iMac mid 2011 CPU Fan Dead ???

[jasongoldworthy]

hi guys I have a mid 2011 iMac all of a sudden the CPU fan is dead its not spinning or anything

ive tried an SMC reset
and NVRAM / PRAM reset

but still the same.


obviously its out of warranty

is there anything I can check ?

as the fan turns freely if I do it with my fingers but don't attempt to spin when connected to the LogicBoard,

any help is appreciated,

I can confirm all the others fan are running silently no high fan noise because one isn't working,
I can also confirm the Mac don't freeze or lock up or even shut down but the CPU temp's go up to 80'c just using safari



thanks

Jason

 

[pigoo3]

All things wear out eventually. If the CPU fan is plugged in...and it's not spinning (and it should be spinning)...then very likely the CPU fan has died. That's why replacement parts are sold (for when things wear out).

Kind of like a flat tire on a car. The tire works fine until it goes flat (run over a nail, piece of glass, piece of metal, etc.). Many times the tire cannot be repaired...and a new/replacement tire is needed.

I would purchase a replacement fan...and install it. If the replacement fan doesn't work...then the issue lies somewhere else.


- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

All things wear out eventually. If the CPU fan is plugged in...and it's not spinning (and it should be spinning)...then very likely the CPU fan has died. That's why replacement parts are sold (for when things wear out).

I would purchase a replacement fan...and install it. If the replacement fan doesn't work...then the issue lies somewhere else.

- Nick

hi thanks for the reply

ill order a replacement fan and try as you suggested,

I did remove the glass front and removed the lcd booted with an external monitor to see if the fan does infect turn,

and it don't,


I removed the connector for the fan put it back in and the fan did spin so I thought ok must have been a lose connection or something,

I put the lcd back on connected it up replaced the glass front,

booted the iMac as normal and it booted cine then Macs fan control showed the cpu fan was again 0 RPM and dead,
cpu temps are climbing to 80'c

will it be ok ?

I only use it for web browsing eBay and things and youtube,

ive ordered a replacement fan (as ive taken the Mac apart a few months ago to clean the unit inside including all fans and new thermal paste im sure ill be ok replacing the CPU fan)

thanks again

 

[pigoo3]

I removed the connector for the fan put it back in and the fan did spin so I thought ok must have been a lose connection or something...

This is a bit different from what was mentioned in post #1. In post #1 it sounded like the fan was 100% dead...no spinning at all. If you did get the fan to spin...maybe it is a loose connection...or maybe one of the fan wires has a short/break in it...or there's an issue where the wires connect to the fan. Hard to tell not being in front of the computer.

booted the iMac as normal and it booted cine then Macs fan control showed the cpu fan was again 0 RPM and dead,
cpu temps are climbing to 80'c

will it be ok ?

Many times users get temps of 80-90+°C with their laptops...and they are ok. But in this case you have a fan that is not operating. I'm not super sure it's a great idea to use the computer with a non-operable fan. It would be a shame to do expensive damage to the computer for the small price of a replacement fan.

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi again nick,

as I said fan has been ordered,

im running the other fans myself now just to keep temps down which is doing the job but CPU fan says 0 RPM

I have checked the cables from the fan to logic board all appear to be good.

is there any way I can test the fan ?

replacement fan should be with me Wednesday

thanks again,

 

[gsahli]

I would try macsfancontrol and see if you can turn on the fan that way:
https://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi guys an update for you all replacement CPU fan came today,

solved the issue instantly and no more CPU throttling at all the Mac is as nippy as ever,


thanks for all the help also Macs fan control I had already and is now reporting the cpu fan is running at 1200rpm

thanks again

 

[chscag]

Good show. Keep that baby cool. Thanks for posting back and letting us know.

 

[pigoo3]

Absolutely awesome! Glad the replacement fan fixed things up!

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

thanks guys you was all a massive help

I do appreciate it

have one happy iMac for a few more years now before I upgrade it