Steam Deck OLED Fan Replacement

Written By: Clay Eickemeyer

Comments: 3

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the cooling fan in your Steam Deck OLED, or remove it for cleaning.

Note: If your fan isn't running smoothly, it might not need a replacement yet. Use this guide to remove it and clean out any dirt, dust, or debris before checking that it works normally. If it still doesn't work as expected, then it might be time to replace the fan.

Remember to follow general electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety procedures while repairing your device.

Tools

Parts

Steam Deck OLED Fan

Step 1

Turn on your Steam Deck and allow the battery to discharge below 25% before starting your repairs, as a charged lithium-ion polymer battery can be dangerous if accidentally punctured.
As an extra precaution, Valve recommends putting your Steam Deck into battery storage mode within the BIOS before starting any internal repairs. Read how to do that here.
Power down your Steam Deck and unplug any cables.
If you have a microSD card installed, make sure to remove it before opening the Steam Deck. If you attempt to remove the back cover with it still installed, it could snap right in half.
During your repair, it can be helpful at times to lay the Steam Deck face-down in its case to protect the thumbsticks and prevent wobble.

Step 2

Use a T6 Torx driver to remove the eight 5.8 mm‑long screws securing the back cover.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

Step 3

Insert an opening pick at an upward angle between the back cover and the front shell near one of the triggers.
If you can't insert your pick here, try along the top or bottom edges of the Steam Deck OLED before sliding it toward the handle.
Slide your pick along the edge of the handle to release the clips securing it to the front shell.

Step 4

Reinsert your pick and slide it along the top and bottom edges until the back cover feels loose.

Step 5

Grip the unclipped handle and pull it away from the front shell to release the remaining clips.
Remove the back cover.

Step 6

Grip the battery cable pull tab, located to the left of the battery.
Firmly pull the battery cable straight away from the motherboard shield (toward the battery) to disconnect it.
This bundled cable is fairly stiff. If you're having trouble, re-grip the pull tab close to the head of the connector and gently walk it side-to-side as you pull.
If the cable pull-tab feels fragile or rips during this process, remove the motherboard shield and disconnect the cable using a spudger.
When the battery cable comes free, it might push up on the motherboard shield. Don't worry, as this won't damage anything.

The pull tab can come off revealing the wires. The instructions should be updated to reflect that catch.

Khurram Tariq -

Step 7

Use a spudger to flip up the small white locking flap on the right button board interconnect cable ZIF connector.
Use tweezers or your fingers to grip the cable's pull tab and slide it straight out of its socket to disconnect it.
The pull tab may be labelled C‑R.

Step 8

The interconnect cable is adhered to the motherboard shield.
Insert an opening pick between the interconnect cable and the motherboard shield.
Be careful not to crease or tear the cable.
If you're having trouble inserting a pick, lightly heat the cable using an iOpener or a hair dryer.
Slide your pick along the shield to separate the cable.

The adhesive is quite strong and it causes the cable to bend. Don't separate the cable from the shield and instead unscrew the shield and lift it towards the right gently to create space to access the SSD.

Khurram Tariq -

Step 9

During the rest of the repair, it may be helpful to move the interconnect cable over the battery and out of the way of the motherboard shield.
Be careful not to crease or strain the cable, as it's still adhered to the battery.
Tape the cable in place away from the motherboard shield.

Step 10

Use your T6 Torx driver to remove the two 3.8 mm‑long screws securing the top left and bottom left corners of the motherboard shield.

Step 11

If the speaker cable is taped to the bottom edge of the motherboard shield, gently peel it off.
Remove the motherboard shield.

Step 12

During reassembly, use the flat end of a spudger to slide the battery connector into its socket on the motherboard.

This step should come after the SSD is installed.

Khurram Tariq -

Step 13

Use an iOpener or hair dryer to soften the adhesive on the black sticker connecting the heat sink to the fan.

Step 14

Try not to tear the heat sink sticker, as you'll reuse it during reassembly.
Slide the tip of an opening pick under one edge of the heat sink sticker.
Peel the sticker up until you can grab it with your fingers.
Gently remove the sticker from the heat sink and fan.
During reassembly, place the sticker back in its original location. The residual adhesive should stick well.
If the residual adhesive isn't sticky anymore, tape the outside edges of the sticker to the heat sink and fan with small strips of tape.

Step 15

Use blunt nose tweezers to grip the edges of the fan connector and walk it side-to-side out of its socket to disconnect it.
Don't pull on the cables—only pull on the connector body.
During reassembly, insert the connector gently. Make sure the exposed colored wires within the connector face away from the fan.
Don't force the connector into the socket, as you might damage the fragile internal pins.

Step 16

Use your T6 Torx driver to remove the two 3.8 mm‑long screws securing the fan.
Don't worry—you already removed the top two fan screws earlier in disassembly. They double as two of the back cover screws.