary and I think it would be easy to find a similar unit.

Good Luck!

[artobest]

Yep, likewise - the fan went out of whack and the technician replaced the whole electronics unit there (not the formatter board, but all the rest, basically). Under warranty, luckily.

[John Nollendorfs]

Yep, my 3100 had the same problem, replaced under extended warranty.

[jasdown]

Thanks to all for your replies.

I was feeling pretty daunted by the prospects of tearing into the Z myself; as fate would have it, I was relieved of that prospect after receiving the sticker-shock quote of $900 to buy a replacement Power Supply Board which houses the fan.  I simply can't afford it, so I will live with a noisy fan (as, I hope, so will my Z3200)!