IMac Fan Noise Problem (Reset SMC isn't working)

The Fans on my early 2009 iMac have been running very loud non-stop for the past few days.
I reset the SMC, and that took care of the problem for a few hours, but later that night, it happened again.
Thinking that my system may have been overheating, I reset my SMC again, and then installed iStat to monitor the temps and fans.
Everything looked normal, and the fan noise stopped after ther reset. That night, same thing, fans came back on, but iStat couldn't read the temps anymore...there was just a " - " where the temp should have been.
Anyone know what is going on, or how I can better diagnose the isse?

I got the same problem..
Just started couple days ago.. SMC reset worked but still it starts up again... I even got the vacuum out to suck out a little dust perhaps, no dice.

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IMac Fan Noise - Not The Usual Problem

Hi,
I have seen plenty of discussions on iMac fan noise but mine is a little different. A week ago, a 'tink' noise (similar to tapping your fingernail on a glass) started coming from my mid 2011 iMac. At first, I thought it was the "click of death" for my hard drive, so I replaced it myself. This didn't fix the noise, so I ran an extended hardware test. This came back with a 4MEM error. I had some spare RAM, fitted it, ran the test again, no 4MEM error.
So, I booted the iMac again. 'Tink'... 'tink'. I finally located it to the bottom right of my iMac, where the optical drive fan is located. This fan has always rattled a little now and again but now it seems intent on driving me round the bend with its very own form of torture. At first, the 'tink' was now and again, but now it constant. 'tinktinktinktinktink'. Is there a way to stop the optical fan for now? I don't use the optical drive often anyway. Or would it just be a replacement fan?
Resetting SMC or PRAM does nothing.

This may be way off target, in which case ignore me. Do you have an app called Free Memory installed? There have been a few posts on here where it seems to cause repetitive odd noises to occur, particularly when running Mavericks?

I forgot my security questions and my backup email that it sends the reset to isn't working! Help

I do not know my security questions and my backup email that it sends the reset to isn't working. Help!

If you don't have access to, or don't have, a rescue email account (and you won't be able to change it until you can answer 2 of your questions) then you will need to contact iTunes Support or Apple to get them reset.
e.g. you can try contacting iTunes Support : http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact/ - click on Contact iTunes Store Support on the right-hand side of the page, then Account Management , and then 'Forgotten Apple ID security questions'
or try ringing Apple in your country and ask to talk to the Accounts Security Team : http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
When they've been reset you can then use the steps half-way down this page to change/add a rescue email address for potential future use : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5312 . Or you could change to 2-step verification : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5570

IMac Fan Noise

Good afternoon from Spain,
I have a iMac (late 2006) and during the last weeks, it's beggining to make a very strange noise.
The noise: http://rapidshare.com/files/170755323/Ruido.m4a.html
I supose that is from one of the fans, and o i'm trying to fix the noise with a SMC reset, but the noise doesnt disappear.
Any suggestion? I'm thinking to reset the PRAM but anything that Apple describes in the web is what apparently i need.
Thank you and sorry for my bad english
Message was edited by: luismerce

Hi Luis
Carefully follow the instructions in the SMC reset article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543
Then to see what the fan speeds are download the iStat Pro Widget:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
If just one fan is running fast it could mean that there is actually a overheating issue or hardware problem with a sensor. To find out run the Apple Hardware Test:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
Dennis

I7 iMac fan noise question

I just got an new 2.93 i7 iMac 2TB 8GB RAM
Set it up yesterday and immediately noticed a fan noise running at the round rear vent. I thought I would let it go and see if it changes at all. It hasn't changed and doesn't even change speed when doing heavier tasks. It simply runs all the time.
I plan on taking this to the AppleStore since it is new yesterday. I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this? Is there a fix? I tried the Apple reset procedures but nothing has worked. Or, more importantly, is this normal? I hope not because it is very loud.
Thanks

