Fan always running on my MBA, anyone else with this issue??

[vakej]

Hello:

I know a similar thread was posted, but it mentioned the fan kicked on when light application usage was taking place (e.g., running safari).

The minute I turn my MBA on, the fan kicks on. It's not running at full speed (It doesn't sound like it), but I can still hear it. It kicks while using Leopard, and when I switch over to XP (I use bootcamp).

It's noticeable. Anyone else with this issue? Is it worth calling or bringing it into Apple?

THANKS!!

 

[noodle654]

Hello:

I know a similar thread was posted, but it mentioned the fan kicked on when light application usage was taking place (e.g., running safari).

The minute I turn my MBA on, the fan kicks on. It's not running at full speed (It doesn't sound like it), but I can still hear it. It kicks while using Leopard, and when I switch over to XP (I use bootcamp).

It's noticeable. Any else with this issue? Is it worth calling or bringing it into Apple?

THANKS!!

What speed is it running at?

 

[nuclearwinter]

I tried many different ways to fix the fan issue on my own MBA, and the only thing that fixed it was a SMC/PMU reset in combination with a reinstall of the OS. I haven't had the loud, out-of-control fan issue again.

 

[clayj]

You should definitely try resetting your SMC:

1. Shut down your MBA properly.
2. Press and hold down the LEFT Control key, the LEFT Option key, and the LEFT Shift key. Then, while holding those three keys down, press and hold down the Power button for 6 seconds.
3. When 6 seconds have elapsed, release all buttons/keys.

When your MBA starts back up, the fans should behave correctly.

 

[NC MacGuy]

I think the fan runs without load at 2500rpm. Is yours running faster or is it a louder than usual 2500 sound?

 

[Cybergypsy]

2500 is about normal

 

[brianhn1]

Mine seems to run at about 2500 all the time.

 

[shoulin333]

when it is charging it gets hotter easier..

but at the normal 2500 it basically puts out no noise at all

 

[BryanLyle]

If the fans are noticeable, run Activity Monitor and see if something is hogging your CPU. YouTube or any flash based things tend to cause the fans to go nuts as well.

 

[jman2003]

Mine does the same. but worse, whenver i even open it, even if nothing is open, i can hear the fan going from 0 to 6200. The noise is pretty loud and it makes my macbook air REALLY hot. Usually staying at around 147 F on the bottom and 180 F where the charger is plugged in. It is always at 6200 RPM. (except when off...obviosly) And so no i dont have tons of replys to bring it in. I alredy have a appointment tommorow.

 

[somecows]

This kind of lame to admit but uh...i play scrabble on facebook all the time and ive noticed that when i leave a game open, my fans come on and wont shut off. i know there are a lot of people out there who also play scrabble on facebook so i was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or could test it out? i think scrabble might be a flash application (?) but i played all the time on my mbp and the fans never came on. im just not sure what to do because i dont want to leave the air for a few hours without thinking about what website i have open and then return to find the fans have been running the entire time...

 

[clayj]

This kind of lame to admit but uh...i play scrabble on facebook all the time and ive noticed that when i leave a game open, my fans come on and wont shut off. i know there are a lot of people out there who also play scrabble on facebook so i was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or could test it out? i think scrabble might be a flash application (?) but i played all the time on my mbp and the fans never came on. im just not sure what to do because i dont want to leave the air for a few hours without thinking about what website i have open and then return to find the fans have been running the entire time...

It's entirely possible that Flash apps are gonna peg the CPU to 100% and cause the fans to run... try this as a test: Minimize the Safari window before you walk away from the machine, and see if the fans start running fast.

 

[vakej]

Thanks everyone for the responses

I tried resetting the smc but it didn't help...

This is going to sound lame, but how do I check the rpm's for my fan? Is it through the activity monitor?

I feel a little better that others are experiencing the same thing. But remember that once I hit the "on" button the fan kicks in (no applications are being run. I even turned off the wireless connection but the fan is still on). I don't think the fans are blasting at full speed.

thx

 

[clayj]

Thanks everyone for the responses

I tried resetting the smc but it didn't help...

This is going to sound lame, but how do I check the rpm's for my fan? Is it through the activity monitor?

I feel a little better that others are experiencing the same thing. But remember that once I hit the "on" button the fan kicks in (no applications are being run. I even turned off the wireless connection but the fan is still on). I don't think the fans are blasting at full speed.

thx

You need to download the iStat Pro dashboard widget. It'll tell you all kinds of cool stuff, including the speed of your fan(s). (MBAs only have one fan. Other Macs have as many as 4.)

