MacBook Pro- fans cray, Temp sensor error- any hope left?

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MacBook Pro- fans cray, Temp sensor error- any hope left?

2012 MBP ran fine until 3 days ago, except a week in September where sierra install made it go haywire.

I booted it up the other day and fans came on full blast. Tried SMC and NVRAM-PRAM, booted into safe mode, still happens there. Installed all updates, computer takes 20 min to reboot, maybe 15 into safe mode. Locks up in regular boot, works albeit slowly in safe mode. Checked hardware and got a temp sensor error code. Is this the end? Any other fixes you can suggest that might help or work around the temp sensor?

Thanks!

Posted on Feb 9, 2017 2:36 PM

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Answer 1

S.U.

Level 6

9,601 points

Feb 9, 2017 7:38 PM in response to jmakirichards

The fans are probably coming on full blast because of the temperature sensor. The first task is to see if you can determine exactly which temperature sensor this is and see if it has perhaps come unplugged. If so, reseating it may be all that is necessary. If, however, it is indicating a true overheating condition, it may be necessary to replace some thermal compound or something else along that line.

Is this the 13" model? If so, there is a known problem with the hard drive cable going bad over time, and this could be a factor in the extreme slowness you are seeing. Replacement cables and instructions are available from powerBook Medic and ifixit. A bad cable can also corrupt the hard drive over time. You might want to download the free demo of SMART Utility and check out the health of your drive:

https://www.volitans-software.com/apps/smart-utility/

ifixit is also a good source of repair guides and you should be able to find a tear down that will show you where to look for the thermal sensors and check their connections to the logic board.

Good luck!

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