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Model A1181: 1.83, 2, 2.1, 2.13, 2.16, 2.2, or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor

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Fan not switching off, temperatures not extreme though

The fan on my Macbook Core 2 Duo is constantly running, often at 6200rpm.

The temperature of the CPUs is around 63C (~145F),

Temperature on both heatsinks is a little below that.

I've done an SMC reset several times (as per http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 ) which sometimes seems to help a little, but never for long.

Wondering if it's time to replace thermal paste or even the fan itself?

Thanks

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Is this the lemonade machine or a different one?

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Thanks all for the replies.

Today I cleaned the machine. There was quite a bit of dust inside. I've also replaced the thermal paste which had completely hardened and gone slightly brittle even...

The machine's running great now. I'm running with several windows in Chrome open, each with a dozen or more tabs. There's bound to be some flash in there somewhere. The fan is running is under 3K rpm and the temperature is around 60-65C.

All in all a !%$& of an improvement!

My only slight worry now is that the felt tape that covers the seam between the fan and the exhaust had gone all brittle. There was no way to peel it off.

What could I use to replace that with?

Thanks again!

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Judging from the distance i recomment giving the machine a good cleanup and replace the thermal paste with something decent. Arctic Silver will just do fine. The original thermal paste used by Apple tends to harden out. When cleaning the computer make sure to remove the fan (you'll have to do anyway when removing the heatsink) and pay attention to the exhaust side. A lot of dust can accumulate there.

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Both heat syncs? This model only has one. If your fans are running at 6200RPM and the temp is still 63C, you have a problem. That temp is too high; especially if the fans are revving at 6200RPM. Is this the machine you described on your previous post, or the replacement machine?

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Hi, thanks for the quick answer. No, this is a completely different machine. This is a black 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo machine. I read the stats using a program called Temperature Monitor, which lists 2 heat sync temperatures, labeled Main Heatsink 1 and Main Heatsink 2 - which are probably 2 sensors on the 1 heatsink?

So what do you recommend I do?

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First, I would use Activity Monitor and see what processes are working your processor. If you have excessive processes, Kill whatever processes are not absolutely necessary. If this doesn't help then remove the topcase and blow out the fan and rear vents with compressed air to relieve any excessive dirt/dust. If that doesn't help then you would have to replace the thermal paste ( which is usually very cheap and poorly applied to begin with ), and replace with Arctic Silver 5. When applied properly, this paste will drop your temps -5C, wich is pretty good. Lastly...download SMC Fan Control, which let's u monitor your temps and fan speeds right from your task bar.

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I can Have Safari open, Stream a Netflix movie, and have several other Apps open at the same time and my temp never rises above 55C, so you obviously have an issue. Apple has the default fan speeds at about 2000RPM which is done to keep the machines quiet, but I keep my fans at 3,000RPM at all times to keep things cool under the hood. This can also prolong the life of your machine.

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Replacing the thermal paste did lower the temperature and did get the fan to behave more normal, although to my taste it still kicks in a bit early and often... Thanks for the help so far!

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rene will be eternally grateful.
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