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Question

Is fan noise after power cable fray a known issue?

Feb 21, 2013 9:14AM PST

Mac pro recently had a power cord issue (possible strain relief issue), then the laptop started to make a loud grinding noise, like the fan was failing. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
This is either a Mac Pro or a Macbook Pro
Feb 21, 2013 11:50AM PST

you indicated that your machine was both.

When was the last time you cleared out vents on the laptop

try a squirt of air in the vents


P

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(NT) CLARIFICATION: This is a Macbook Pro with Magsaf cable
Feb 21, 2013 12:11PM PST
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The power cord issue is almost certainly not the
Feb 21, 2013 8:55PM PST

cause of the grinding noise on your MBP.

Other than the Hard Drive, the only thing that rotates constantly is the cooling fan.

Back to my vents question.

P

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Never
Feb 21, 2013 9:29PM PST

The laptop is about a year and a half old and, as far as I know, the vents were never cleaned. I will have these checked (this is my daughter's laptop and it is at school).
She did have an issue with the power cord giving intermitent power (we have purchased a new cord), but just a few days after the cord issue started the noise issue started. Could that have any impact the on the fan, or will the new cord be sufficient (after cleaning the vents)?
Thanks for the reply. I await your next response.

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More on vents.
Feb 22, 2013 6:08AM PST

Let me jump in here a moment. The cleaning of the vents is an every few month maintenance item at our office. We want the longest life span and so we get it done every few months.

Once in a while you'll encounter a client that wants to check into the vents or cleaning rather than perform the work. Don't laugh. We can do that as we have microscopes and cameras to create a report for the client before the work proceeds. We smile a little more as the bill goes up.
Bob

PS. Hope this made you smile too.

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Answer
Possible?
Feb 23, 2013 7:33AM PST

Is it possible the cable frayed by hitting the fan blades? Was this an internal power cable or external? If the fan hit a cable, it might have gotten tweaked changing the sound it makes.

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Sound fixed
Feb 23, 2013 10:49AM PST

Took the laptop to the Apple store and they had to replace the fan; 10 minutes and $61 later the laptop sounds like new. The cable is an external cord, and is a known issue with that particular charger.