Lenovo ThinkPad X260 Cooling Fan Replacement

Written By: Alexander Webb

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Lenovo ThinkPad X260 Cooling Fan Replacement

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

Time Required

8 - 15 minutes

Introduction

This is a simple guide designed to help extend the life of a Lenovo ThinkPad X260 by replacing the cooling fan. The cooling fan is used to draw heat away from the CPU and push the heat out of the laptop.

A cooling fan would be considered to have failed if the laptop has an issue with overheating or a straining noise coming from the fan. Other symptoms of the cooling fan beginning to fail include reduced air flow or the fan not working at all.

This repair is always easier to perform with a clean well organized work area and the proper tools.

Make sure that the computer is turned off before starting this guide.

Tools

Parts

00UP171 - Lenovo Laptop CPU Fan & Heatsink - Genuine

Step 1

Make sure that the device is unplugged and turned off.
Flip the laptop from the front to the back.

Step 2

Start by pinching the switches on either side of the battery outwards.
At the same time push the external battery, located in the back, upwards.
Remove the external battery from the laptop.

Step 3

Loosen the eight 4.2 mm screws holding the back cover on using a Phillips #1 screwdriver.
These screws should be held in place by a small plastic washer which secures them to the cover and should not be loosened. This is illustrated in the third image.

Step 4

Gently pull the cover off and set aside.
An iFixit opening tool may make it easier to gently remove the cover.

Step 5

Remove the four 2.9 mm screws that hold the cooling fan in order of 4, 3, 2, 1 using a Phillips #1 screwdriver.
Gently lift the plastic retaining flap to disconnect the ribbon cable.
The plastic that holds the ribbon wire in place is a black lever on a tan block.