MacBook Pro 2012 Whirring Noise

[DelightedPedestrian]

Hello everyone,

A few days ago my faithful 2012 MacBook Pro began making a noise previously unheard by my ears. I would describe it as a kind of "whirring" sound from the left half of the computer (somewhere by the QWERTY keys), but not in the hard drive area (I have a Samsung 860 EVO SSD) where I expected it to be. It's definitely incredibly concerning and I decided to immediately back up all files to my Time Machine/cloud as well as perform scans of the hard drive and the entire computer with TechTool Pro 12, which unfortunately revealed no issues whatsoever. I'm genuinely wondering whether there is actually something rolling around in the fan, as I cannot imagine anything else that could be spinning around in there and making a racket.

The sound tends to appear/disappear at a moment's notice. I usually notice it when I plug USBs into the device, but this is not always the case. I am wondering whether I should go ahead and take this computer offline and not rely on it anymore, or open it up and blast it with compressed air. It may or may not be on its last legs, but it has served me incredibly well, even now, as I type this post. I suppose worst comes to worst, if it dies on its own, I can always take out the SATA SSD and boot from it on a different Mac, so at least my working drive wouldn't be lost.

Thank you for your time and input!

 

[The1Biz]

The only things that actually move are the HDD, DVD, and the fan. Since there is a SSD, I'd probably say the fan is dying. If you put the machine under load and make the fan spool up does it make this sound too? Look at iFixit.com for the teardown and see if where the noise is coming from is in the general area of the fan. I'd think you could get a new fan on eBay or somewhere and with a set a screwdrivers you could swap it out. I had this happen on my Airport Extreme where it sounded like it was going to take off, and found a fan on eBay for $20 and swapped it out with no problems. It's been quiet ever since. I had this happen on an old Dell too, it's not a big deal to swap hardware.

 

[DelightedPedestrian]

The only things that actually move are the HDD, DVD, and the fan. Since there is a SSD, I'd probably say the fan is dying. If you put the machine under load and make the fan spool up does it make this sound too? Look at iFixit.com for the teardown and see if where the noise is coming from is in the general area of the fan. I'd think you could get a new fan on eBay or somewhere and with a set a screwdrivers you could swap it out. I had this happen on my Airport Extreme where it sounded like it was going to take off, and found a fan on eBay for $20 and swapped it out with no problems. It's been quiet ever since. I had this happen on an old Dell too, it's not a big deal to swap hardware.

This is a great idea – thank you for your response. I have opened up my MacBook Pro many times for maintenance, hard drive installation, and keyboard replacement (which by the way is utter hell and is comparable to surgery). I envy and miss the old MacBooks because they are actually repairable, and swapping out the fans should be extremely easy according to this guide: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2012+Fan+Replacement/10367

IFixit sells new fans for $40 and used ones for $8. Not sure how "used" is used, but I don't want to spend $40 on a fan. I do trust iFixit to provide good parts, however. I used TechTool Pro 12 and performed a fan test, and it passed just fine. I think you're absolutely right though in your diagnosis. The noise worsen a bit during the fan test, so the fan is the primary issue as far as I can tell. My only question is that if the fan test passes with flying colors (besides the obvious noise), is it just that there's something trapped in there than needs to be compressed air-ed out, or that the entire fan needs to be replaced? Hmm....

 

[The1Biz]

$40 sounds a bit pricey, I'd get the PN and do a general search. I bet this part is used in a variety of other laptops and you can find a new one on eBay or some general website for less than $20 shipped. Over time a lot of crud does get sucked in so at some point with any laptop (or any computer really) it's wise to do a blow out, I also take a swab and very gently (and I mean super lightly!) wipe the accumulated crud on the fan impeller vanes. Maybe a drop of mineral oil on the spindle would help but for $20 I'd rather just put in a fresh fan in an 8 year old machine. The hardware test (I don't think) will say much other than it's getting cooling or it's not, I doubt it's smart enough to detect an impending failure with a vibration or noise sensor. Fans are usually a plastic piece with a power cable, and that's as technical as they get.

 

[robvas]

It’s the fan.

 

[The1Biz]

The Mid-2012 MacBook Pro was discontinued in October of 2016, so it's still got 1-2 (maybe more?) years of life left before the OS isn't upgraded. If this is the model you have it's still worth a cheap fix until the new ARM machines are released and the bugs are worked out.

 

[DelightedPedestrian]

$40 sounds a bit pricey, I'd get the PN and do a general search. I bet this part is used in a variety of other laptops and you can find a new one on eBay or some general website for less than $20 shipped. Over time a lot of crud does get sucked in so at some point with any laptop (or any computer really) it's wise to do a blow out, I also take a swab and very gently (and I mean super lightly!) wipe the accumulated crud on the fan impeller vanes. Maybe a drop of mineral oil on the spindle would help but for $20 I'd rather just put in a fresh fan in an 8 year old machine. The hardware test (I don't think) will say much other than it's getting cooling or it's not, I doubt it's smart enough to detect an impending failure with a vibration or noise sensor. Fans are usually a plastic piece with a power cable, and that's as technical as they get.

Good idea. I have no idea how to find the part number, but I have found the fans for my specific MacBook Pro model. Thanks for your input!

 

[justashooter]

You could download Macs Fan Control and use it to run the fan at various speeds to hear any differences.

 

[DelightedPedestrian]

You could download Macs Fan Control and use it to run the fan at various speeds to hear any differences.

Thanks for this awesome suggestion!

 

[robvas]

You could download Macs Fan Control and use it to run the fan at various speeds to hear any differences.

Or just max the cpu out and wait for the fans to hit full throttle

 

[robotica]

Have you throught of taking the fan apart and giving it a good clearn? This might solve that issue and you will want to get it fixed to sell it on.

 

[DelightedPedestrian]

Update:

I went ahead and ordered this fan: https://www.ebay.com/itm/293453160346

It arrived today, so I opened up my MacBook, unplugged the battery, dusted for a while, and pulled the old fan out of the machine. Pretty funny – it seems to be literally the exact same fan, with the exact same sticker, as far as I can tell. Installation was a piece of cake. I assembled everything, and turned the computer on. Absolutely silent. Did a quick fan performance test, and it worked like a charm. Here's hoping that it is indeed a new fan and will last me for a while. It's moments like this that make me thankful for being able to repair my computer, at least with the more antiquated MacBook Pro line. Thank you all for the wonderful feedback and help!

P.S. Check out the dust buildup in the old fan. This has been cleared a bit in the past, but has otherwise been accumulating for eight years as far as I can tell. I'll hold on to it and do some experiments or see if I can use it for anything else.

 

[chevyorange]

So, if I follow this thread correctly, your fan that was on full blast was replaced with a new fan and it is now operating as normal?

 

[KeesMacPro]

Or just max the cpu out and wait for the fans to hit full throttle

It's well known that the SMC in an Apple device by default is set with priority at low noise instead of low Temps.
Practically you'd have to get the CPU/GPU at T far beyond 80Celsius before anything will happen with the fan(s).

With e.g. MacsFanControl a fan test is done within seconds , without heating up anything.