Left Fan Troubles

My Problem

Left fan would occasionally be noisy (I'm not sure how to describe the noise, grinding sound maybe). I'd put the computer to sleep, wake it up, and it would be fine for a day or so. But eventually this process got annoying.

I tried to fix it myself by taking the fan apart and putting WD40 on the axle but I ended up bending the metal and now the fan wasn't aligned and would always hit the side and make a grinding noise.

So I ordered a left fan from iFixit.

My Fix

I've opened this computer so many times it isn't funny. From battery replacement, memory upgrades, HDD to SSD upgrade, Dual Drive upgrade, and the monthly taming the dust bunnies; I'd say I know how to open this device pretty quick and easy. Ergo, it was a breeze to replace the fan.

The replacement of the fan went well. Unfortunately, my Mac had problems booting. I got the infinite spinny-thing and spinning beach ball of death after inputting my password. I even let it set there overnight (I've done this before and it worked), but nothing. I reset the PRAM, SMC, went into safe mode, and nothing. It still wouldn't boot into the OS.

Luckily, Time Machine saved my skin. I restored it and it booted just fine. My dock was reset but that's no big deal.

My Advice

Always back up before doing any modifications to your computer. Actually, always back up daily, always!