XPS 9370 Fan Noise

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@Matthew_Barnickle wrote:

I have the same problem.  Because I use my laptop so much I've been dealing with it, but it has to be fixed.  The noise is annoying, but the fact is that fan is eventually going to fail.  

Allan, can you hook me up with a fan replacement my friend?  I have all of the original packaging so can get it shipped wherever pretty quickly.

Thx,

Matt

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Hi Matt, 

Can you confirm that the fan is mechanically failing and that updating the BIOS to the latest revision does not alter the grinding / growling noise?

I'll drop you a private message to get your tag details.

Alan

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@Sinko wrote:

Hi, my XPS 13 9350 just started making fan buzzing noise (electric shaver sound), just as described in other posts above. I'm using this laptop for work so I would rather replace the fan/heatsink myself than be without the laptop while in repair. What would be my best option? The laptop is out of warranty.

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Hi @Sinko as your warranty has expired I am unable to offer you a replacement fan repair on the system. You would need to contact your local out of warranty support team or take it to a repair centre, depending on what country you are located in, to find out what your options and costs are.

Alan

Hi Alan,

Thanks for getting back to me.

To answer your questions: the sound is like a piece of paper catching in the spokes of a bike. (showing my age here ;) )

a) Does the rapid ticking noise change pitch or tone when the fan is under load? 

The sound is only present when the fans are running, it only seems to occur when the fans hit a certain speed.

b) Do you hear this ticking noise regardless of whether the system is running on battery only or with the ac adaptor connected?

It appears on both battery and when plugged in

c) Does updating the BIOS to the latest revision 1.8.1 change the noise at all?  BIOS link here 

Bios already updated and the sound is still there (it's worked fine for the previous 9 months under previous BIOS, this is a recent event)

d) You mention that the issue is intermittent, how infrequent is it i.e multiple times day, once or twice a day,  afew times a week etc?

it will happen 1 in 3 times the fan runs up.

e) If you run though the fan tests during the ePSA diagnostics, can you hear this ticking noise during the test? (To run the ePSA diags, hold down the Fn key and power on the system)

as above 1 in 3 times i can get it to make the noise during the fan test.

I've air-dusted the fans, but that hasn't helped and I've inspected them to see if there was anything interfering with then (such as a loose sticker) but there's nothing there.

thanks again for your time.

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@JonHooper wrote:

Hi Alan,

Thanks for getting back to me.

To answer your questions: the sound is like a piece of paper catching in the spokes of a bike. (showing my age here ;) )

a) Does the rapid ticking noise change pitch or tone when the fan is under load? 

The sound is only present when the fans are running, it only seems to occur when the fans hit a certain speed.

b) Do you hear this ticking noise regardless of whether the system is running on battery only or with the ac adaptor connected?

It appears on both battery and when plugged in

c) Does updating the BIOS to the latest revision 1.8.1 change the noise at all?  BIOS link here 

Bios already updated and the sound is still there (it's worked fine for the previous 9 months under previous BIOS, this is a recent event)

d) You mention that the issue is intermittent, how infrequent is it i.e multiple times day, once or twice a day,  afew times a week etc?

it will happen 1 in 3 times the fan runs up.

e) If you run though the fan tests during the ePSA diagnostics, can you hear this ticking noise during the test? (To run the ePSA diags, hold down the Fn key and power on the system)

as above 1 in 3 times i can get it to make the noise during the fan test.

I've air-dusted the fans, but that hasn't helped and I've inspected them to see if there was anything interfering with then (such as a loose sticker) but there's nothing there.

thanks again for your time.

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@JonHooper as the fan is failing I'll still organise a replacement. I'll drop you a private message to get some tag details.

Alan

Hi @Dell-Alan D ,

I am having the exact same grinding/"paper catching in the spokes of a bike" from the fan in my Dell SPX 9370.

Can you please advise?

Thanks

I purchased my refurb XPS 13 9370 in December 2018 and have been loving it ever since. Upgraded the 512GB SSD to a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO, along with a 400GB microSD card, so plenty of storage and backup space. When in my office I'm running through a TB16 dock to dual monitors, full-size keyboard, trackball and Gbe. Within the last week, I noticed the mechanical fan noise, particularly when I would disconnect from the TB16. It's noticeable at most speeds from low-medium to high medium, but seems to become less noticeable at full high speed (although fan is still much louder than it was). That suggests a bearing or balance issue. It is most definitely a new sound that it wasn't making previously. I've been working with computers more than 30 years including owning an IT Services company for the last 15, so have a "fair" idea of what a failing fan sounds like as I've replaced dozens for clients.

All updates are current, including BIOS v 1.11.1 dated 7/11/2019, so not a BIOS issue. Fan noise is repeatable by running either Support Assist hardware check or Bios-based diagnostics.

First, I want to thank Alan for his ongoing presence on this forum and willingness to assist as far as he is able. That said, given the apparently wide proliferation of this problem, Dell should be proactively addressing this issue, regardless of warranty status, as this is very obviously a manufacturing defect most likely only affecting certain batches of the CPU fans used in assembly. In my experience, CPU fans should absolutely NOT be failing within a year or two. I have other 10+ year-old laptops from both Dell and the "L" company whose fans are still working without any issues.

Since this is my primary business computer and I can't afford to be down for any extended period of time, I ordered a new fan assembly on eBay that I will install pre-emptively. They're under $30, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind and ensuring that the CPU won't suffer any damage or premature aging due to overheating from a failing fan. In its favor, Dell has great, freely available service manuals to guide one through the process.

I received a replacement fan back in 2018 soon after purchasing my laptop. The fan noise was gone for over a year but is now back. I found the part for sale online for ~$30 part # is 0980WH ND55C19-16M01 for those that are interested in replacing there's.

I agree completely. Mine failed after 14 months but because it's out of warranty, Dell aren't interested. This is a problem for many, not only me. Dell had a choice, they could fix it for me and I would have considered buying a second laptop from them in the future (this is my first Dell purchase), or not. They've now lost me as a customer for the next 30 years+

This is the first time I've spent anywhere close to £1k for a laptop and was expecting much much better. The keyboard was useless for the best part of half a year due to missing key presses etc, and now the fan rattle. I understand new products have problems but how Dell has chosen to handle this fan issue has lost them my future business.

My laptop starting doing today, and it looks like the fan is not balanced properly. Happy to replace the fan myself as well. Can you send me the details to get the replacement hardware?

Thank you

Wissam 

My laptop, 9370 starting doing this yesterday. Can you send me the replacement fan? I am happy to replace it myself.

Thank you,

Wissam 

I have the same problem with my 9370 now, and it's shocking to see that DELL still didn't fix it with updates after all those years!!!

I solved this rattling fan issue with a replacement fan, ordered online using the part number from @pcflynn89's recent post (0980WH ND55C19-16M01). Thank you for sharing