Vortex IV/P150SM fan not starting.

Looner

Bronze Level Poster
My trusty Vortex IV (which I've had since 2013) has recently started to beep and shut down on restart/start-up. I've traced this to the CPU fan not starting which leads to the CPU heating up and reaching the 100C or so which then leads to an automatic shut down.

I've now opened the laptop and start the fan 'manually' which then runs on 50-60C even with several background apps. Obviously, this is not the ideal solution, as my laptop is now standing up sidewise on the desk to allow me to keep the bottom open, as I have to do this exercise on each start-up (including from sleep and hibernation).

Based on my online research, it seems like my fan may be displaced/decentralised (whatever you call it) but my manual intervention didn't correct this defect. I remembered I've previously dropped the laptop (which also means my battery doesn't charge any longer and I had to buy a new charger), so maybe that's where it all started although it's been fine for years.

Is this a problem someone else has had and would buying a new fan fix it?
 

FerrariVie

Super Star
My trusty Vortex IV (which I've had since 2013) has recently started to beep and shut down on restart/start-up. I've traced this to the CPU fan not starting which leads to the CPU heating up and reaching the 100C or so which then leads to an automatic shut down.

I've now opened the laptop and start the fan 'manually' which then runs on 50-60C even with several background apps. Obviously, this is not the ideal solution, as my laptop is now standing up sidewise on the desk to allow me to keep the bottom open, as I have to do this exercise on each start-up (including from sleep and hibernation).

Based on my online research, it seems like my fan may be displaced/decentralised (whatever you call it) but my manual intervention didn't correct this defect. I remembered I've previously dropped the laptop (which also means my battery doesn't charge any longer and I had to buy a new charger), so maybe that's where it all started although it's been fine for years.

Is this a problem someone else has had and would buying a new fan fix it?
You definitely need a new fan, but I don't know how easy is it going to be to find a replacement fan for a 2013 laptop. You will need to look on the back cover of your laptop to find the chassis manufacturer (Clevo, TongFang, Quanta, etc.) and the chassis model number in order to look for replacement parts online. If it's a clevo, you can try finding on this site:


You can also try to send a message to PCS through your account page (under support) to see if they can still manage to get one of those fans for you with the manufacturer, but I would guess it's a bit unlikely that they'll still have it.
 

Looner

Bronze Level Poster
Thanks for the response. The laptop is a Clevo and I already found a fan which I've purchased. It's actually surprisingly easy to do so from Ebay (and Amazon).
 

Looner

Bronze Level Poster
Just as an update in case anyone's ever in the same position. I paid €25 in the end (fan + €8 delivery from Germany) but it's made a huge difference in terms of cooling AND sound. I'd highly recommend it.
 

barlew

Godlike
Just as an update in case anyone's ever in the same position. I paid €25 in the end (fan + €8 delivery from Germany) but it's made a huge difference in terms of cooling AND sound. I'd highly recommend it.
Well done mate. Glad you got it sorted.
 
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