Fan for freezer

[akis]

I have a not very old fridge/freezer make Whirlpool which uses a small fan to circulate air around the freezer compartment and also the main fridge. If the fan stops I think there will be less or no cooling because the fan circulates the air right through the cooling serpentine.

Now the problem is this fan started to make noise, so much so that it is very annoying. I took it apart and it is a 92mm x 92mm , 24V DC fan. It is held in place with a rubber moulded base, I presume to reduce vibration and noise.

As this fan turns it is not smooth like other fans but it looks like it is "stepped". Anyway while on power, if you tilt it in one direction or another, the noise starts. Now, admittedly I have some other 12V DC fans here and they also make a noise if you orientate them in a particular angle. Eg I have a brand new unused, boxed, Xilence 12 cm fan, I powered it up, very quiet, tilted it diagnonally and it also starts to make noises.

I took out the fan, opened the cover on its fins, put in WD40, closed it again, the freezer compartment reached -21C and it did not make any noises, so I was so happy, it worked silently for 12 hours, but this morning it has started making the noises again.

Looking into this fan it appears there is an inner spindle held magnetically inside an outer sleeve, I am not sure if there are ball bearings, anyway the top of the spindle has a retaining ring so I cannot pull the blades out. There is about 2mm of travel if you pull/push the blades , limited by this ring. I tried to push the spindle in against the blades, in case it had come out, but no play. I could try to remove the ring but it is very tight in there and not sure what serviceable parts I might discover.

What is the solution?

A. Buy a new fan - but they cost £82 ($140) and there is no guarantee it will  not make noise.
B. Buy a similar fan on Amazon/ebay for around £15 ($22) but the shape is different and will not fit the moulded rubber base - plus it is not easy to find a 24V DC fan, but I have run the 12V DC fans at 24V and they seem fine
C. Try to repair this fan - how?
D. Throw away this stupid fridge and not buy rubbish makes again (Whirlpool)

[elliott]

All spraying it with WD40 did was wash the real lubricant out of it and replace it with an inferior one, it is no surprise it started making noise again. Sewing machine oil works great for fans like that. Flush the WD-40 out with an electronic safe cleaner and use just a drop of oil.

[urbis]

Do you have a photo of the part?

[ManateeMafia]

ebm papst makes 92mm 24v fans rated down to -20C. Farnell and Allied carry them in stock.

[akis]

Ah yes and good prices too unexpectedly from Farnell.

The only little snag is the fridge fan is open ended - all these are normal with two sided frames if you see what I mean.

Do I want ball bearings or sleeve bearing?

[SeanB]

Ball bearings, as they will last longer left running continuously.

[akis]

many thanks for all replies will order a fan from Farnell and will try to fit it in. that constant fridge noise is driving me mad!