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Resolved Could use some help on ibook G3 fan

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PowerPcboi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 21, 2020
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Hello!
I am really new to PowerPC ibooks, and I recently got my hands on a ibook G3 500mhz model. To say the least it is a amazing ancient computer(coming up on 20 years old!). I have had one issue with it though. The fan never turns on. I was reading about how the ibook G3 model were in the middle of apples fan controller switch, so I was wondering if that may correlate with the fan acting weird. I tried out a application called GuagePro to see the CPU temperature. It said 30 degrees Celsius on a benchmark, which cant be right.

If anyone can help let me know, also feel free to give me any other advise on PowerPcs I am a newbie.
 
The iBook G3 500 runs cool. I don't think I've heard the fan come on at all.

I've just fired up my Late 2001 iBook G3 500MHz (w/ 384MB RAM) to take a look. I had it running OS X Tiger for half an hour doing all kind of things, including some (limited) web browsing with Camino and then rebooted into OS 9 to run Gauge Pro. On idle, GP reports the PowerPC 750CX running at 18°C, so I ran the repeating memory tests for a few minutes and witnessed CPU temps get up to 26°C without any fans running. Stopping the tests brought that reading back down to 18°C within half a minute.

HDD S.M.A.R.T sensor reported 42°C in OS X under Temperature Monitor before the reboot, which is probably more accurate. However, for the most part, this is a very cool running Mac - cooler than my Pismo 500, but the Pismo also has a 1MB L2 cache, whereas the iBook only has 256K.

The bottom of the iBook feels warm, but nothing like a PowerBook G4. Perhaps running some 3D games would get the fan to kick on? So I popped in a copy of American McGee's Alice, which suited the iBook's system requirements (min. ATI Rage 128 with 8MB and a G3 400Mhz) and jumped through the first stage. Still no fan came on.

I think your little iBook is safe and running as expected. :)
 
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It's a good little performer. I installed the latest TenFourFox-G3 along with FoxPEP 1.7 and it's really not bad at browsing over 802.11b, considering its age. I'm not going to expect YouTube, but just general browsing is decent enough to make it usable.

Unfortunately, not all white iBook G3s have survived the test of time as well as the 500MHz and 600MHz units. I have a few of the later Radeon 7000 and 7500 iBook G3s (700MHz+) 12-inch and 14-inch which have all fallen over due to GPU or PMU failure.

The iBook G4s do run hotter and louder, but are almost indestructible - they were truly built for the school kid's backpack.
 
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Thanks for all your responses!

I was just wondering because mine gets hot really fast, but I also read that they will do fine hitting really high temperatures if it comes to that. I have only had my ibook freeze up once from heat. Also does anyone know how the ibook regulates its temperures? Does it even have a fan controller in the same sense as modern computers? Just wondering.

Thanks!
 
@TheShortTimer That thread looks really cool! How hot does you ibook get when gaming, when I was gaming on it(The Sims, DOOM a bit of Quake) it got REALLY hot, yet it did not crash, which is really interesting. Maybe mine just runs hot? The Sims is pretty intense, but even running DOOM and Quake it got hot.
 
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PowerPcboi said:
Thanks for all your responses!

I was just wondering because mine gets hot really fast, but I also read that they will do fine hitting really high temperatures if it comes to that. I have only had my ibook freeze up once from heat. Also does anyone know how the ibook regulates its temperures? Does it even have a fan controller in the same sense as modern computers? Just wondering.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I'd be willing to wager that the heat is being generated by the hard drive. My iBooks that still have mechanical drives can get VERY hot near the left palm rest (where the HDD is located).
 
PowerPcboi said:
@TheShortTimer That thread looks really cool!
Click to expand...

Thanks! You're welcome to join it. :)

PowerPcboi said:
How hot does you ibook get when gaming, when I was gaming on it(The Sims, DOOM a bit of Quake) it got REALLY hot, yet it did not crash, which is really interesting. Maybe mine just runs hot? The Sims is pretty intense, but even running DOOM and Quake it got hot.
Click to expand...

Really hot? Over what period of time? As a test, I ran ZDoom and GLQuake for the past 90 minutes and my iBook eventually became warm but hot? No. I suppose I could leave GLQuake running in demo mode for a few hours to see what happens.
 
In about 20 min it would get hot to the point that you could not comfortably hold it.
 
