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Macbook Pro Fan Problem?

C

Casey01

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2010
96
0
Wisconsin
So as of lately I've been having this weird noise coming from the the left side of my MBP right under the speaker. I can't seem to figure out why it happens. It really only seems to happen when it's not a a hard surface, meaning if it was on my lap or a pillow it would make this noise after awhile. It would also make this noise when I run Google Chrome.
What could be wrong?

EDIT: Shortly after I posted this I downloaded iStat Pro and it said that my left fan wasn't spinning at all (0rpm) and that my right was at 5000+rpm. I restarted my MBP and they are not both around 1000rpms
 
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Is the fan speeding up? check your activity monitor to see if anything is using lots of your resources and causing the fan to speed up. I had two issues that caused this problem.
 
Casey01 said:
So as of lately I've been having this weird noise coming from the the left side of my MBP right under the speaker. I can't seem to figure out why it happens. It really only seems to happen when it's not a a hard surface, meaning if it was on my lap or a pillow it would make this noise after awhile. It would also make this noise when I run Google Chrome.
What could be wrong?

EDIT: Shortly after I posted this I downloaded iStat Pro and it said that my left fan wasn't spinning at all (0rpm) and that my right was at 5000+rpm. I restarted my MBP and they are not both around 1000rpms
Click to expand...
Reset the SMC. Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs). They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level.

Also, it's a bad idea to operate your MBP on a pillow, as it can block the vents at the rear, near the hinge.
 
Okay I did that. I'm hoping that it will work.
But also, would resetting the SMC increase my boot up time. Because it has seem to have gotten slower and after doing what you said it booted up quicker then it used to.
 
Casey01 said:
Okay I did that. I'm hoping that it will work.
But also, would resetting the SMC increase my boot up time. Because it has seem to have gotten slower and after doing what you said it booted up quicker then it used to.
Click to expand...
No, resetting the SMC should have no effect on boot time. Check System Preferences > Accounts > youraccount > Login Items to see what apps are launching at startup. I trust you keep current backups, in the event you encounter any hard drive problems. Also, check iStat Pro to see that both fans are running around 2000 rpm.
 
Unfortunately the closest Apple store is is about a state away at the Mall of America. There is a store not to far from me that's called The Mac Guys. But it's cost $70 for a diagnostics and $100.00 for hourly pay, which is a bit out of my pay range right now, and that's a bit too much for a diagnostics.


EDIT: SO just randomly both fans jumped to around 5000rpm and the left fan started making some weird noise. I can't seem to figure out why.

EDIT2: I closed the Macbook putting it into sleep mode and when reopened it, iStat Pro told me that the left fan is at 0rpm at the right is at 1000rpm. But when I put my ear next to the left speaker it sounds like the fan is running.
 
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Casey01 said:
What would be the cost of repair for it?
Click to expand...

At iFixit.com the fans are around 45 bucks a pop, you can change them yourself(I already did in my 2008 MBP) rather easily, there is even a detailed how to on the website.

First though, I'd crack open the machine to see if they're just clogged with dust, with your computer going on 6 years old, there's gotta be some accumulated crud in there.
 
Casey01 said:
Unfortunately the closest Apple store is is about a state away at the Mall of America. There is a store not to far from me that's called The Mac Guys. But it's cost $70 for a diagnostics and $100.00 for hourly pay, which is a bit out of my pay range right now, and that's a bit too much for a diagnostics.
Click to expand...

Is your computer still under warranty? You don't have to take it to an Apple Store to get warranty service. You can take it to any authorized service center. You can find the closest one here: http://www.apple.com/buy/locator/service/
 
My MBP was from 2006. It's well over it's warranty.

And the closest place, as I stated before, is "The Mac Guys" and they cost way to much.
 
Casey01 said:
Is it pretty basic opening it up? I'm only experienced with fiddling around in desktops.
Click to expand...
There should be tiny little screws on the bottom of the laptop holding the case together. I assume your macbook is older than the unibody models sold these days, but the principle ought to be the same.

Get a good set of precision screwdrivers and use one that fits the screws. Take note which screw goes where - sometimes they have different lengths.

Before you start the operation, buy a can of compressed air to de-dustify the laptop's fans and heatsinks. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, they tend to generate tons of static electricity which is death to electronics.
 
Well I'll be taking a look inside tomorrow. But why does iStat say the left fan is at 0rpm when i can hear it spin when I put my ear on the left side below the keyboard.
 
Casey01 said:
Well I'll be taking a look inside tomorrow. But why does iStat say the left fan is at 0rpm when i can hear it spin when I put my ear on the left side below the keyboard.
Click to expand...
It could be a problem with the fan, or with the sensor.
 
Casey01 said:
Well I'll be taking a look inside tomorrow. But why does iStat say the left fan is at 0rpm when i can hear it spin when I put my ear on the left side below the keyboard.
Click to expand...

Use the guides on ifixit.com. They are very well detailed and you'll have no trouble opening up your MBP with them.
 
So I opened her up and there very little to no dust. I started it up with the lid still open and it wasn't spinning at all. It was sort of twitching. I gave it a nudge and it started spinning.

Also I downloaded the Fan Control software and it said that the 1000rpm was the minimum for this computer. So I'm going to assume that all the older Macbook Pros had a minimum of 1000rpm while the new ones are bumped up to 2000rpm. But I called Apple and it's going to cost $310. Screw that. I'll just buy my own fan and put it in.

I also can't believe you need to pay $40 to get technical support. Don't they have enough money???

EDIT: How high should the temp. be on the CPU for me to start to worry?
 
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