Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 Fans and Heatsink Assembly Replacement

Written By: Spencer Day

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Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 Fans and Heatsink Assembly Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

45 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Follow this guide to replace the fans and heatsink assembly in your Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 laptop. You can also use this guide to reapply thermal paste.

Both the laptop's fans are attached to the heatsink as one assembly. To replace either fan or the heatsink, you must replace the entire assembly.

If your laptop's fans aren't spinning or your laptop is overheating, you may need to replace the fans and heatsink assembly.

You'll need new thermal paste (regular and viscous) to complete this repair.

For your safety, discharge your battery below 25% before disassembling your device. This reduces the risk of a dangerous fire if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Shut down your laptop (don't just put it in sleep mode) and disconnect all cables.
Flip the laptop upside-down, and rotate it so the screen hinge faces towards you.

Step 2

Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen the six captive screws securing the base cover.

Step 3

Press the tip of an opening pick into the seam between the base cover and the bottom-left corner of the frame (near the screen hinge).
It can be tricky to get the pick into the seam for the first time. Angle the pick vertically and press down with firm pressure.
Pivot the pick down and slide it around the corner to release the clips.

Step 4

Slide the opening pick along the left edge to release the clips securing the cover.

Step 5

Press the tip of an opening pick into the seam between the base cover and the bottom-right corner of the frame (near the screen hinge).
Pivot the pick down and slide it around the corner to release the clips.

Step 6

Slide the opening pick along the right edge to release the clips securing the cover.

Step 7

Grasp the base cover along the screen hinge edge and pull up to loosen the cover.

Step 8

Lift and remove the base cover.

Step 9

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

Step 10

Grasp the top edge of the battery and lift to disconnect it.
You may feel a little resistance from the battery connector as it disconnects—that's normal.

Step 11

Lift and remove the battery.

Step 12

The fans and heatsink assembly may look slightly different depending on the model. The procedure is nearly identical for both models—any differences will be noted in the relevant steps.

Step 13

Use the point of a spudger to push on alternating sides of the fan connector near the right edge and "walk" it out of its socket.

Step 14

Use a spudger to walk the fan connector near the left edge out of its socket.

Step 15

Use a spudger or your fingers to gently guide the two thinner cables (black and yellow) out of their clips on the edge of the left fan.
During reassembly, route the two thinner cables and the thicker screen cable into their clips.

Step 16

Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen all captive screws securing the heatsink.
Depending on the model, your heatsink will have either three or five screws.
During reassembly, tighten the heatsink screws in ascending order based on the number stamped next to each screw.

Step 17

Insert the flat end of a spudger under the top edge of the heatsink and pry up to separate it.
Be very careful not to damage any surface-mounted components on the motherboard.
Continue prying up along the top edge to fully separate the heatsink.

Step 18

Grab the outer edges of the fans and remove the assembly.

Step 19

Reference our thermal paste guide for cleaning and application during the next two steps.
Remove all the old thermal paste and its residue from the motherboard:
The CPU and GPU have gray thermal paste on them.
Depending on the model, your laptop may only have a CPU.
The components around the CPU and GPU have a yellow, viscous thermal compound.
If you're reusing the heatsink and fan assembly, remove all the old thermal paste and compound from the corresponding spots on its underside.
Don't remove the small blue pads from the top edge.

Step 20

Apply new thermal paste to the CPU and GPU.
Apply a viscous thermal compound to the components around the CPU and GPU.

Step 21

If you're reusing the assembly, you can skip this step.
If any of the small blue thermal pads stuck to the top edge of the heatsink, carefully remove and transfer them to their corresponding spots on the motherboard.