A while back I had a problem with my Vostro 1700 laptop where the processor speed dropped and stuck at 775MHz. I replaced the lone cooling fan and all was well again. Note that the old fan still spun well enough and had no noise. Well I had the same processor issue followed by the system shutting down just after the boot screen recently. I decided to see if I could maintain the fan, and after watching a couple youtuber lubricate their fans I dug in. Too deep in fact. Note that before I started I ordered a new one off fleabay. I found the typical holes hidden under a sticker on the top of the fan unit but it appeared any oil applied inside might sit on top of the only hint of metal I could see through the holes. So I grabbed the nearest screwdriver and pried up the impeller, which was obviously never meant to be pried off for it's tightness. It broke instead at the base, taking everything with it. I still couldn't see where lubricant would travel if applied through the holes so kept prying. I eventually found that lubricant dripped into the holes would pass through to the base and not spit all over so that's one thing. But there's a circuit board in there as well. So my question is has anyone brought one of these laptop fans back to life with simple lubrication and if so for how long? And what are the chances the circuit boards are going bad and replacement is the only solution, and it's not the sleeve bearing drying out at all. I think these parts are getting old themselves, this Vostro 1700 is from 2007. I loathe to think a 20.00 part will drive it into the landfill. Any and all ideas welcome.