Help with iMac cpu+heat problem

Hi,

not sure if this issue has been covered before or not.
but any help, advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

my imac is pretty much 2 years old. its a 2,66GHz Intel core 2 due with 2Gb ram.

for the first year. it ran perfect. as expected. was almost silent. when the screen turned off. you couldnt tell it was on unless you got up real close to it.

but for a while now, although running great still. there seems to be a bit of a issue with the cpu+the fans. i have no idea as im no expert.

but anything that uses the CPU more than 40%, be it youtube, or anything else flash. imovie.... or whatever. it causes the cpu to get really hot and the fans to go really loud. so loud i cant hear my music over it on normal volume.

here is a picture i attached of iStat pro. interesting too that the only fan not speeding up is the cpu one.



what do you guys think is causing this? just dust in it ?

because if it's anything other than dust and software, my extended warranty covers it.

Thanks

have you tried blocking flash, and seeing if it stops?

ClickToFlash

No i have no tried that, even though it is mainly flash as that is what i come across most often. even encoding in imovie or pretty much anything that uses my cpu above 40%.

what's the point of blocking flash anyways? if i wanted to stop it i would just not use it.
the point is i want to use flash.

If it's still under warranty, then best to just take it on in.
They can test it, clean it out, and if there's anything wrong, fix it.
If there's dust build up, they're not going to charge you anyway, as they'll need to clean it out to test the fans etc.

problem is, being 2 years old. apple's 12 month warranty is out.
so im on my 3 year extended warranty. and the money leeching people mac shop which deals with my warranty here says there is a $80 checking fee. if its covered under warranty, then i pay nothing. its repaired. but if its a software issue or just a dust build up and nothing wrong with any hardware. i'll have to pay the $80, or if i choose to have them clean it out or something, that $80 can go towards that. so yeah you know...

Who is this extended warranty with?

was bought through the store i purchased my imac from. but it's with IUG.
and they have repairs and checks done through Ubertec, apple specialists, here in new zealand

Is there anything in the fine print about such fees in the extended warranty from IUG?
I'd contact IUG about this!

Personally, I'd never purchase an extended warranty for an Apple product from anyone other than Apple, but what's done is done.


What you can do is open the RAM cover, and use compressed air to clean out any dust, and see if that fixes it.

unfortunately it is stated that cleaning and software is not covered.
im not sure about the fees. but knowing these people, and having gotten the money already they arent going to do anything about it. so i was just wanting to see if anyone is able to tell or even guess what the problem is so i dont waste $80 or more =\.
pretty stupid right?

i've got the warranty booklet here.
normal wear and tear (even if it had been ruled out by manufacturer) IS covered.

but then it says cleaning is not covered.

so im guessing dust is not seen as normal use& wear.

& also not covered :
and repair costs that have not been approved.

im guessing that's where that $80 comes from, its their normal checking fee and if warranty dosnt cover it id have to pay.

these guy's cover their backsides...that's for sure...

This is where the iMacs are a pain in the butt.
If it were any other Mac, it would be simple for you to get in, unfortunately with the iMacs, it means taking the glass off.
This is why I suggest a few quick bursts of compressed air through the bottom ram cover.
If there is a dust build up you will see it as dust flies out.
You can also set up a new user account, but I see no point as software isn't going to cause cpu and fans to go nuts unless you added a 3rd party software to manipulate your fans.

hmm, that last thing you said got me wondering....

a while ago i installed smcFan control on my computer, played around with it. but it was rubbish i removed it. possible that has messed things up? but then again i have removed it so even if it was doing anything. all should be gone.

No, when you quit SMC, everything reverts back to default, so removing the App, there is no way it can be altering anything.
It could have worn out your fans faster than they would have naturally if you had them set up high.

To cover yourself if you do take your Mac in, go to user/library/preferences, and remove com.eidac.smcFanControl2.plist, if it's not there, reinstall SMC, and use AppCleaner to remove SMC again.

Download AppCleaner for Mac - Uninstall your apps more easily. MacUpdate.com

You can try out a new user account to rule out software (which I don't for a second believe it could be), as well as the blowing out dust with compressed air, and then you have done all you can to be sure that you don't get stung if taking it in.

file isnt there, but I guess its because I remove my applications with AppTrap, so all should be gone.

hmm just wondering though, is it normal that the two other fans are at 5500+ RPM and the cpu fan dosnt speed up? as per istatpro says?

This I can't answer factually as to my lack of experience with iMacs.
What I can say is flash is intensive, but, your cpu temp isn't really high at all, esp if you are watching flash videos.
The only thing is that you are noticing higher fan speeds than you used to.
Which 2.66GHZ iMac model is it specifically?

umm 20" 2.66ghz core 2 duo, 2gb ram 800mhz, running OSX 10.5.8

Right... so the early 2008.
I was trying to find a teardown guide for you for that model, but this is the closest I can find.
iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Teardown - iFixit

Thanks for that, got my imac early 2009 actually. but the same thing i guess.

although i have no intention of taking it apart myself. not only would i insta-void my extended warranty. but i wouldnt really know what im doing with an imac.

hmm i wonder if anyone else has this problem

I have found the problem/solution!!!!

in my processes there is a process i came across a process called " Fancontroll daemon".
its a root process.

i ended it. and almost instantly the fans didnt go crazy over nothing, and the cooling system was working as it should be.

now i cant end it in the processes everytime i turn on my computer. i need to destroy the source.
i've done a little research and it should be in

System/Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon/FanControlDaemon run

i have a problem though, where is system? is it the same as user/library? because in my library there is no startupitems?

Thanks.

Ahhhh.... fan control
Ok, firstly, what you are looking for is Macintosh HD/System/Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon/FanControlDaemon run
....but, if that doesn't solve your problem, I would download fan control again, and then use Appcleaner to remove it.

AppCleaner