Why is my fan making noise?

Hi,

The fan may be noisy because it is operating at high speed trying to keep the CPU cool. This could be due to accumulated dust in the fan/fan vent preventing the heat from escaping efficiently or because the CPU is getting too hot. Given the laptop may be nearly 10 years old, has the thermal paste on the CPU been refreshed at all?

It may also be noisy simply because its bearings are wearing out.

Here’s the hardware maintenance manual for the laptop.

Go to p.75 to view the necessary pre-requisite steps and then the procedure to remove the thermal fan assembly. This will allow you to clean the fan/fan vent if dusty, listen to the bearings and also since the heat sink over the CPU has also been removed, inspect the condition of the thermal paste on the CPU. If it has dried out then it needs to be carefully cleaned off and replenished with a new coating of thermal paste.

If the fan is faulty and needs to be replaced. Search online for 04W6940 to get results for suppliers that suit you best.