How to Replace the Cooling Fan on a Sony Vaio PCG-394L
- 1). Shut down your laptop. Unplug the the power cable from its socket. Disconnect all external devices from the laptop. Close the display panel and place the laptop face down. Rotate the computer so the front is facing you.
- 2). Remove the battery pack from its socket on the laptop's bottom side. The battery is locked in place by a single release button. Remove the hard drive and RAM compartment cover from the center of the laptop's bottom casing. Each cover is secured in place by a single Phillips-head screw.
- 3). Remove the Phillips-head screws securing the hard drive to its compartment. Slide the hard drive downward to disconnect it from the motherboard. Remove the hard drive from the laptop.
- 4). Spread the retaining latches on each side of the RAM module inside the memory compartment. Tilt it upward at an angle and pull the module out of its memory slot. Repeat this for both RAM modules in the memory compartment.
- 5). Remove the modem compartment cover and its retaining Phillips-head screw situated above the hard drive and RAM compartments. Remove the two Phillips-head screws securing the modem module to its socket. Lift the modem out of its compartment slightly and disconnect the modem cable from the motherboard. Remove the modem from the laptop.
- 6). Remove all screws from the bottom casing and remove any screws from the laptop's back panel where all data, power and networking ports are located. Place the laptop face up and open the display panel.
- 7). Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the keyboard bezel from the laptop. The keyboard bezel is the thin strip of plastic situated above the keyboard assembly that also spans the width of the laptop. Disconnect any cables extending from the bottom side of the bezel to the laptop's motherboard. Remove the keyboard bezel from the laptop.
- 8). Remove the Phillips-head screws revealed by the keyboard bezel. Lift the keyboard out of the laptop and place it face down on the palm rest. Disconnect the keyboard's ribbon cable from the motherboard. Remove the keyboard from the laptop.
- 9). Remove the large metal plate concealing the motherboard. This metal plate is secured in place by several Phillips-head screws. Remove the screws and set it aside to reveal the motherboard.
- 10
Remove the Phillips-head screws securing the cooling fan to the upper left corner of the motherboard. Disconnect the fan's power cable and lift the fan out of the laptop Set it aside. Repeat this for the other cooling fan attached to the motherboard. - 11
Reverse this procedure to install the new fan, and reassemble the laptop.