Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 Fan and Heatsink Assembly Replacement

ID: 174289

Description: Follow this guide to replace the fan and...

Steps:

1. For your safety, discharge your battery below 25% before disassembling your laptop. A charged battery may catch fire if damaged. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
2. Completely shut down your laptop (don't just put it in sleep mode) and disconnect all cables.
3. Flip the laptop upside-down, and rotate it so the screen hinge faces towards you.

4. Use a Phillips screwdriver to fully loosen the seven captive screws securing the base cover.

5. Insert your fingernail or an opening pick into the gap between the base cover and keyboard deck, next to one of the screen hinges.
6. Pry up the base cover until the clips unfasten.

7. Grasp the base cover along the screen hinge edge and lift slowly to unfasten the remaining clips.
8. Lift and remove the base cover.
9. During reassembly, lay the base cover into the frame, inserting it into the tabs along the battery edge. Press down firmly around the perimeter to reengage all the clips.

10. Because of the battery connector's design, the only way to disconnect the battery is by physically removing it.
11. Use a Phillips screwdriver to fully loosen the two captive screws securing the battery connector.

12. Lift the edge of the battery with the connector to disconnect it.
13. You may feel a little resistance from the battery connector as it disconnects—that's normal.
14. Remove the battery
15. During reassembly:
16. Slide the plastic tabs on the long edge of the battery into their recesses in the frame.
17. Lower the battery into place so the connector goes over its socket.

18. Use a spudger to gently push under the metal buckle of the camera cable connector to unclip it

19. Grab the buckle and cable together and gently pull the connector straight out of its socket.

20. Hold the buckle and cable together and guide the cable out of the clips holding it to the fan.

21. Use the point of a spudger to push on alternating sides of the fan connector to "walk" it out of its socket until fully disconnected.
22. This connector has a small marking that shows which side of the connector should be facing up. To reconnect, align the connector and use a spudger or clean fingernail to push it fully into the socket.

23. Use a Phillips screwdriver to fully loosen the five captive screws securing the fan and heatsink.
24. During reassembly, tighten the screws in an "X" pattern in the order labeled: bottom left, top right, bottom right, top left.

25. Pick up the fan and heatsink assembly by its edges and remove it from the laptop.
26. You may feel a little resistance from the thermal paste and pads between the heatsink and the components on the motherboard—this is normal.

27. Before installing a new heatsink, follow this guide to clean the CPU and reapply thermal paste.
28. If you're only reapplying thermal paste and not replacing the heatsink, clean the bottom of the heatsink as well.