I know it is weird, and it makes little sense. Especially because the fan does not come on, and nothing happens besides freezing. I have no clue how it gets so hot.
sparty411 said:
I'd be willing to wager that the heat is being generated by the hard drive. My iBooks that still have mechanical drives can get VERY hot near the left palm rest (where the HDD is located).
Click to expand...
This may make sense. It is currently my highest suspicion. However I have a feeling it is a bit more than the hardrive... I don’t think a hardrive would heat the iBook as hot as it has been. It could definitely be a cause.
 
It's a possibility but my iBook still has the original stock IBM HDD and I haven't experienced anything like that. Perhaps others can weigh in on this with their experiences?
 
For what it's worth, when my PowerBook G4 12" still had its original 100gb HDD, the left palmrest (above the HDD) often got ridiculously hot. To extreme levels.

It cooled down quite a bit when I installed an mSata SSD.
 
z970mp said:
For what it's worth, when my PowerBook G4 12" still had its original 100gb HDD, the left palmrest (above the HDD) often got ridiculously hot. To extreme levels.

It cooled down quite a bit when I installed an mSata SSD.
Click to expand...

I have my ibook taken apart now.( I had to replace the optical drive). Should I try running it and testing the temperature of the hardrive?
 
PowerPcboi said:
I have my ibook taken apart now.( I had to replace the optical drive). Should I try running it and testing the temperature of the hardrive?
Click to expand...

Go ahead. Do ordinary tasks, stress test, and find out the greatest source of heat within the case. Just be extra careful when it's open like that.
 
The heat is definitely coming from the cpu/gpu area. The temperature read out from gauge pro definitely does NOT correlate with the temperature the cpu is producing. It says 30 degrees Celsius, which is way to cold to be what I am seeing. I bet I could make mini scrambled eggs on the heat sink.
 
Has it been cleaned and repasted? Free of dust?

Can you ever see the fan working at all?
 
z970mp said:
Has it been cleaned and repasted? Free of dust?

Can you ever see the fan working at all?
Click to expand...
The thermal pads in it are fine, and yes I cleaned dust off of it. The fans have never operated when I have owned the computer
 
PowerPcboi said:
The thermal pads in it are fine, and yes I cleaned dust off of it. The fans have never operated when I have owned the computer
Click to expand...

I would try repasting the CPU. Too much or too little paste adjoining the two could definitely produce the results you're experiencing.

Stupid question, but can you confirm the fan connector is in fact plugged into the logic board? Do the wires look alright?
 
Yes it is. No that is not a stupid question, I could have easily done that :). I believe the CPU uses thermal pads. I will purchase them and apply them as soon as I can. Thanks! I will get back soon.
 
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I can't directly speak for an iBook G3, but the iBook G4 used thermal pads for its GPU and paste for the CPU. Make sure you're not confusing the two due to a funny viewing angle.

Beside getting a newer, high-quality pad sheet, I would say get some new paste anyway. Even if you only end up using it for other applications, it will be a worthwhile purchase.

My recommendation is Arctic MX-4. It's non-conductive (unlike Arctic Silver 5), does not require curing (unlike Arctic Silver 5), and also ships in a larger amount than Arctic Silver 5 . :)
 
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PowerPcboi said:
Yes it is. No that is not a stupid question, I could have easily done that :). I believe the CPU uses thermal pads. I will purchase them and apply them as soon as I can. Thanks! I will get back soon.
Click to expand...
I wonder if a copper shim would perform a bit better than thermal pads...
 
sparty411 said:
I wonder if a copper shim would perform a bit better than thermal pads...
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest that, but we don't know if the CPU definitely uses thermal pads to justify that.

And either way, if the CPU was indeed shipped with a thermal pad, I'd rather replace it with a new pad than risk doing any damage to the CPU with a slightly too thick or slightly too thin shim pasted to both sides.

...But, you know, IMO.
 
PowerPcboi said:
Yes it is. No that is not a stupid question, I could have easily done that :). I believe the CPU uses thermal pads. I will purchase them and apply them as soon as I can. Thanks! I will get back soon.
Click to expand...
If things are getting that hot it seems you should be seeing some fan activity.

Have to tried resetting the PMU?

Also, while you have the thing apart, you may want to check for voltage to the fan, and make sure it's just not a dead fan.
 
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