Macbook fan not working

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Macbook fan not working

Greetings,

My macbook is suffering from a non working fan.
- After the firmware upgrade it worked fine, but stopped working. I never really noticed until recently.
- smcFanControl cannot get the fan working (showing always 000rpm and 55 to 80 deg C)
- I have 2gb memory and have no overheat issues...until I run my new EyeTV hybrid which will make it shutdown.

Any suggestions to test the fan and it this is a hardware or software problem

Thanks in advance, Marty

macbook, Mac OS X (10.4.1), v

Posted on Feb 6, 2008 8:35 PM

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Answer 1

mmockenn Author

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Feb 8, 2008 1:01 PM in response to mmockenn

...bump.

Either way, I'll run the hardware test and then open it up to see if there is a loose connection or burned out fan...not sure how to test though

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Answer 2

sam_:-)

Level 1

125 points

Feb 8, 2008 2:35 PM in response to mmockenn

take it to the apple store or send it in if you find out the fans aren't working. they'll fix it if your computer is less than a year old or if you got an applecare plan.

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Answer 3

Feb 8, 2008 3:11 PM in response to mmockenn

Have you used the iStat pro widget, its free on the website, it monitors the fan well.

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Answer 4

mmockenn Author

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Feb 8, 2008 9:00 PM in response to myresolve

I installed smcFanControl, it shows 000 rpm and I cannot get fan to work

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Answer 5

mmockenn Author

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Feb 8, 2008 9:01 PM in response to sam_:-)

Unfortunately, its past warranty.

I'm going to pop off the top and inspect the fan. try to reseat connection. If all else fails, i'll take to guru and get a quote to fix

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Answer 6

Feb 8, 2008 9:52 PM in response to mmockenn

I'd expect a dead fan on a Macbook to quickly lead to shutdowns from overheating.

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Answer 7

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Feb 8, 2008 10:39 PM in response to mmockenn

mmockenn wrote:
I installed smcFanControl, it shows 000 rpm and I cannot get fan to work

If I were you, I would get an second opinion and try iStat Pro. On my MacBook it shows my fan speed as I write this at 1800 rpm (it varies a few rpm on either side of 1800.) This utility also reports several temperature reading from 35-50 degrees.

As someone else wrote here, I would think your computer would either not run or shut down very quickly without the fan. At least that's been my experience on other computers that I've owned.

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Answer 8

mmockenn Author

Level 1

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Feb 15, 2008 8:29 AM in response to mmockenn

FIXED!

I took off the keyboard and checked the fan. Although only slightly dusty, something made it stick. A light push with the screwdriver and the fan was moving.

I cleaned the fan as best I could(without removing it) and reassembled.

smbFanControl now shows 1500+ RPM and cooler temps.

As side note, the only reason I notice the fan was out was because of EyeTV hybrid would tax the processors enough to overheat and shutdown. For most useage, the processor stays about 150 deg F and is OK.

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