Well, sounds like someone filled your head with a bunch of nonsense and now you're really more upset with yourself for believing such obvious nonsense, and not so much Apple or anything else.
But in the end, it kind of depends on what you were expecting. Some people want something that is exactly like Windows, only better. The obvious problem with that statement never really registers. They want to be free to do every stupid thing under the sun, turning off every security feature there is, and still have the OS magically protect them from current threats, and threats that haven't even been thought up yet. No computer is like that, I don't care what OS you're running, but it doesn't seem to stop people from pinning all their hopes and dreams on some new system being The One(tm) and then having those hopes dashed.
You see this a lot in the cell phone world too... Every new phone is going to be the iPhone killer, and every iOS update is going to fix the myriad of bugs and other issues with the iPhone. People get all excited like Jo-Jo the Circus Monkey, and the thing finally hits the market, people rush out to plunk down their money.... And, usually after a couple of days the honeymoon period is over, leaving people stuck with this device that isn't what they were hoping for... But it's never because their expectations were unrealistic, it's always someone else's fault.
So here's your chance to rise above it all, admit that you let yourself believe a lie, and accept the consequences of your rash actions. It won't make any of your problems magically go away, but you will be generally happier because you won't be stressing yourself out over something you can't control. That has loads of tangible health benefits, since the human body can't really tell the difference between being chased by something that things you look like a tasty meal, and being stressed out over a computer needing repair. It just starts dumping adrenaline into your bloodstream, and that is really not good for you long term.

Big fan noise problem: the rear fan won't shut off, the BIOS won't update, systemupdate locks up

I received new ThinkStaion (oh boy, lots of memory and CPU speed, yay!)
I unfortunately left the originally installed Vista OS on there. Very much regretting that as I believe it contributes to the following problems (BIOS).
So the original problem was that after just a month of using my new ThinkStation, the System Board died, and it had to be replaced. Honestly, all I did was choose the sleep or hibernate option in Vista to shut down. Afterwards,poof! didn't even get the proper Power lights on the system. I diagnosed this with the online docs and then sat for a few hours on our tech support line doing all the same things to re-diagnose it.
So after the replacement, the rear fan will not shut off. Jet engine noise all day. I went into the system settings and selected "Quiet" for the Fan settings but that did not help.
Research on this forum resulted in the possibility of a BIOS update fixing the problem. Comparison to my co-workers systems which arrived at the same time shows this BIOS is woefully out of date, so even if it does not fix the fan issue I want to update it. However, everything I've tried to do is failing for one reason or another.
(The fan issue does need resolution since in one week I will end up sharing an office (first time in many years, thanks IBM for nothing!) so since I don't want us both to have to wear noise cancelling headsets, I'd like to fix this without having to just pull the @#$@ power to the fan. Grrrr. )
I downloaded what I felt were the appropriate Lenovo apps to update both the BIOS and the serial number but none seem to work properly from the command line in Vista. One of the two (can't recall which) asks me to reboot and it never actually shuts down. Eternal "Shutting Down" message. Ga! The other throws some gosh awful
systemupdate le
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-69701
eternal reboot
BIOSD attempt:" 2xjy26usa
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-69701
error 1275 no admin priv - I AM the administrator account, there is no other acct to use!
Then I decided Vista might be the problem and found sites recommending flashing the BIOS from a bootable USB. So I started down that path and after burning the wrong version, finally geting the AIK Vista tools installed and to the point of trying to make the USB bootable, it won't allow me to put the OS boot on it. Ah, for the days when a simple "sys a:" took care of that.
So, after reformatting the USB and pounding my head in the wall, keyboard, etc. I am at my wit's end. What to do. I just want the fan noise to go away.
This does seem to duplicate other forum messages but I can't get anywhere on this. Help!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

FYI to all the helpful folks here (and any looking to shut their jet engine off as well): Flashing the BIOS did the trick.
First I had to find a website with DOS OS files and put those on the USB instead of Vista. Oldie but a goodie, but at least it booted! No other versions would.
I had been intending to use the WinPhlash utility that Lenovo supplied with the BIOS update but since I was booting from DOS that was useless. However, I found a DOS version of it and used that instead. Boom baby! Flashed and rebooted.
It did take two boots to get it back to normal (first one gave very alarming messages about no operating system being found but I think it was just a remnant of the reboot that was triggered from the DOS session). A second boot returned life to normal and blissful silence from the server. And I was finally able to get the model and serial number back in there to get rid of the bootup message it throws for that too.
Ahhhhhhh.
Thanks to all for the hints - I believe I had gotten the idea of flashing the BIOS to solve this from some other thread I found here. This is a very nice forum to have bookmarked.

IMac fan noise noticeable?

