iFixit

My Problem

Both left and right fans were very noisy and needed replacing, as previous repairs had only temporarily solved the problem. I ordered both a left and right replacement fan from iFixit.

My Fix

The repair was straightforward, pretty easy to do with the iFixit instructions and correct tools. However, the left replacement fan bottom housing had a screw tab that was too thick to slide in properly in the slot under the tab from the left speaker. I had to disassemble the left fan (simply removing two screws and lifting the fan off the bottom housing) and then replace the housing with the one from the original left fan. This worked fine, and everything then fit properly.

My Advice

If you need to replace the left fan on this model (MacBook a1150) compare the screw tab to the original fan make sure it is the same thickness as the original. The tab in question is one closest to the mouth opening of the fan. If it is not, you can swap the housings like I did.

Written on August 15, 2011