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The larger of Apple's MacBook Air laptops featuring dual microphones and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.

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Fin stack failure. Kernal_task at 100% and fan blowing at max speed.

Spilled a drink on it in early 2014. Worked fine until just recently. Now the fan perpetually runs at max RPM and the kernel_task runs at over 100% cpu.

I took it into Apple and the diagnostic yielded that the fin stack has failed. They want $800 to fix it which is more expensive than a 2016 new MBA.

Is it possible to disable this failsafe that gets the fan blowing and throttles the processor? That or is there a fix that costs less than the value of the device?

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Most Helpful Answer

Try to reset the SMC and the PRAM

SMC RESET

Shut down the computer.

Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.

On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.

Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.

Press the power button to turn on the computer.

PRAM RESET

Shut down the computer.

Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step

Turn on the computer.

Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.

Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.

Release the keys.

command = the cmd key

option is the alt key

if this did not work try installing SMCfancontrol and set the setting to default

if this didn't work try replacing the heatsink (do not forget to replace thermal paste)

the part costs $14,95 MacBook Air 13" (Mid 2013-2017) Heat Sink

do at own risk

if this didn't work the MacBook might just be fried

MacBook Air 13" (Mid 2013-2017) Heat Sink Image

Product

MacBook Air 13" (Mid 2013-2017) Heat Sink

$2.99

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nathan will be eternally grateful.
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