I am thinking of getting a new iMac. Am used to a very quiet computer, using a Macbook Pro 15inch. Does the iMac have much of a noticeable fan sound? Or is it basically quiet?
Thanks,
Richard

Today I layed the mac face down on the desk, removed the power cable and all periphials. I pluged the mac in (still face down) and powered up. The fan noise was still happenig. Just above the power supply I began applying a small amount of pressure against the case. As I increased pressure the fan noise got worse. In the spot that made the most differene in noise I continued to massage the case (if you will) assuming the fan enclosure was probrobly jared durring shipping causing the blades to rub the case as the fans turn. I then powered down, removed the cable, and took of the memory door just below the apple between the speakers. This is a great design by the way. Changing memory is almost as easy as pluging in a USB device. Anyhow, I made sure everything was tight and secure in there, closed the door, put the mac back upright, and powered up again.
Under this current boot I am not experiencing the fan noise. Maybe the fans moved enough to stop rubbing the case. Lets hope. I would hate to have to take this back to the apple store. I am in Lexington SC and the nearest apple store is in Charlotte NC 1.5 hours away. It's been runnning for aprox. 30 minutes now. "Still holding" Thanks for all of the responce.
Mesaman

Brand New Battery still doesnt charge just show X and i have reset smc still doesnt work

Brand new battery for apple still does not work have reset smc many times still shows X in the battery and when it says its charge the battery icon says 0% I KNOW ITS NOT THE BATTERY BECAUSE I HAVE PUT IT IN A ANOTHER COMPUTER AND IT WORKED FINE
ANY IDEAS??????

You may have a problem with the logic board. I had the same issue on a MacBook Pro and had to get the logic board replaced.

20" iMac Fan Noise - Revisited

So I just received my new fans from Apple, and I am still receiving the same "buzz/whirl" from the fan immediately next to the hard drive fan.
On the 20" Rev B, all my other fans are acceptable; exept the fan right next to the hard drive. Model BFB0812H.
The fans Apple sent me were exactly the same, which means that Apple should issue different fan.
Since this may not happen; does anyone know of 3rd party fans that I can buy.

I will run the hardware test, but reading post, replacing fans, and searching for solutions leaves me fairly certain that top right fan on the iMac 20" is the problem.
I even disconnected the fan and used the iMac for about 1 minute to see if there was a noise difference, and there was.
The iMac was quite.

20" intel iMAC fan noise

My iMAC's fan has begun to make a clicking noise like a card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Sometimes it's louder and sometimes it gets softer. Any ideas on what is causing it and how to fix it? Thanks

If you are sure it's a fan there really isn't anything you can do other than calling Apple and having a it serviced.

Late model iMac fan noise

Hi..
There seems to be many threads on this topic but I seem to be making headway on fault finding.
We have 3 late model intel iMacs (all with SMC).
All have been very quiet until recently when mine started running with fans at sometimes full speed.
I think I have tracked it down to only doing it with a high drain device in the USB port. Namely an EyeTV hybrid. I have it plugged into a Logitec powered hub. It seems that whenever the stick is plugged in it doesn't take long before the fans start up. After removing the stick.. after a little while the fans begin to slow down and eventually stop all together.
I'd be interested if anyone else out there can duplicate the issue wheter it be with an EYE TV stick or anything else.
Cheers

OK.. so its seems that it was incidental about removing the eye tv stick as the problem has returned.
I do believe this time that I have a better understanding of what is going on for me at least.
I installed "temperature monitor" to keep an eye on what was going on. The problem appears to be with the CPU A sensor. I just this moment woke my machine up and shortly afterward the fan started. I looked at the temps and the CPU A sensor read 127 C which was obvious rubbish since it had been asleep in a low ambient room. I suspected a bad reading from a bad connection or sensor so I tapped the machine on the back a few times (not too hard) and the reading returned to 33 C and the fan stopped.
My problem now seems clear (I must have bumped the machine when removing the EYE TV stick the first time leading me down the garden path a bit).. maybe this will help others.

27" iMac fan noise

Hi. I picked up an iMac the other day, and have found it to be a lot louder than I expected. I can hear fans whirring all the time. They're by no means loud, but loud enough to be heard from a fair distance away, or sitting here with music playing. I'm just wondering if this is a normal sound level?
I checked my fan speeds, and they've been roughly:
Optical Drive: 998 rpm
Hard Drive: 1098 rpm
CPU fan: 939 rpm
CPU temp is about 36 C.
To clarify, I have the 27" C2D iMac, stock. 4GB ram, Radeon 4670 graphics.

