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Macbook Fan speed problems

GelleCC

GelleCC

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
182
0
Seattle, WA
So, I've done some google research and I've tried every possible solution I can think of. Here's my problem:

My 1.8 GHz Intel Core Duo Macbook is going crazy with the fan. I currently have 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. I should have plenty of free memory to run programs simultaneously without the fan going nuts. But I can have nothing open but youtube, play one youtube video with more in the "instant queue" (or have several unopened/unloaded tabs of videos open) and the fan goes off and my mac gets really hot. Here's what I have tried: 1) Resetting the p-ram - didn't do anything. 2) Turn off mac, take out battery, hold power button for 5 seconds, put battery back in and reboot. Helped for maybe 3 days, but the fan came back. 3) I've checked for open print jobs. Nothing. I downloaded iStatPro and my fan speeds are about 6280 rpm and cpu is about 70 degrees. 4) I have checked activity monitor - Dashboardclient is the culprit IF I happen to be viewing the dashboard. Otherwise, it says Activity monitor is the culprit with 2.7% cpu. Sometimes it trades places with safari which can get about 3%. 5) I have gone into disk utility and repaired permissions.

My mac is out of warranty so I can't go get a new fan unless I pay for it, but I'm not sure if it's the fan that's the problem or just part of the problem. I usually have several sites open (none are flash intensive - usually forums), or it could just be youtube or netflix with no other open applications and my fan will go crazy. Any suggestions?
 
After giving a death rattle for many months, my MacBook fan finally bit the dust altogether. Mine was purchased the first week they cam out so it was older, also out of warranty and was having some other problems so instead of coughing up 4 or 5 hundred for troubleshooting and a fix, I put it into a new MBP.

This is not to say don't fix it, but you really need to look at the cost of fixing vs. the cost of a new book with updated technology that will take you another 5 years. Do you want to put a lot of money into a somewhat outdated computer. (Sure, I still miss my black MacBook).

Of course, just running out and buying a new notebook might not be on your budget.
 
@eman - haha I'm glad you noticed it was 5 years old. I wish it was newer but oh well. I think I will give that a try! Thanks for the advice!

@jagolden - I have considered sell this one and upgrading, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm pretty handy, myself, and fix computers in my free time, so I think I'll try eman's tip first. But trust me, I do want an upgrade! lol
 
eman said:
Your mac is about 5 years old; Try this first: I would take it apart and clean the dust bunnies out from the heat sink and fan.
Click to expand...

Well, I just finished taking my MacBook apart and cleaning out all the dust bunnies. Wow..did the bunnies multiply. So, after cleaning everything, my Mac seems to be working. Granted this is the first thing I did after putting it back together and turning it on. lol I checked my iStatPro (and should have checked BEFORE taking it apart but didn't) and it says CPU, Heatsink A and B are about 40 degrees. Fan rpm is about 1500. I'll go fill my tabs with some YouTube videos and see what happens from there. Thanks for the advice; I hope it fixed it!

-Corey
 
Do your fans only crank up when you play youtube videos? (Or any other flash based media? )

If so, then your fans arent the problem - its flash. It runs horrible on OS X and cranks up the heat and thus the fans on any old-ish Mac. My macbook does the same.
 
Typically, that was the case. But I did take mine apart and get that dust out and now, instead of the fans cranking up immediately upon clicking on some youtube vids, its about 15 min later haha.
 
So how do you clean the macbook laptop for dust bunnies? Do you just open the main battery case? (late 2008 model). I also have the same problem of the fan continuously running at around 6200 rpm at 60-70 degrees C.
 
ansj64 said:
So how do you clean the macbook laptop for dust bunnies? Do you just open the main battery case? (late 2008 model). I also have the same problem of the fan continuously running at around 6200 rpm at 60-70 degrees C.
Click to expand...

