MacBook Pro Gen 1 Fan

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Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
So I suddenly realized that I have not heard my fans kick in on my laptop in a long time. Like if I had to put a time on it prob over a year, I got SMC fan control and it just shows them going 0 RPM and I cannot get them to kick in even while encoding. Think they are fried?

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  • Reply 1 of 5
    If you can't hear them while encoding, it's a bad sign. Mine 1st gen MBP runs its fans at ~1000 RPM nominally as measured by SMC fan control, and they go up to ~3000 RPM if I'm doing heavy duty processing.
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  • Reply 2 of 5
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Texas Flood View Post


    If you can't hear them while encoding, it's a bad sign. Mine 1st gen MBP runs its fans at ~1000 RPM nominally as measured by SMC fan control, and they go up to ~3000 RPM if I'm doing heavy duty processing.



    Yea mine shows its not running all the time. Never see it above 0 RPM been like that for over a year now.
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  • Reply 3 of 5
    I have a MBP 1st gen too, and yesterday I heard there's something wrong with the right fan, it seems it's wobbling and makes a loud sound now.



    I'm going to have a look into it right now, I hope it's just some dust but I think it's the fan bearings which are busted.



    Could I apply some bearing oil to it?

    Can the fan be replaced or do I need a new logic board?



    Cdn-Mac: I suspect your fan's are dead, maybe a loose cable.



    I'll try to take some pictures.
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  • Reply 4 of 5
    It seems easy to replace the fans.

    It's held down by 3 screws and some tape.

    I oiled the center of the fans a bit & I haven't had the sound yet.

    I also called a service center which told me those fan's weren't very expensive and if 1 goes, it's better to change both fans.



    Just look at the dust buildup in there. (Yes I smoke can U tell?)

    It runs a lot cooler now. (Could also be because I haven't got a battery in now, which is almost dead, 1h top)

    Oh yeah, don't use a vacuum cleaner, I used a little compressed air to blow dust out.





    Sound: It's not as bad as U hear it here:

    Video/sound



    Cdn-Mac, since both your fans seem dead, there might be another problem, maybe a power problem. I guess U can best bring your laptop to a service center if U don't know how to deal with it.



    Ps: I also removed the left fan to clear out the dust, in the process, I noticed the small ribbon cable which goes to the keyboard light sensor. At the end, there was one of four solderings broken, so i decided to take the ribbon cable out. I haven't got any problems, there's another sensor on the right side near the power switch. Keyboard lit-up still works fine.
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  • Reply 5 of 5
    The last half year my airport reception was very bad, I had to sit within 5 meters of my router.

    Now it seems to be resolved somehow, I don't know why. I already had my mbp apart to check the antennas which seemed fine then.

    Maybe it's now resolved because I pulled out the optical sensor for the keyboard, that might have caused interference since it's right next to the airport card.

    I'm pretty happy now, with some handyness I saved a couple of bucks on repairs and fuel. Ha!
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