2018 Mac mini Fan not working

[omfg5041]

Hello 👋!

I have a 2018 Mac mini, 6-core i7, but my fan will not turn on.

I booted into Diagnostic Mode and get PPF003, and PPF004 codes. I only bought the Mac mini in Aug of 2020.

I have tried an SMC reset, with no luck. I tried Macs Fan Control to try and manually adjust the fan speed, but no luck either. I have already replaced the fan with a different one, but still the same thing.

I contacted Apple, and they want $550 to fix it.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Matty_TypeR]

First you need to find out what voltage the fan is, most likely 12v DC but check it. 12v dc PSU in mains plug, plenty of 12v little plug in PSU's around about 1amp will do it for testing fan. If fan runs then its the fan header on the mini logic board not supplying voltage to fan.

$550 seems alot just for fan, sounds more like a whole new logic board being fitted. so you could buy a small variable thermal resistor, say 5v to 12v and fix that on top of CPU heatsink, feed it with 12v from logic board, or PSU in mac mini 12v line to logic board. then from the other side of resistor to fan, so when cold it runs slow at 5v say, but when it heats up via the cpu heatsink the thermal resistor gives more voltage to fan so it increases speed. some variable resistors have adjustments to adjust the voltage to fan you require at different temps.

Cost of parts no more than $20 and you will have a working fan. and a working mac mini.

 

[Teletypewriter]

1. The Mini will generate alot less heat if you stand it up on its side.
2. Try getting a USB fan and point it toward the back of the machine where the air inlet is located.
3. A hard shutdown for a few minutes, every few days, will allow your machine to cool down.

 

[Fishrrman]

ifixit.com has an illustrated guide to fan removal, but it's a moderately difficult procedure with the risk of breaking connections on the motherboard if you're not careful.