MacBook Pro fan runs high, comp slows down

Just in the last few days I've noticed that 10 minutes or so after startup, my fans start to spool up, and eventually the computer starts slowing down. It gets to the point that just scrolling or typing seems to tax the machine.

Restarting helps briefly, but the problem returns. This happens even if I only have a browser running, either Google Chrome or Safari. And no, I'm not on any burdensome site with a a lot of flash or anything. In fact, it's doing it right now with nothing but this forum open!

Another strange thing is that, once the fans spool up, they never spool back down, even if I close all applications (again, typically just the browser).

I have checked the Activity Monitor under All Processes and nothing is using over 5% CPU. Typically the Activity Monitor itself is using the most CPU, and sometimes kernel_task, but that's usually only a couple percent.

I have also tried resetting the SMC, no help.

The computer is a MBP 2.2 GHz Intel COre Duo with 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM running Mac OS X 10.6.7

iStat Pro shows both fans near 6k rpm, CPU temp 90C.

Any ideas?

thanks,
Mike

Im no expert but i'd like to share what i have on my mind...

may i ask what's the weather like in your place? Humidity and heat in the environment can affect your system.

also, are you using it plugged in a power outlet or is it running on batteries when this happens? I had an HP laptop before and i noticed that when im using it with the battery all applications run slow.

lastly, do you have coconut battery? you can check your battery's temp there also. i believe istat pro doesn't have that option.

How old is the machine? It sounds like perhaps the vents or the fans themselves may be clogged with dirt or dust. If you feel up to it, open the machine up and blow out the dust and dirt if any and clean around the fans.

The folks at iFixit: The free repair manual have take apart instructions for most models.

If the machine is clean inside, there may other more serious hardware problems causing the fans to ramp up.

@johndope83, weather is warm here in Atlanta, but it happens even when inside an air-conditioned building. I'm plugged-in when this happens. Don't have Coconut Battery yet, maybe time to get it.

@chscag, the computer is about 4 years old. I'll check out your link to see how difficult disassembly would be. If that turns out not to be the issue, what are the "more serious hardware problems" you speak of, and how would I diagnose them?

thanks,
Mike

Just noticed something. After restart, under CPU iStat Pro shows single digits for "User", and low double-digits for "Sys". When the fan goes crazy, it might show around the low 20's for "User", but he "Sys" shows nearly 70%! So what could the "Sys" be doing that's sucking up so much CPU, and why isn't it showing in Activity Monitor?

As it starts to overheat, the system is going to ramp up in direct proportion to the sound of the fans..... So what you're seeing is understandable.

Try getting inside the machine if you feel up to it and check the fans and vents like I suggested above. And as I said before, if everything inside is clean, the problem may be more serious. But lets take it one step at a time.

You've also got a myriad of good authorized Apple repair places and Apple stores in the Atlanta area if you don't feel up to doing the work yourself.

I figured it out. I noticed there was a process called LOGINserver, which seemed to multiply itself as the problem got worse. After a while there would be 20+ iterations of this process running, each taking up less than 1% of CPU, but the cumulative effect caused the symptoms described. I found this thread which detailed a convoluted method of deleting the process. However, even after following the steps, that little process kept returning and spawning clones of itself.

So, realizing that this was related to my Brother printer, I Googled the model number along with "Mac driver", found & installed the updated drivers, and it fixed itself. Whew!

Of course, now I remember how this happened. I had a problem with the printer which caused me to delete and re-install the driver, and instead of installing the latest driver from the web, I installed it from the old CD. So, in short, I did it to myself! Wow, there went a couple of days of my life! ;-)

Hey.... good bit of trouble shooting! Keep the cleaning process in mind though for the future. Hopefully, you'll never have to get inside the machine. Have fun and visit us often.

johndope83 said:

Im no expert but i'd like to share what i have on my mind...

may i ask what's the weather like in your place? Humidity and heat in the environment can affect your system.

also, are you using it plugged in a power outlet or is it running on batteries when this happens? I had an HP laptop before and i noticed that when im using it with the battery all applications run slow.

lastly, do you have coconut battery? you can check your battery's temp there also. i believe istat pro doesn't have that option.

Click to expand...

iStat Menus does track battery temperature, so I would be surprised if iStat Pro didn't.