Fan blowing less air -- is it the motor or something else?

[Hal65]

I have an 18" Hatari that has been in near constant use for 3 years. It's not as strong as it used to be, nowadays even my less used 14" Hatari seems to blow more air.

 

Does this mean the fan motor is likely going bad, or do these fans usually have other issues as well? I figure if it's the motor, maybe it's time to buy a new one.

[VocalNeal]

Might just be lack of lubricant. Take the cone plastic piece off the back and stick a drop of 3-in-one at the front of the motor. 

[BEVUP]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Might just be lack of lubricant. Take the cone plastic piece off the back and stick a drop of 3-in-one at the front of the motor. 

Or Capcitor 

I bought one for 50 bht but had to make it fit

[Jdietz]

Or so much grime on the fan blades they are now almost straight..

 

[Pib]

If it's dirty that can be seen and fixed/cleaned easily.

 

If the fan is just spinning slower then it probably the fan's "run capacitor" going bad.  Happens all the time.  

 

Run capacitors cost around 50 baht...I get them at Amorn Electronic stores.  They are usually soldered in but still easy to replace.  You will need to take the fan motor cover off, see what physical and capacitance (e.g., microfarads) the capacitor is and then replace it.  If you have a multimeter that measures capacitance you can unsolder one lead of the capacitor and check for proper capacitance.....if plus or minus approx 10% or rated value you are OK...otherwise, replace.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Pib

[Daffy D]

Before you get all complicated with changing  "run capacitor"  take the front grill off and try to spin the blades by hand. A sharp flip and they should make a few revolutions before stopping.

 

If they don't spin freely it means the bearings need lubricating. The long term solution is to take the motor apart and clean and lubricate both front and rear bearings with some Singer or 3in1 oil.

 

Most times it's the front bearing that causes the problem so a quick fix is to take off the fan blades (remember it's left hand thread) lay the fan down with the spindle pointing up and drop some oil onto the bearing.  Let the oil run down into the bearing turning the spindle a few times to help the flow.

 

Should be good for another couple of months.