But if your fans are kicking in from the get-go and you've reset the SMC, it is totally possible that your MBA has a problem... in which case you should get it checked out.

 

[somecows]

It's entirely possible that Flash apps are gonna peg the CPU to 100% and cause the fans to run... try this as a test: Minimize the Safari window before you walk away from the machine, and see if the fans start running fast.

is the idea that flash apps will cause the fans to run ONLY if the safari window is active and NOT if it is hidden?

 

[queshy]

My fans are always hovering around 2500 RPM and they're pretty inaudible...only when doing extremely intensive stuff do they rev up (only happened twice so far).

 

[somecows]

like a lot of other people i guess, i am just trying to figure out if my fans are working in a way that can be considered "normal". but its hard to answer that question because people tend to have different views of normal. here is a really specific question - if someone who knows more about this kind of stuff than me could answer it, it would be great. before the air i had the current mbp. before that a 1.25 ghz g4 powerbook. before that, a 500mhz ibook. i never ever heard the fans on any of these machines during my regular every day activities (email, web, itunes, some photoshop, etc). i only ever heard them kick in occasionally if i was playing around with video/imovie, or something like that. on the air, i hear the fans regularly. if im not doing anything with the machine, they are around 2500 rpm which is fine. but if i am downloading files, using safari, etc, they go up to 6500 and make a lot of noise. so my question is, is there something in the design of the air that would cause the fans to run much faster/louder than on my previous macs, or should all of the machines ive had, incuding air, perform in more or less the same manner? i dont know enough about the components in the air vs the components in the other types of macs to answer this question for myself. i did do the cops thing, btw. thanks!

 

[helio1982]

Same here!

I'm experiencing the same problem since today. I haven't heard the fans at all during the last month. Now I can hear them (although fairly low) constantly. If you do find a solution please post!

Thx!

Thanks everyone for the responses

I tried resetting the smc but it didn't help...

This is going to sound lame, but how do I check the rpm's for my fan? Is it through the activity monitor?

I feel a little better that others are experiencing the same thing. But remember that once I hit the "on" button the fan kicks in (no applications are being run. I even turned off the wireless connection but the fan is still on). I don't think the fans are blasting at full speed.

thx

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I actually like my PowerBook's fans to run all the time. It keeps the PowerBook cooler. Now if you have the MacBook Air really hot with no apps running I would reccomend checking activity monitor and seeing if there is anything using more than 75% of the cpu with nothing but activity monitor running. ASLManager and MDWorker used to use lots of my CPU but I fixed it

 

[NC MacGuy]

Holy thread revival. The fan should be at 2500 rpm when doing light work. It will increase to 6200 for heavy cooling. You can monitor by downloading istat menus.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I was thinking feb 24 isint that today but then I saw 2008

funny it was revived exactly 1 year after it died

 

[SFStateStudent]

It may be a revival of a thread, but "helio1982's" issues shouldn't be discounted. The issue of fans running all the time or exceeding anything considered to be normal are very serious issues. Basically, the MBAir is working much harder than it is suppose to work. Undue wear and tear on the MBAir will result in kernel panics and the freezing up of the computer. As NC MacGuy stated about the fan running as high as 6200rpm is true. My MBAir was at 186ºF and fan was running at 6400rpm is scary if NOT normal. I took mine in for repairs after three kernel panics and eventually had the logic board replaced, but it still had the same issues. Bottom line for me was that Apple didn't know how to fix it and I went through a couple of months of walking on eggshells and using my MBAir less and less, since I couldn't depend on it to accomplish the simplest of tasks. Eventually, after purchasing a MBP to take over the duties of my MBAir, Apple's Customer Relations had the local Apple Store Manager offer me a new replacement MBAir or a new Unibody MBP (top of the line) or a full-refund. I chose the full-refund for my 7-month-old MBAir, b/c I was forced to buy another Mac to fill-in for my MBAir. I received the full-price that I paid for it and all my accessories in August '08, on Thursday, February 19, '09...

 

[justit]

Control your fan speed

like a lot of other people i guess, i am just trying to figure out if my fans are working in a way that can be considered "normal". but its hard to answer that question because people tend to have different views of normal.

Well put, but the view that counts is what Apple thinks is "normal"

I've noticed that since the last 3-4 OSX updates the fans run more and if the temp goes up but comes back down the MBA takes twice as long as my macbook to get back to 2500.

A theory is that they don't want core shutdowns – at any cost. Which means apple would rather run the fans than shut the machine down.

To solve this what I did was https://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6961170

And here is what needs to be done: https://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6170469

MOD ADMIN can this be a sticky as fan speed control has been asked numerous times?