Member Avatar for MPelham

Hi everyone.
Thanks for all your help on a previous issue I had.
Unfortunately, when it rains, it pours...

My laptop fans no longer work, I have dropped my CPU to "degrade" to increase lifetime before the heat causes damage to the computer, but obviously this is only a short-term temporary solution.

I cannot find any information online on how to repair these myself, and the 3 year warranty that I am under (Viking Warranty), has merged or been bought up by Warrantech, and as this computer is the only model I have, I cannot hope to send this away for 2-3 months unless it is the only option.

Does anyone know how to troubleshoot, disassemble, repair or in short, completely save my laptop and its fans?

I run a Sony Vaio PCG-K45 Model with Windows XP Professional, with a Pentium 4 3.06 GHZ processor, 1 GB of RAM, 80 GB Harddrive, with an ATI Radeon IGP-345(?) video card. I noticed the problem about 2 weeks ago, and began preventative measures almost immediately afterwards to save the motherboard/processor.

I believe the only leads I can follow would be a broken circuit, broken fans, too much dust, or another major issue, but am unsure of anyway to begin the repair process. Any help, even if its just to send it away for repairs, would be appreciated.

Thank you, very much.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by martinj803

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical troubleshooting and repair checklist for a non‑spinning fan on a Sony Vaio PCG‑K45 (keeps things grounded and action‑oriented).

  1. Safety first — power off, remove AC and battery, discharge static (touch metal). Keep a small container for screws and take photos while disassembling so you can reassemble in the same order.
  2. Quick checks (no teardown): listen at power‑on for any movement; blow compressed air into vents in short bursts (do not run continuous high‑speed blasts). Boot to BIOS or run a hardware monitor (SpeedFan/CoreTemp on XP) to confirm rising CPU temps and whether a fan RPM is reported. Software updates rarely resurrect a mechanically dead fan, though updating BIOS/EC can restore proper fan control in rare cases.
  3. Access and inspect: remove the access panels using the service manual @PPAINCHAUDIII pointed out (it shows screw locations). Look for heavy dust, clogged fins, shredded/frayed wires near the hinge, or a stuck blade. Manually spin the fan blade gently — it should turn freely and quietly.
  4. Electrical test: with the machine powered and fan connector exposed, measure the fan header voltage (DC) only if you are comfortable with a multimeter. If voltage is present when the CPU is hot and the fan still won’t spin, the fan motor is bad. If no voltage appears, the board or the fan‑control circuitry is at fault.
  5. Repair path: replacing the fan assembly is the cheapest and most reliable fix — search by the fan part number stamped on the fan (vendors were suggested earlier by @hopalongdave and @Salim9). If you remove the heatsink, clean the fins and reapply a good non‑conductive thermal paste. If the motherboard fan header is dead, consider a board repair or a replacement motherboard; weigh repair cost vs. laptop value.
  6. Final notes: keep photographed steps, test after reassembly, and avoid running the machine long-term with degraded cooling. If unsure at any point, a local repair shop can perform voltage checks and safe disassembly.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for PPAINCHAUDIII

Here Is A Service Manual.

Sony_PCG-K_SM.pdf (1376.95 KB)
Member Avatar for hopalongdave

I have all my Sony Vaio repairs and replacement parts from www.nexttronics.com . I have always been satisfied with their service. You can even look up parts on their website.

Member Avatar for Salim9

Well i have same sort of problem a month ago and i contact to ... they are the best in the field and the have solution for any kinda problem...

Member Avatar for martinj803

Have you tried VAIO update yet? I've had my PCG-K45 for 7 years and have never had a problem with it. Make sure that you're not using programs that are meant for Windows Vista. Windows XP and Windows Vista Have a lot of compatibility problems. Thank God for Windows 7. I still have Windows XP on my main computer, and as long as I keep it updated, I don't have any problems with it. There is a free program you can download called ccleaner. Just enter that into a search engine and that will take you to the parent company website : www.piriform.com. You can enter that too. They have several different software programs that you can download for free to clean up your computer. These programs include C drive cleaning, Registry cleaning, and performance monitoring. These programs are 100% free. You can donate if you want to but you don't have to. I heard about these programs on the Kim Komando show and they are everything she said they were. Hope this helps. If it doesn't, then I'm afraid you may need some technical assistance. Hope it works for you though. Take care, and let me know if it doesn't work.
-Martin

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