Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
22 Posts
0
29600
One vent is somewhat-stuck on the Area-51
Hi guys, I have the Area-51 and so far it's working great but one issue I have is that the 3rd vent counting from the power button is somewhat-stuck and will not move properly.
When the system does its check during boot up, it will rise up very slightly from close position then get stuck while all other vents is fine (the vent behind the stuck one can't open fully because it blocks it). When the vents close, it will go down properly.
I try to move the stuck vent around with my hand and there is no spring-feedback like there is with other vents, so is it broken or there might be something stuck in there? Any help is appreciated, thank you!
m3th0d1c4l
265 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 10:00
This also happened to me on my system. Try this: open up both side panel doors, and try turning on the system or activating the venting system to see if it gets stuck again.
On my system, I could see the 3rd vent rubbing against the top of the right door panel (HDD Access Door). It might be the same thing happening to yours. I guess the vent on mine was not manufactured properly, or it was just out of place a bit. But they just replaced the venting system on mine with a new one. It comes off real easy.
Alain2213
28 Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 10:00
easy fix take out the two plastics on both sides of the top vents and put a little grease in the hinges.
morblore
2.4K Posts
0
August 25th, 2010 14:00
Both Aleinware area 51 systems I got had stuck vents. The first one I fixed by taking off the sides and pulling the vent hinge out just a little to stop it from rubbing the side of the system. Then I put a little WD-40 on it. The 2nd system i fixed by just swaping out the new vent with the old one i fixed.
crayonshinchan
22 Posts
0
August 26th, 2010 15:00
oh alright I'll try to give it some wd40, what tools do I need to remove the vents I don't want to yank anything out. Thanks for the help so far!
Ti_Lotus
27 Posts
0
August 27th, 2010 02:00
wd 40 is great to loosen objects but has no lasting lubrication. Take a q-tip with vasoline and dab the moving parts . check the alignment of the vents.
crayonshinchan
22 Posts
0
August 28th, 2010 20:00
Problem Found: The harddrive cover on the left side of the machine is "clamping" the 3rd vent, so it will not move smoothly. I released it and it works perfectly, now I guess I need to re-align the vent or use fine sandpaper to smooth things out. Thanks for all the suggestions!
m3th0d1c4l
265 Posts
0
August 28th, 2010 21:00
No problem. That was the exact thing that happened to mine that I mentioned above. I guess its just a manufacturing error, or maybe the door alignment gets a bit bent out of shape or something during shipping, etc.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
Community Manager
•
54.9K Posts
0
August 31st, 2010 16:00
Can you post some pictures of the cover that was pushing on the vent?
crayonshinchan
22 Posts
0
September 1st, 2010 11:00
Hi Chris, you cannot see the problem from pictures as it looks totally normal. It's just the HDD side cover is touching the 3rd vent so it will not open smoothly.
Can anyone show me how to remove the covers as it'll make my future upgrade much easier and I can try to "re-seat" the covers which may fix the rubbing issue. Thank you in advance
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
0
September 1st, 2010 12:00
I don't have an Area51, so a pic would help. Are you sure everything is installed properly?
Would a Dremel tool help? If the part is metal, remove from machine before grinding it.
crayonshinchan
22 Posts
0
September 1st, 2010 14:00
okay sure I guess I can take a top down view and highlight the tight area with MS paint. Needa get a hold of a camera first
LeeSana
145 Posts
0
October 21st, 2010 19:00
Today i encounter with a vent problem with one fins kinda stuck and it won't go up all the way i need to tap it a little for it to fully rise. I've used wd 40 on the springs, also i have open both side of the side panel door to try it. however, the 3rd fin to the last is still stuck when i use command center to rise it.
LeeSana
145 Posts
0
October 22nd, 2010 06:00
Any ideas ??? Before i call dell techincian later on today to try to get it replace. i have already tried all the steps above.