I have the same issue with my new iMac, only I'm on my 3rd one. The funny part is, I probably wouldn't have even noticed this one was a little noisy if I hadn't been through 2 others that I took back to Apple for a backlight/display issue (when I dimmed, I would hear an electrical hum). To the store's credit, their customer service was excellent and they didn't make me feel crazy...switching the machine out, and then switching it out again when the new one had the same problem.
Turns out I'm not crazy, and the 2nd replacement does not have the backlight issue...but I noticed right away that during normal use, it's a bit louder than the other two. Now that I've noticed it, it's really starting to irritate me, but I'd really feel like a pest taking it back for a fourth(!!!) machine. It was bad enough taking it in the first and second time. I'm glad the display doesn't hum when dimmed, but this noise of the machine is constant and I'm not so sure it's better (I remember being surprised how quiet the others were in my silent room). Does anyone know if this is an issue that can be repaired without replacing the machine?
While I'm not sure what to do about my situation... to anyone else whose iMac is less than two weeks old: Apple is happy to replace your machine if I you're not satisfied with it. If you choose to switch it out, know that the replacement might have other issues.

24" iMac humming noise "Problem Solved"

Hello,
I reinstalled Mac OS X 10.5.6 Combo Update and the annoying humming sound coming from my iMac is gone,I have read alot of people were having the same problem with the Aluminum 24" model.

I'm having the same thing with my 2008 24 inch iMac. I'm not sure if it is the hard drive or one of the fans, but there is a loud WHOOSH every time it starts up or wakes from sleep and the whirring noise is pretty much constant. It used to be completely silent, so this new sound is very noticeable.
Lately, the noise with abruptly stop and then make a struggling sound as if whatever is causing it is either going away or making it stop revolving or whatever (it would help if I could determine exactly WHAT is making the noise). I check iStat, but can't see any wide variance in the fans rpm speeds when it is happening or the heat of various components spiking. It is not affecting my computer use as it did the first time I had a similar problem (which turned out to the the hard drive, since replaced under warranty).
I bought Apple Care for this computer, so it is still covered under that, but I don't know if the fact that the noise is completely annoying to listen to all day is enough reason to bring it in for service and be covered under the extended warranty.

IMac fan / sensor problem

Hello!
Some days ago I automatically sent my iMac to sleep via the "Energy Saver --> Schedule" menu in the systems preferences. When I woke it up the next morning, the CPU fan didn't just blow once and ran quietly in the background as usual, but it keeps blowing at max. speed which is really loud and annoying.
So I went to search for the problem and found it right away possibly: the GPU heatsink temperature sensor constantly reports 126-127 degrees Celsius, which is quite impossible I ran the quick hardware test with the startup disk and got the following error code: 4SNS/1/40000000: TG0H-127.875 - which indicates a sensor problem as well I think.
My question is, if there is anything I can do to regulate the fan or the sensor by software. All I found was several programs that can regulate the minimum rotation per minute, but not change the maximum. As there isn't really much damaged (as far as I know now just one out of three GPU sensors), it would be really annoying to have to let it repaired. I'm not playing graphics intensive games, so it won't ever get too hot.
Anyway, right as it is now, it just freaks me out and just leaving it that way is clearly not an option.
Thanks for your help
Michael

Yes I see what you mean all the other temps are fine so I think your original guess of a sensor problem is probably right. You are covered by warranty so I'd contact Apple to complain about it. BTW if you haven't already I would recommend purchasing AppleCare before your 1 year warranty is up.

Is there any x220 owner who does NOT have a fan noise problem?

Hello All,
I've been browsing the forums occasionally for the past week and noted the "pulsing/whining" problem with the x220. I was wondering, does anyone NOT experience this problem or hear this noise? If so, what is your system's configuration and when did you purchase your laptop?
I'm asking because I really want an x220 and want to know if this is a widespread problem. Thank you for your time.

Daexorcist wrote:
Hello All,
I was wondering, does anyone NOT experience this problem or hear this noise? If so, what is your system's configuration and when did you purchase your laptop?
I'm not having any fan issues.
X220 4286-CTO with i7, 1x 4GB memory, Intel 320 160GB SSD, IPS display, Intel 6300 WiFi, Sierra MC8355 WWAN. purchased mid May 2011. Came with v1.12 BIOS, since updated to v1.17
Cheers,
Bill
I don't work for Lenovo

IMac Fan Noise Problem (Reset SMC isn't working)

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