fan is broken?

[jack_cf]

A few days ago my macbooc pro's fan started to sound strange. instead of a hum, it now sounds more 'buzzy'.

hearing this i looked around and found a widget that tells me various facts about the computer, called iStat pro. i have attached a screenshot hopefully.
it tells me that the left fan is spinning at 0rpm (not spinning at all)

i think the left fan not spinning makes the right fan work harder, and make the noise.

1. can i replace the left fan myself?
2. do you think this will solve the problem?

thanks for any help

 

[cwa107]

The fans are thermostatically controlled. It is certainly possible that the fan might just be turned off by the system.

What I would recommend is running a CPU-intensive application and monitor with iStat to see if the fan kicks on. Once you've isolated it to that particular fan, then I would consider replacing it.

 

[jack_cf]

iv just been converting some films from .avi to .mp4 and it went up to 5000rpm and got really hot (usually runs at about 1000 when doing easy things) i had to turn it on its side to help it cool down.

do you know where i can get a replacement fan and whether i would be able to do it myself?

 

[cwa107]

Sure: iFixit: iPod, iBook, & PowerBook Parts and Accessories

Whether or not you can do it yourself depends on your skill level with disassembling notebooks. Apple's aren't particularly easy to work on, but if you're so inclined, you can find detailed instructions on the same site.

 

[jack_cf]

dont think im going to attempt to fix it myself. they look like they are about £33. thanks for your help