My fan noise is now getting louder and louder. My computer is about 6 months out of warranty now. I took it in about 2 months after buying it complaining of a fan noise, but of course they couldn't hear it in the apple store over all the ambient noise. I have read up for a few months and it seems to be be an optical fan problem. My question is, how much will this cost to fix out of warranty roughly? Is it as simple as them installing a new fan? All the temps/speeds of the imac are normal on Istat. The noise is just really annoying and very noticeable. Any advice appreciated.
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IMac 20" flapping fan noise..now out of warranty
- Thread starter DTMfan
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ehh..I doubt that..I looked a few months back and it was very clean. I've heard of folks having this issue with one of the chords on the fan getting in the way. How much are these fans to replace anyway?
Try this first.
To reset your computers PRAM:
1.Shut down the computer.
2.Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3.Turn on the computer.
4.Immediately press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5.Continue holding the keys down until the computer restarts, and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
6.Release the keys.
Resetting PRAM may change some system settings and preferences. Use System Preferences to restore your settings.
Mac components attract dust, dirt, lint, carpet fibers, pet hair, and smoke particles. At least two fans are bringing air into the computer to keep the internal components cool. Unfortunately, the air also contains grime, which settles on the components, and can cause a variety of problems. Even the thinnest coating of dust will raise the temperature of your components. The grime buildup causes overheating, which eventually results in permanent hardware failure.
The best way to reduce the amount, is to dust around the area of the mac on a weekly basis. The use of compressed air is useful, however you may cause more damage if you do not use this product correctly. If you spray compressed air at any angle other than upright, moisture is omitted from the can and can make your problems worse. You may use a vacuum cleaner on a low setting to remove the dust from the air vents and surrounding casing. The use of a battery or USB vacuum cleaner is probably best. The use of a vacuum cleaner on high power can damage the components within the mac and can cause the fans to spin faster and cause long term damage.
Prevention is better and cheaper than the cure.
If you are really worried about the health of your Mac then the sure way of sorting it out is to send your Mac to a specialist apple tech company. Sure it costs around £50 to send in but this is better than £1500 for a new Machine. I do this on a yearly basis and my Mac comes back good as new.
Hope this helps
To reset your computers PRAM:
1.Shut down the computer.
2.Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3.Turn on the computer.
4.Immediately press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5.Continue holding the keys down until the computer restarts, and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
6.Release the keys.
Resetting PRAM may change some system settings and preferences. Use System Preferences to restore your settings.
Mac components attract dust, dirt, lint, carpet fibers, pet hair, and smoke particles. At least two fans are bringing air into the computer to keep the internal components cool. Unfortunately, the air also contains grime, which settles on the components, and can cause a variety of problems. Even the thinnest coating of dust will raise the temperature of your components. The grime buildup causes overheating, which eventually results in permanent hardware failure.
The best way to reduce the amount, is to dust around the area of the mac on a weekly basis. The use of compressed air is useful, however you may cause more damage if you do not use this product correctly. If you spray compressed air at any angle other than upright, moisture is omitted from the can and can make your problems worse. You may use a vacuum cleaner on a low setting to remove the dust from the air vents and surrounding casing. The use of a battery or USB vacuum cleaner is probably best. The use of a vacuum cleaner on high power can damage the components within the mac and can cause the fans to spin faster and cause long term damage.
Prevention is better and cheaper than the cure.
If you are really worried about the health of your Mac then the sure way of sorting it out is to send your Mac to a specialist apple tech company. Sure it costs around £50 to send in but this is better than £1500 for a new Machine. I do this on a yearly basis and my Mac comes back good as new.
Hope this helps
I noticed a flapping noise coming from the bottom right (face on) of my 2008 20" imac. Ordered a replacement optical fan for $40 and replaced it myself. So far so good, no more flapping noise.
The fan itself is easy to access once the display is removed. The toughest part was removing a metal shield that protects the optical cable connector, but ifixit gives good directions with re to this.
I also replaced the hard drive with an SSD. This wasn't as easy because the SATA cables are so short. I ended up using electrical tape to secure the SSD on a 3.5" adapter and I had to leave out one of the metal pins on the bottom of the tray.
The fan itself is easy to access once the display is removed. The toughest part was removing a metal shield that protects the optical cable connector, but ifixit gives good directions with re to this.
I also replaced the hard drive with an SSD. This wasn't as easy because the SATA cables are so short. I ended up using electrical tape to secure the SSD on a 3.5" adapter and I had to leave out one of the metal pins on the bottom of the tray.