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GreatAuk

2 Posts

48874

August 26th, 2013 05:00

Grinding throbbing fan noise coming from XPS L502X

I've had my XPS L502X laptop for around two years now, and recently the fan has started to make horrible noises. They are really loud and don't sound like normal fan noises at all. Can anyone tell me how to work out what the problem is, and if I need to replace the fan give me a part number (I have looked at the dell shop and they don't seem to stock fans compatible with my laptop). Also, a set of instructions on how to go about replacing the fan would be really helpful, as laptops are such fiddly little things to take apart. 

Not impressed that after two years of moderate use a problem like this should occur in a laptop I payed a lot of money for!

ejn63

9 Legend

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87.5K Posts

August 26th, 2013 05:00

Service manual is here:

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/Product/xps-l502x

It's likely you need a new fan:

http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=10804

DELL-Nikhil D1

4 Operator

 • 

2.6K Posts

August 26th, 2013 05:00

Hi GreatAuk,

The system fans usually spin at a high speed when there is a temperature rise in the laptop. If the fans are not spinning normally or spinning high more frequently than normal, I would suggest you to update the latest BIOS for the system. Please follow the below mentioned steps:

  1. Click this link: http://dell.to/17F08dH
  2. Enter the service tag of the system, and select Drivers and Downloads tab.
  3. Select the operating system from the dropdown and download the latest version of BIOS listed under BIOS category.
  4. Ensure to connect the AC Adapter to the computer and the Battery level is above 15%.
  5. Close all the open programs and make sure to save all the data in the computer.
  6. Run the previously downloaded BIOS setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to update the BIOS.
  7. Restart the computer when prompted. 

Also, refer this link for troubleshooting the fans and air vents: http://dell.to/101noJK

Please check the functionality of the fan and post the results.

GreatAuk

2 Posts

August 26th, 2013 06:00

I'm afraid your advice was totally unhelpful as you didn't actually answer my questions. #youworkfordellicanseewhy

Klevis

2 Posts

September 22nd, 2013 20:00

I just had the fan on my L502x start making noise much louder than normal. I thought it was my hard drive at first but as the grinding thumping noise grew stronger I figured it was the fan.

Replaced with a fan I found on eBay for about $10 - W3M3P is one (or part of the) product code I used - Works great - I did have to take a small strip of tape off the old fan and stick it to the new one to seal the airflow output.


I followed this video to disassemble the laptop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVrdbWoOnA

It's pretty straight forward - just take your time.

Conclusion - Fan was not broken, it was just full of dust - cleaned up easy and now I have a backup.

Good Luck

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