fans running fast constantly on macbook pro 4.1

[nigelgardiner]

Hi I've just bought a secondhand mac book pro 4.1 the battery is completely dead but worse the fans are on constantly running at 6000rpm.

I've tried resetting the pram and the smc but nothing changed.
I can't get the hardware diagnostic tool to work, it will run but freezes when it gets up to running checks on the logic board and i have to unplug the power to turn machine off.

I'm hoping I haven't bought a dud machine, any advice greatfully appreciated?

Oh and I only have the second install dvd which may prove to be a problem..

 

[GGJstudios]

Hi I've just bought a secondhand mac book pro 4.1 the battery is completely dead but worse the fans are on constantly running at 6000rpm.

I've tried resetting the pram and the smc but nothing changed.

PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with fan issues. Resetting it will not help. Only resetting the SMC addresses such issues.

Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes", then click on the CPU column heading once or twice, so the arrow points downward (highest values on top). Also, click on the System Memory tab at the bottom. Then take a screen shot, scroll down to see the rest of the list, take another screen shot and post them.

 

[nigelgardiner]

thanks, don't have that machine with me right now but i'll post those up this evening.
I did look at the activity monitor and there was nothing using up cpu time drastically.

 

[nigelgardiner]

Hi here are the screen grabs.
I've just discovered another problem..

If I open the laptop from closed with it turned on, when i push the latch button the machine turns off. When i restart it it restores the desktop to as it was before.

if i boot in safe mode when i open it the scree is blank for a few seconds and the machine turns back on, it then however shutdown completely, restarting took it back to the login screen.
wierd.

 

[GGJstudios]

It sounds like you may have some hardware issues. Since resetting the SMC didn't correct the fan issue, and there's nothing in Activity Monitor indicating high demands on your system, combined with the other issues you mentioned, a hardware problem appears to be indicated. Take it to Apple and they can diagnose the problem and tell you what, if anything, it will cost to fix it. It may be a loose connection or something else simple that they might fix at no charge.

 

[snaky69]

It sounds like you may have some hardware issues. Since resetting the SMC didn't correct the fan issue, and there's nothing in Activity Monitor indicating high demands on your system, combined with the other issues you mentioned, a hardware problem appears to be indicated. Take it to Apple and they can diagnose the problem and tell you what, if anything, it will cost to fix it. It may be a loose connection or something else simple that they might fix at no charge.

If any of the temperature sensor fails the laptop will increase its fan speed to 6000rpm as a fail-safe mechanism. I've had it happen to mine(very same generation as the OP).

 

[nigelgardiner]

hi yeah, i can track pretty much everything power related to the knackered battery, app without it working the machine will put itself to sleep when reopening as there will be a voltage spike or something..

previous owner has found the original dvds so i'll reinstall and see what happens before i decide what to do.

was it expensive to have a temperature sensor replaced?

 

[ender land]

You don't by chance have a fan control app running in the background setting your fan speed to 6000 rpm do you?

 

[snaky69]

hi yeah, i can track pretty much everything power related to the knackered battery, app without it working the machine will put itself to sleep when reopening as there will be a voltage spike or something..

previous owner has found the original dvds so i'll reinstall and see what happens before i decide what to do.

was it expensive to have a temperature sensor replaced?

I think the Apple Store quoted me something like 19 bucks for the sensor. In the end it has simply become disconnected so the repair was free.