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Popping Noise from Hinge? 13" MacBook Pro (Vid Inside)

T

theturtle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 3, 2009
579
35
Hey guys, got this macbook on august 14th. Everything works perfect except this one thing. Was wondering what you guys thought of this problem. Didnt return it because i was hoping that it would go away with wear in. I checked the back, nothing is coming out of place, its just theres a sound when i open the macbook after its been closed for more than 20 minutes. :confused:
http://tinypic.com/r/6qjyg8/3
 
Mine does that but it's not nearly as loud. Maybe over time it will get louder, though.

Doesn't really bother me. Ironic because there's a scratch on my casing about twice the size of the dot above an i and that really bothers me. :rolleyes:
 
Eshyn said:
Mine does that but it's not nearly as loud. Maybe over time it will get louder, though.

Doesn't really bother me. Ironic because there's a scratch on my casing about twice the size of the dot above an i and that really bothers me. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

haha, it makes me feel better that at least one other person has what im experiencing. thanks :p
 
I get the same thing. a sound when i open it after being closed for a while.
I assumed it was the air temperature in the room where things contract and expand etc.
Maybe the hinge is tight?
i didnt want to open and close it constantly to see if would go away
but as long as the screen doesnt fall off
i should check to see under the hinge where and exactly what the noise is under bright light conditions since i have my equipment in the basement.

hope its nothing major.
 
i had a 13" MBP with this issue. I opened it up to see what it was.

there are a bunch of wires that are taped together that come out of the hinge on either side. they are what plugs in to the logic board.

when you open the lid they are supposed to stay put and the hinge rotate around the group of wires.

on mine, it seemed like the wires were stretched alittle too tight and when i opened the lid, the wire would rotate with the hinge to a point and then they would pop back to where they should be.

after you did it once. it would be fine for a while. but if you closed the lid and left it for a few mins. and opened it again "POP!!!"


i could not find a way to fix it myself, and i refuse to have a computer put in the shop within the first 2 weeks of ownership. (if it needs fixed in the first 2 weeks, it is going to be a problem machine) so i exchanged it for a 15" MBP
 
jfyrfytr25 said:
i had a 13" MBP with this issue. I opened it up to see what it was.

there are a bunch of wires that are taped together that come out of the hinge on either side. they are what plugs in to the logic board.

when you open the lid they are supposed to stay put and the hinge rotate around the group of wires.

on mine, it seemed like the wires were stretched alittle too tight and when i opened the lid, the wire would rotate with the hinge to a point and then they would pop back to where they should be.

after you did it once. it would be fine for a while. but if you closed the lid and left it for a few mins. and opened it again "POP!!!"


i could not find a way to fix it myself, and i refuse to have a computer put in the shop within the first 2 weeks of ownership. (if it needs fixed in the first 2 weeks, it is going to be a problem machine) so i exchanged it for a 15" MBP
Click to expand...

sounds exactly like my problem
coincidentally i was thinking right now on whether or i should sell my 13 macbook pro to go for 15 inch, but than i realized im just thinking like that because everyone is saying :ZOMG DA 15inch IS SO AMAZING"
but dang, i really dont want to put mine in the shop already. do you think there are negative drawbacks of letting the sound continue?
 
I had the same problem with my 17" although not quite that loud. When I put my 7200 rpm drive in, I looked around to see if I could figure it out and nothing jumped out at me. I put the bottom back on and the noise went away.

Try taking the bottom off, put it back on, put the screws back in starting on the centerline perpendicular to the spacebar.
 
rub your finger along the black plastic part below the screen on the hinge. does it make the same sound? mine does. it's just a bit of warped plastic. i dont care enough to make a big fuss out of it, but it does bug me a little bit.
 
Maybe Soundcard

Do you ever hear this popping noise while using the computer, for example surfing the internet or using your applications? I've had a popping noise, electrical sounding, that I've been told is the soundcard either waking up or powering down to sleep. This click you are hearing could be the soundcard waking up. I'm no engineer and have been trying to find a solution for myself, but my popping or click noise also happens--though you must be in a very quiet space to hear it--during normal operations as well, sometimes louder than others.
Just a thought.
 
ipodlover77 said:
sounds exactly like my problem
coincidentally i was thinking right now on whether or i should sell my 13 macbook pro to go for 15 inch, but than i realized im just thinking like that because everyone is saying :ZOMG DA 15inch IS SO AMAZING"
but dang, i really dont want to put mine in the shop already. do you think there are negative drawbacks of letting the sound continue?
Click to expand...

I am not sure but i can imagine if it continued for a long period of time. eventually the sheathing around the wires could wear through, i guess..

that would be bad.


i dont really know, take it to the Smart Asses, i mean "geniuses" at apple and see what they say. tell them what you heard from me, maybe it will point them in the right direction and possibly be something they can fix in store in a few min.
 
