Recently the fan on my Airport began screeching and grinding. It is out of warranty but I'm fairly sure I can replace it if I had a replacement part number. Google hasn't been helpful. Any suggestions?
Has the fan been a common point of failure on this model?
Airport Extreme 802.11ac
I'm having a similar problem with my Airport Time Capsule. I've only started using it recently, and the fan had been fine, though I've just recently noticed it's never backed up my Mac -which it had been set up for. I had to move my desk two days ago, and after replugging in the Time Capsule, the fan is continuously running, even sat in a colder room. I tried moving it back to the previous room to see if it made a difference, which it did not. ie also only recently tried to finally set it up as my wifi router, instead of using my service providers, and it refuses to work with that either. Any ideas on what to do? I got it maybe two years ago, and only opened the package in August.
Hopefully, you have AppleCare in effect on one of your Macs. If you do, then the Time Capsule is covered for up to three years from its original purchase date.
If you are not covered by AppleCare, it could not hurt to explain to Apple that the Time Capsule in effect is "new". Ask them very nicely to replace the Time Capsule for you, mentioning that you have probably spent thousands of dollars on other Apple gear.
If no luck, your only other option is to try to open up the Time Capsule and clean out the fan with compressed air to see if that helps. If you decide to do this, be extremely careful, as there are a number of connectors and ribbon cables that can be easily damaged if great care is not taken. A shop might be an option for repair, but the cost of this might exceed the cost of a new Time Capsule.
This link will provide some tips. The Time Capsule is the same device as an AirPort Extreme, but the Time Capsule includes a built in hard drive.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPort+Extreme+A1521+Teardown/15044
I have a still existing AppleCare on my MacBook that's still good for a year. I just sold it to a friend, though I still have the AppleCare information card, will that work? Or should I ask for the MacBook to have the proof?
If that doesn't work, I'll definitely try asking nicely, cause I've no doubt spent more than 5k.
Thank you so much for your help! Hopefully I'll just get a new replacement :)
I have a still existing AppleCare on my MacBook that's still good for a year. I just sold it to a friend, though I still have the AppleCare information card, will that work? Or should I ask for the MacBook to have the proof?
I would contact Apple Support and tell them that you feel that you have a defective Time Capsule that should be covered by your AppleCare agreement on the Mac.....and let Apple Support ask for any additional information that they might need to get things in motion.
You should get a replacement.. no need to mention you sold the Macbook.
BTW I doubt you have a faulty fan.. so opening it and replacing the fan would not fix it. It is much more likely to be a faulty sensor.
I did a repair.. this is for your general interest .. replacing the sensor did fix it.. but I have to add.. there is more at fault here which I still have not tracked down.. If the TC cools down it will start up with the fan running full bore.. but it does settle down and work ok after an hour or so.. I think the fault is fairly serious so definitely pursue apple for replacement.
I seee this was over a year and a half ago- just wondered how long this fix lasted. I'm in the same boat and about to disassemble my A1521. I wonder if it would be wise to wait for the replacement fan. Thanks.
Thanks. Sounds like waiting for a new fan might be worth it. I'm not that keen on taking the time opening it up more than the once. Perhaps with the replacement fan I may get lucky and another 2-3 years. Did you finally replace the fan?
Sorry for your loss... but that's good to know: I shut mine down after hearing the squealing a couple times and determining it was the AE fan from a search. Perhaps I'll be lucky to have caught it early enough. I'll try a fan replacement. It's worth a shot at $17 and only takes a couple weeks from CN.
Unfortunately, Apple considers the AirPort Extreme a sealed device, and as such, they do not provide repair parts for the product.
You may have to pull the old fan and see if there might be an original manufacturer and number on the part itself that you could use to find a suitable replacement. The AirPort that I took apart some time ago used a Delta fan. See Step 12 in the article linked below.
We don't see very many reports of noisy fans.......the usual problem is an intermittent power supply.
You will need to be extremely careful when you open up the AirPort Extreme as there are a number of connectors that can easily be broken.
This article should provide some help and tips:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPort+Extreme+A1521+Teardown/15044
I would exercise warranty.. even if you are out of one year Apple will still cover it if you buy applecare (or already have it) on computer, ipad or apple TV up to 2 years prior purchase of the applecare.
Outside of the US you also may claim statutory warranty under the consumer laws in your country.
LaPastenague probably has the best idea here.......at least try to get Apple to replace the AirPort Extreme before you attempt to open it up......since opening it up will void any warranty like AppleCare that might be in effect on the AirPort Extreme if you have the coverage in place on one of your Macs.
If you do have Apple Care in effect on one of your Macs, the AirPort Extreme is automatically covered since it will be less than 3 years old.
Fan went out after 1 1/2 years just like my last two. Now it is overheating but working. Is it safe?
No
I had the same problem with my time capsule (A1470). The fan would kick into high gear several times a day and then eventually it began to squeak and then the fan died. I took the Airport apart and left if running with out the case in case that would be cool enough. Look at iFixit for a rough guide on taking it apart.
Eventually my Time Capsule would overheat and reboot.
So I removed the fan and googled for a replacement. The only ones I could find were in China and would take a month to arrive. That wouldn't do, so I googled on repairing this kind of fan, but all that I could find said that you can't repair them. Well, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I opened up the fan and applied a little oil on the spindle of the fan and put it back together. First I tried WD-40, but that only worked for a few minutes. Then I used some oil that I had lying around that came with an electric shaver.
I've been running it for 24 hours and so far so good. It's still doesn't have the case and I can see that the fan runs continuously at a low speed. It hasn't kicked into high speed mode and it hasn't sent any warnings about overheating to the Airport Utility running on my desktop.
I cautiously optimistic that it has been fixed.
I purchased my AirPort Extreme on 6/30/15 and it took awhile to figure out it was my AirPort that was making noise. It was a high pitch screeching noise as well as heating up. I finally got an appt. to take it to the Apple store 15 mos. after purchase and they said it was of warranty, not repairable, and for another $169.oo I could replace it. I didn't have AppleCare and that would've been another $200+ It's obviously defective as it doesn't seem to be such a common problem. It's frustrating to not be able to get it repaired for it's not a cheap product for me. So Apple wants me to spend more for an extended warranty than the cost of the product?
Fan is failing on 6th Generation Airport Base Station