Before you do it, it didn't drastically improve my mac's performance. It helped, but @anotherrarunan is right - these (old) macs suck at running any sort of flash intensive website, be it youtube, netflix, hulu, hbogo, or even the Pr0n's *LOL*. But it did help a little bit.

Well, before I say anything - opening it up yourself is not a wise idea unless you know what you're doing. It *may* and most likely *will* void your warranty. I take no responsibility if you do something wrong and break your macbook. This is for informational and educational purposes only. That being said, I'd be happy to help. lol

If you are a visual learner, I'd suggest going to youtube and searching for "remove macbook topcase" or "remove macbook keyboard" and just look for a video with the a1181 model mac (white one).

WHat you'll need is something thin and flat - like plastic hotel key card, or a super thing flat had screw driver. 1st, remove the battery. next, flip your mac back over like you're going to turn it on (but the battery is out). Slide your thin tool (plastic card or similar) beneath the bezel on the bottom part of the mac (the bezel holding the keys, not the bezel around the screen). Be gentle and BE CAREFUL - it is very easy to bend and break this piece and if you break it, you'll need to get a new top case. Gently ply the bezel up slowly going around the macbook. When you have gone all the way around DO NOT PULL UP. There is a ribbon cable attached to the track pad that is connected to the *motherboard* (might be the logic board, I forgot which one). Pop the ribbon cable off and you will have successfully taken off your keyboard. Putting it back on, just follow the steps in reverse. the bezel snaps back into place.
 
I didn't replace the thermal paste but I did clean the heatsink. Yours had much more dust in it than mine did, but maybe I will go ahead and replace the thermal paste just to see what happens! Thanks for the reference to your post!
 
GelleCC said:
WHat you'll need is something thin and flat - like plastic hotel key card, or a super thing flat had screw driver. 1st, remove the battery. next, flip your mac back over like you're going to turn it on (but the battery is out). Slide your thin tool (plastic card or similar) ..................
Click to expand...

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS!! well unless you have a white macbook, then this is correct, but the late 08 books are aluminum. and these rules dont apply. for the aluminum simply remove the battery and undo the 8 screws on the bottom of the case, and it's open. keep the screws in order there are different sizes. heres a great website for ALL MAC REPAIRS!! and parts this is the general mac page so you can hone in further on your specific model. great site, i've used it many times, to completely replace logic boards keyboards, i reapplied my thermal pate with this, all kinds of things
http://www.ifixit.com/Browse/Mac

BTW to the original poster, a new fan might be 30 bucks (50 at the highest), so the cost of that vs a new macbook...... i think the fan wins, unless you really want a new laptop
 
unixperience said:
DON'T LISTEN TO THIS!!
Click to expand...

My mistake - I didn't notice that he/she asked about late 2008 model. However, in my defense, I did say "If you are a visual learner, I'd suggest going to youtube and searching for "remove macbook topcase" or "remove macbook keyboard" and just look for a video with the a1181 model mac (white one). " Where I explicitly said a1181 (white).

As far as the new fan vs the new macbook - (I'm the OP) I never said I wanted a new macbook (I mean I do, newer is better, but not because mine overheats haha). And I do know how much fans cost - but that's why I said "I can get a new one, I just don't want to pay for it" because mine is out of warranty. Any way, the cheapest solution was already posted, remove topcase, clean dust bunnies, remove heat sink, clean dust bunnies, remove/replace thermal paste. Because I found thermal paste on ebay for $3 I think. And THAT fixed my fan problem just like it fixed the previous posters problem (@souljas)
 
Just in case anyone is wondering on how to do this with a late 2006 WHITE macbook, I have made a video replacing the thermal paste and cleaning out the dust bunnies on my heatsink. I will upload (eventually) and post a link here (eventually).

BUT, I did do a before and after screen shots. The test: play a youtube video full screen and check heat (I used iStat pro). Then replace the thermal paste and check again.

Here are the pictures!
Picture7.png

Picture8.png
 
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