dv7-3188cl Fan Problem Solved (no thanks to HP)

[specialguest]

THIS ALSO WORKS : D

simply press F2 when the error screen comes up and it will bypass it.

edit: I use this method since I threw out the fan after assumign it was broken.

readign the posts, I had all the same issues the beeping noises, the error screen, etc I tried blowing into it because it always work on my NES lol and plugging it in and unplugging it. It was hell. But pressing F2 just skips it. For some reason unknown to me.

[jessy_193791]

thanks a lot for your tip about the pin....... i tried blowing but it didn't work for me either. so i tried pushing the fan with i pin and it worked........ thank you so much for the tip.....  

[Philltash]

Had the exact same error message you describe, searching around i found it seems pretty common. Here is how i fixed my dv6 3138tx: (minus the pointless frustrating attempts that did nothing)

At first my computer worked nicely, after 9 months the fan was incredibly noisy, then would seize up and not work at all, resulting in overheating and shutdown at around 80 c. Got the usual error about the fan not working on startup. Wont bore you guys with that, you all prolly seen it a few times.

After checking many possibilities, I arrived at this solution - The problem on my machine was the design of the fan, the magnet used is very soft (much like a fridge magnet) and the fan had worn particles off of it over time. The result of this was loose magnetic particles that were casuing the fan to become, in essence, a magnetic brake.

The solution was very simple, all i did was remove the fan, (if you are unsure of how to disassemble your laptop check google, there are a few good tutorials out there)  take apart the fan housing, remove the actual fan itself. Gave the inside of the fan (note the soft magnet around the outer lining) a good clean with a soft brush and q-tips (cotton buds). Then i applied a very small amount of machine oil to the shaft of the fan (just enough to coat it) and re-assembled it all. Voila, it now idles at +10 c above ambient temperature and with a full stress test, it reached a maximum of 56 c (ambient is around 24 c). The fan is nice and quiet again, and works very well. Take the time to clean out the heat sink fins as well while you are at it because they get very clogged with dust.

Use this at your own risk, and remember not to work with power ( ie take the battery out and ensure it is disconnected from ac supply as well) also make sure you dont make it worse by frying your computer with static. Good luck and hope this helps some people.

[drwierdo]

You are life saver man!!

I think even the compressed air blowing in the vent is also not necessary. I had opened up my hp dv3-2016tx to clean the motherboard and fan and vents. But after I closed the laptop, the fan would not turn on. And then the system started shutting down abruptly, due to overheating. I reopened the laptop thinking that I had not placed the fan connector properly.

But then even after this 2nd opening the fan would not turn up. Then I searched through the forum, and then found this forum where someone had said that spinning the fan would help. I then moved the fan using safety pin. And voila....the fan started.

I think, pumping the compressed air also works by spinning the fan just like with the safety pin.

So, I think there is not need to buy compressed air, you can even use the safety pin. But then again, compressed air would help to blow off the dust from the fan and vents. But then I would recommend opeing the laptop to do this cleaning, because I doubt, the compressed air will be able to blow off all the dust and lints that fan and the vents seem to attract. Don't be scared of opening the laptop because with the help of the manual its way too easy. All you need is the screw drivers of different size.

Enjoy!!

And yeah don't go to the laptop mechanics, because they will obviously tell you that the fan motor has been destroyed but in fact they do this same thing and everything starts working.

P.S. Don't ever buy hp products because they suck at providing the after purchase support. Dell rocks in this aspect.

[JenniMcF]

THANK YOU< THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!  I couldn't be happier to find your "solution" for the cooling fan error.  I also received NO help from HP Support and was devastated to have possibly lost years of pictures and work documents. 

I used my compressed air (typically used to clean the keyboard) to blow into the vents for several seconds and the laptop immediately booted up! 

Thanks again for taking the time to post this info.

[ajenks1979]

Yep, you've saved me a lot of time. Did a google search and found this thread reagrding the 902 error. Followed the info left and blew into the fan compartment. Sorted! Thanks

[nolagirl05]

did you shut down your computer first? i'm assuming yes...thank you SO much for sharing this!

[Fishstxx]

Excellent Post!  That worked perfectly on my HP laptop.  Thank you so much.

[JohntyX]

Exactly thats what happened when I had a graphics issue and they told me that my product is out of warranty where as my notebook was only 9 months old. I had to send scanned copy of my receipt then they gave me support.

[JohntyX]

As a matter of fact HP will not fix it because if they can make another $150 for doing just nothing then why bother.