When I rub my finger along the black bit near the screen of my Macbook pro, it makes a "crackling" sound. Does this happen to anyone else? I only noticed it when I started to clean the screen and put a small amount of pressure on the hinges' plastic cover:confused:
 
pepperdex said:
When I rub my finger along the black bit near the screen of my Macbook pro, it makes a "crackling" sound. Does this happen to anyone else? I only noticed it when I started to clean the screen and put a small amount of pressure on the hinges' plastic cover:confused:
Click to expand...

yes & no. yes because i have seen an overwhelming amount of them that do.
however no, because I have seen a handful that are solid and dont make any noise at all, so i know it can be done and i think that is the way it was ment to be.

that piece is merely a piece of plastic to cover the hinge assembly, purely cosmetic. i am not sure why some flex & creak and others don't but they do.

mine does it a little but not nearly as bad as some i have heard. so i live with it, which is a shame because this is a solid machine all around and that one piece gives the machine a cheap feel and sound.
 
pepperdex said:
When I rub my finger along the black bit near the screen of my Macbook pro, it makes a "crackling" sound. Does this happen to anyone else? I only noticed it when I started to clean the screen and put a small amount of pressure on the hinges' plastic cover:confused:
Click to expand...

I have noticed exactly the same! On my MBP it is also strongly related to the heat coming off the fan openings on the rear. I even hear the black plastic crackling when processor intensive tasks run for more than a few seconds...
 
I wanted to chime in. I have the same creak. When I run my finger on the plastic in front of the screen or behind it. Like warped plastic When it's sitting on my lap, surfing the net the plastic crackles a little, I THINK the lightweight frame and the way the aluminum black is cut has some flex to it, causing the plastic to warp and crackle.

If I push on my black plastic pretty good, then close the lid, I get a good loud POP!
 
I am having the same problem with my 13" MBP. The hinge makes a soft cracking/popping sound on the right side when it reaches a 90 degree angle. Also, when the lid is closed, the black vent plastic on the back is not flush with the aluminum on the side that makes the noise. The plastic has definitely warped over the past few months since I don't remember it being like this.

I have called Apple and they said to take it to my local Apple Store. They also gave me a case number. I plan to have it checked out when I get home in December, since I am currently studying abroad. If you do have yours checked out, let us know what happens. Thanks.
 
WeedKiller87 said:
I am having the same problem with my 13" MBP. The hinge makes a soft cracking/popping sound on the right side when it reaches a 90 degree angle. Also, when the lid is closed, the black vent plastic on the back is not flush with the aluminum on the side that makes the noise. The plastic has definitely warped over the past few months since I don't remember it being like this.

I have called Apple and they said to take it to my local Apple Store. They also gave me a case number. I plan to have it checked out when I get home in December, since I am currently studying abroad. If you do have yours checked out, let us know what happens. Thanks.
Click to expand...

mine still has the sound but not really bothered by it anymore. i found out a way to make the sound not as loud, you have to open it up slowly LOL.
but yeah, if it breaks i'll just take it in to apple. the only thing Im stressed about is when i take it in if i should take out my scorpio blue and replace it with the OEM one. I heard stories about apple somehow magically blaming problems and voiding warranties on the user replaced hard drive :rolleyes:
 
ipodlover77 said:
mine still has the sound but not really bothered by it anymore. i found out a way to make the sound not as loud, you have to open it up slowly LOL.
but yeah, if it breaks i'll just take it in to apple. the only thing Im stressed about is when i take it in if i should take out my scorpio blue and replace it with the OEM one. I heard stories about apple somehow magically blaming problems and voiding warranties on the user replaced hard drive :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I have the same noise and only when I close from right side, never when I open it.... My macbook 13 unibody (firstone) did not make this noise, strange since structure was the same.... :( I`m debating if I should take it to the store, since when I do eventually sell it this might turn some people off...
 
I just noticed my MBP 13 making this sound.. 4 weeks after owning it. It only happens when i open my macbook all the way down, and the click happens on the left side.
 
any news?

MikesGravity said:
I wanted to chime in. I have the same creak. When I run my finger on the plastic in front of the screen or behind it. Like warped plastic When it's sitting on my lap, surfing the net the plastic crackles a little, I THINK the lightweight frame and the way the aluminum black is cut has some flex to it, causing the plastic to warp and crackle.

If I push on my black plastic pretty good, then close the lid, I get a good loud POP!
Click to expand...

I have the same problem when I run my finger along the back plastic (and carrying the unit) , though it doesn't crack when the lid is closing/opening like others. I guess it is a heat warping issue of the plastic caused by the fans focusing on the plastic panel when the lid is open.

I was wondering if anyone has had any success resolving this with apple possibly obtaining a full or partial replacement. To me this is the only flaw with this model, it's maybe not sufficient to warrant a replacement. If anyone else has had a full or part replacement, it would weigh toward convincing me to follow suite.
 
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