HP Laserjet 4200, 4240, 4250 Fan Noise Printer Repair and Fix
HP Laserjet 4200, 4240, 4250 Fan Noise
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of fan noise coming from the HP laserjet 4200, 4240, and 4250 printers. I’ve been getting calls on these machines to fix various other problems and I’ve been noticing a lot of noise coming from left side. In the past I would run into fan noise on these machines every once in a while but as these machines age it’s obviously becoming a more common issue. In this article I’ll talk about the fan noise situation and give you some tips on resolving the problem hopefully without replacing the fan itself.
Troubleshooting the Fan Noise
The fan noise I’ve been hearing on these machines is on the left side. On this side is the main cooling fan for the machine. You’ll notice the vents right in the middle of the left side to allow ventilation for it. The fan has different operating speeds. When the machine is idle it runs at a low-speed. When printing or when it first turns on it operates at a high-speed. I’ve noticed the noise two different ways. One when it speeds up as it prints and also when it slows down when the machine is at an idle state. So usually its there one minute then gone the next then returns depending on what the machine is doing.
Most people think when you have a fan problem its like a CPU or power supply fan in your PC. As the bushings wear, the lubricant thickens or dries up leaving a loud friction sound like one would expect when a fan motor starts to go out. In these machines the fan noise is being generated by the fans plastic housing vibrating on the fan holder assembly. Most fans are typically very snug in these housings or some manufactures even put a foam padding around the outside of the fan to keep it from causing this problem. Obviously, HP didn’t anticipate this being an issue because they did neither of these. The fan just sits in there and can easily be moved inside the housing.
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I’ve just been taking the left side off and putting shims on the right and top side of the fan between the fan housing and holder to make the fan snug and not vibrating. Eventually I’ll probably come up with a better looking solution. I know you can buy foam tape at just about any big super store which might look a little more professional and while I’ve been putting the shims on the right and top you can put it on any side. Anyway below is how to remove the covers to get to the fan so you can install whatever you with to quite the noise.
Fan Removal in the HP Laserjet 4200, 4240, and 4250
Accessory covers
Note Accessory covers will not be in place if any installed accessories (for example, the optional stapler/stacker) have been removed to service the printer.
1. Grasp the top accessory cover (the mounting position for the optional stapler/stacker or stacker). Rotate the cover toward the front of the printer to release it, and then lift it up to remove it.
Top cover
2. Remove the two rear mounting screws.
3. Open the print-cartridge door. Remove the front two mounting screws.
Formatter cover
1. Grasp the formatter cover.
2. Pull the cover straight back and away from the printer.
At this point the service manual recommends removing the top cover totally. I just lift it up slightly and move it just enough so I can remove the left-side cover. No sense in making more work for yourself. Just make sure you don’t get overboard and unplug the control panel cable on the right side.
Left-side cover
1. Release the upper and front left-side cover-locking tabs.
3. Rotate the top of the cover away from the printer and lift the cover up to remove it.
Conclusion about the fan noise
Alright, Ive disucssed the fan noise and hopefully have given you some tips on getting the noise taken care of. I haven’t replaced a fan for this issue but with it being a vibration problem I’m unsure of if the problem will be solved by replacing it.
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