Opening my MBP so I can fix the buzz from the fan, advise me!

[M. Malone]

Ok, so I got a brand new MBP Penryn about a week ago. In quiet environments I can hear the right fan going "bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" it's really low but I can hear it, REALLY annoying. My left fan only does a blowing air sound, I can't hear the motor that drives it. I just want my right fan to be identical to the left.

There is a problem though, I cannot take it to Apple. I ordered this mac to my friend's address in the US, he then shipped it to me to another country where there is no Apple store or Apple repair place.

My only choice is to go in there and do it myself. I will follow iFixit.com. Here's the thing. I don't have a replacement fan, it's still a brand new machine. Does anybody know when I'm in there what I should look for to cure this slight buzz, like tighten the fan, a wire rubbing on it...ANYTHING, it can only be heard in a quiet room.

 

[DoFoT9]

if you REALLY must...
•open it carefully, following the instructions step by step, lay all the pieces out very carefully.
•when you get to the fan move it around slowly to see if its rubbing, if it is maybe all it needs is a loosen, or something i dont really know.

i hope you dont mind voiding your warranty either...

 

[techlover828]

if you REALLY must...
•open it carefully, following the instructions step by step, lay all the pieces out very carefully.
•when you get to the fan move it around slowly to see if its rubbing, if it is maybe all it needs is a loosen, or something i dont really know.

i hope you dont mind voiding your warranty either...

well if there's no apple repair center around it wouldn't really matter to him.

 

[DoFoT9]

well if there's no apple repair center around it wouldn't really matter to him.

better to be safe then sorry i suppose, i seem to have a lot of bad luck or bad timing so i take it safe.

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

Why don't you contact AppleCare via. phone? That would certainly take your mind off breaking the darn thing?

 

[M. Malone]

better to be safe then sorry i suppose, i seem to have a lot of bad luck or bad timing so i take it safe.

warranty is useless in this part of the world

I hope I can fix this.

Thanks!

 

[M. Malone]

Why don't you contact AppleCare via. phone? That would certainly take your mind off breaking the darn thing?

hmmm, I can call Apple using Skype for free, but what can they do for me over the phone? They would never say I should open it up. even for some miraculous reason they send me a prepaid Fed Ex international slip, I don't know if I should risk getting another faulty one. This one has a perfect screen, no dead pixels.

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

hmmm, I can call Apple using Skype for free, but what can they do for me over the phone? They would never say I should open it up. even for some miraculous reason they send me a prepaid Fed Ex international slip, I don't know if I should risk getting another faulty one. This one has a perfect screen, no dead pixels.

In which country do you live?

If Apple operates or ships to your country which is most likely, they should acknowledge your problem and send you a prepaid FedEx slip. That's how their international warranty works, regardless of who bought it for whom.

 

[duffyanneal]

Sounds like you have the same problem I had on my previous MBP. The sound is very subtle, but in a quiet environment it can be annoying. I actually took a look inside of my machine but found nothing except that the fan itself was noisy. I suspect you have the same problem. The only fix would be to replace the fan. It is relatively easy to take a peek inside, but be careful when you're in there. If you don't see anything obviously wrong then you probably have a bum fan. You can try ordering a replacement fan. Just be sure to get the correct side and connector.

 

[Twe Foju]

uhh, i wouldn't do that if i were you unless you are a good Tech guy

 

[pazreal]

I had a noisy fan in the my MB a while back and ended up taking the thing apart and then (I know this is dumb) running it while mostly dismantled to try to pinpoint the fan noise. Turned out to be the center screw that was mounting the fan. I began easing off of it until it ran silent again never to be heard from again.

I think a major problem you will run into is fixing the sounds with out hearing it as well as the slightly different acoustic properties of the open laptop as opposed to sound through the case. Subtle but different.

 

[uluruman]

i did the same

hi,

i bought my sr mbp in january and love it. but from day one on the right fan was like slightly noisier then the left. after 5 hours of using my mbp it would get worse.
so i went to the apple store (berlin, germany) where i bought the mbp. the technician said the noise would be in the accepted "range" from apple, so they could not exchange it for warranty.
i love my mbp and everything with it is wonderful, except the (truly not too loud) noise from the right fan, but i couldn´t accept this. so i went on and ordered a replacement fan from powerbookmedic.com and replaced the fan on my own. this is not really hard to do, takes just 20 minutes and some calm. before i did change the fan i talked to an apple certified technician who said that, if i would not break anything no one could tell whether the fan was changed or not - so my warranty will not be destroyed.

happy ending: before the replacement i loved my mbp 99.9%, after the replacement it is virtually silent and i love it 110%.

if you plan to swap the fan on your own i can help you with photos and instructions.

cu

 

[sjb]

Although I agree with the other posters in this thread -- you really should just contact Apple and see what they'll do for you -- this link should at least walk you through gaining access to the fan with good clear photos and documented instructions.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-Duo/Right-Fan/85/21/

Best of luck to you! Let us know how it goes!

