Unnecessary fan noise

Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Very recently just turning on my macbook the fan starts up making noise. The macbook itself is quite cold so it shouldn't be trying to cool anything down. It's not it's silent running self anymore, also the fan noise has a slight "whir" noise to it.

Any suggestions?
 
OP
C
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Oh I'm not sure now.... It didn't used to make the noise before and I have made any changes or installed anything recently. It just started.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Sounds like it's time to either replace that fan or possibly lubricate it. Probably easier to replace it as trying to lubricate it can get you into trouble. Go to the ifixit web site and look up the instructions for replacing the fan.

iFixit: The free repair manual

If you're reluctant to doing it yourself, have an authorized Apple repair service center or Apple store do it for you.
 
OP
C
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
No second monitor, no extra accessories plugged in, just my macbook plugged in to the mains, only chrome running with low CPU usage, well ventilated.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
The bearings in all fans break down after some time, and they get noisier as they age. You may want to run the Apple Hardware Test, which should indicate any abnormal behavior for the fans:

Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test

Secondly, I'd also recommend a PRAM and SMC reset:

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

Finally, the fans may run faster if the intake tracts are clogged with dust. iFixit.com has disassembly directions for most Mac models. Generally, you can take off the bottom panel and blow it out with some compressed air (be sure to hold the fans captive while you do this as it's generally a bad idea to overspin them).
 
OP
C
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
It did come up with an error for the Logiboard but after performing a PRAM reset the error went away. The fn still persists to whir and run when unnecessary. At times, such as just turning after being in sleep mode, it'll start up at high speed then gradually slow down.
 
OP
C
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I'd expect my White unibody macbooks fans to run at higher speeds when streaming videos online such as youtube or watching movies, but more recently the noise of the fan has become much louder so I'm guessing the fan is moving at a faster speed. I have posted on here before about unnecessary fan noise but I think I've come to realise this happens mainly when watching videos online.

NOTE my macbooks fan did not make this much noise up until about a month ago. Can anyone help me find out why the fan suddenly makes so much noise and how to fix it?

Thanks.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
How much louder is "unnecessary"? I only ask because, as you noted, videos (especially if streamed with something like Flash) online tend to generate more heat than local copies.

Assuming it's considerably louder than normal, one of two things may be wrong: either the fans are getting clogged or the fan is malfunctioning. It is easy to determine which of the two it might be just by the sound itself. If it's louder but still sounds normal (something like a song playing but just louder), it could be experiencing issues with dust and other build up. If it's louder but sounds noticeably different (something like a song but with distortion or a broken cable connection), it could be the fans themselves.
 
OP
C
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Well for the rest of duration I've owned the macbook the fan has been slightly loud when streaming but that's just normal, recently it has been considerably louder even overpowering the sound of quieter videos. I don't think it sounds too different, sometimes theres sort of an electronic whir as well but most of the time it's just louder than usual. I've tried SMC reset, PRAM reset, hardware test and fancontrol software but none of those have effected it, fancontrol software didn't even work I think it's only from MBP models. I can only think there might be a dust buildup but maybe 6 months ago I had apple replace the bottom plastic panel because over time from heating it had started to deform and I would have thought apple may have cleaned it out there and then. I've checked activity monitor when streaming a video and usually around 60% of the CPU is idle.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
@cammerz

Let's not start a completely new thread for this same subject. We've been all through this before and you received many replies and suggestions. No point in beating this dead horse over and over.

I merged these three posts into the original thread. Always continue with the same thread unless the subject is entirely different. Thanks.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top