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how sleeve beaing works?

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Good question, and context matters like hinted. A sleeve bearing (also called a plain or bushing bearing) is just a smooth sleeve that the shaft spins inside. It is usually a porous metal (often sintered bronze) soaked with oil. When the shaft starts turning, it drags oil into a thin film between shaft and sleeve. That hydrodynamic film carries the load and keeps metal from rubbing on metal. At startup and shutdown, the film is not fully formed, so there is brief contact and wear. Heat, dust, and repeated start/stop shorten life because they thin or contaminate the oil.

In PCs, you mostly encounter sleeve bearings in fans. Compared to ball bearings, sleeves are cheaper and can be very quiet at low speeds, but they dislike heat and certain orientations. Many sleeve-bearing PC fans have reduced lifespan when mounted with the shaft vertical (e.g., top or bottom case fans blowing up or down, some PSUs). Front/rear case fans (shaft horizontal) are usually less problematic. Ball or fluid dynamic bearings (FDB) handle heat better, are largely orientation-independent, and last longer; rifle/FDB designs are improved sleeves that pump oil to stabilize the rotor.

Practical tips:

  • Use sleeve-bearing fans for cool front/rear case positions on a budget; pick ball/FDB for PSUs, top/bottom mounts, CPU coolers, or high temps.
  • Signs of sleeve wear: rattling, wobble, slow spin-up, or needing a finger-flick to start.
  • Temporary revive: peel the hub sticker, remove the rubber plug, add a single drop of light machine oil, spin by hand, reseal. Do not use WD-40. This is a short-term fix; replacement is the real cure.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

pull up your sleeve to just over you bicep,and flex at the elbow

Member Avatar for it4ubd

I also know about it.

Member Avatar for caperjack

I also know about it.

go-way

Edited by caperjack because: n/a
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