 

[noodle654]

My 2.2GHz SR has been getting a pretty bad buzz lately. I just started to get worse and sorta loud at only 2000RPM. I pray this goes away or else its a call to AppleCare.

 

[M. Malone]

hi,

i bought my sr mbp in january and love it. but from day one on the right fan was like slightly noisier then the left. after 5 hours of using my mbp it would get worse.
so i went to the apple store (berlin, germany) where i bought the mbp. the technician said the noise would be in the accepted "range" from apple, so they could not exchange it for warranty.
i love my mbp and everything with it is wonderful, except the (truly not too loud) noise from the right fan, but i couldn´t accept this. so i went on and ordered a replacement fan from powerbookmedic.com and replaced the fan on my own. this is not really hard to do, takes just 20 minutes and some calm. before i did change the fan i talked to an apple certified technician who said that, if i would not break anything no one could tell whether the fan was changed or not - so my warranty will not be destroyed.

happy ending: before the replacement i loved my mbp 99.9%, after the replacement it is virtually silent and i love it 110%.

if you plan to swap the fan on your own i can help you with photos and instructions.

cu

that is very kind of you to offer help, it seems you went through exactly what I am going through. Now I REALLY wanna swap the fan, about my technical expertise:

1. I have never opened up a laptop beyond to add RAM.

2. I have opened desktops to change optical drives, graphic cards, network adapters, RAM etc

based on my experience, is opening up my MBP something I can easily handle?

Thanks

 

[hcuar]

based on my experience, is opening up my MBP something I can easily handle?

Thanks

No. I wouldn't mess with opening up a laptop under warranty.
Figure out a way to call Apple and have them fix it. If i remember correctly, Apple warrants laptops internationally.

 

[uluruman]

@ jericho2550:

based on your experience there should be no problem to swap the fan on your own. BUT of course all the others are right by telling you to contact apple care / warranty service first.
my problem was that i contacted them and they denied to swap the fan. when i asked a different technician whether they would swap the fan if i paid them for it like a regular repair he said of course, no problem. and as i told him that i thought about doing it on my own but beeing afraid of loosing the warranty he said that no one could see whether i changed the fan or the technician.

so - like all the other posters here say: there´s at least the possibility to loose the warranty for your new machine. you have to decide on your own what you can / want to / need to do.

technically changing the fan is as simple as changing a harddrive from a desktop pc. there are only a few things you have to take care of: all the manuals in the internet don´t really explain how to open up the case after you took out all the screws. but it´s quite simple if you know how: DON´T bend or lift the upper case (like some manuals tell you)!!! you might break it. simply use a plastic pencil or a small wooden stick to lever the front of the top case beginning from the LEFT. it´s very easy to "de-"click the upper case this way and you won´t harm it.

if you really want to change the fan on your own - you have been warned. send me a pm and i will write you a step by step guide.

um

 

[M. Malone]

@ jericho2550:

based on your experience there should be no problem to swap the fan on your own. BUT of course all the others are right by telling you to contact apple care / warranty service first.
my problem was that i contacted them and they denied to swap the fan. when i asked a different technician whether they would swap the fan if i paid them for it like a regular repair he said of course, no problem. and as i told him that i thought about doing it on my own but beeing afraid of loosing the warranty he said that no one could see whether i changed the fan or the technician.

so - like all the other posters here say: there´s at least the possibility to loose the warranty for your new machine. you have to decide on your own what you can / want to / need to do.

technically changing the fan is as simple as changing a harddrive from a desktop pc. there are only a few things you have to take care of: all the manuals in the internet don´t really explain how to open up the case after you took out all the screws. but it´s quite simple if you know how: DON´T bend or lift the upper case (like some manuals tell you)!!! you might break it. simply use a plastic pencil or a small wooden stick to lever the front of the top case beginning from the LEFT. it´s very easy to "de-"click the upper case this way and you won´t harm it.

if you really want to change the fan on your own - you have been warned. send me a pm and i will write you a step by step guide.

um

hey, now I'm considering returning it! While I was examining the buzz from the fan, I noticed another higher pitched buzz coming from the same right side, it's from the screen, when I increase brightness it buzzes, but when I decrease it to the point the screen sleeps, it stops.

This buzz works with the fans buzz. I'm thinking if I change the fan, I will still have to put up with the buzz from the screen, my PowerBook and MacBook don't have the screen buzz! is this normal?

 

[uluruman]

@jericho2550

this really sounds more like a problem from the "inverter board" or some kind of electronic circuit modulating the current towards the screen and fan.

in this case you should go to apple.

wish you luck.

 

[M. Malone]

@jericho2550

this really sounds more like a problem from the "inverter board" or some kind of electronic circuit modulating the current towards the screen and fan.

in this case you should go to apple.

wish you luck.

well, I called Apple, told them I got it a week ago, they said there is nothing they can do if there is no service center in my country, they suggested I ship it back and pay the cost, I'm really frustrated cause I was hoping it would only be the fan, but it might be more complicating than that.