MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1212) Left Fan

Mon problème

this is the second fan I put in this machine. I hope this one lasts longer. Maybe someone has additional hints on making these things last?

Ma solution

Everything came off and went back together as it should have

Mon conseil

There was no instructions on how to unplug the old fan. Pull up? Pull to the side? I put a drop of oil on the old fan and got another week out of it before it started screaming again. Enough time for the new fan to arrive.

Mon problème

My left hand side cooling fan of my trusty 17" MacBook Pro was getting really noisy. So loud that the kids in my noisy Grade 3 class asked me what was that strange noise when I was marking the attendance roll one morning

Ma solution

Everything went really smoothly...no left over fasteners at the end. Always a good sign :-)

Mon conseil

Follow the instructions closely and put your fasteners in order. Use a piece of tape turned up side down to hold the little devils in place.

Mon problème

The fan was failing, making a buzzing noise.

Ma solution

The repair went pretty well. The iFixit guide was very helpful. The only difficulty was figuring out how to remove the fan plug connection. The connection lifts up rather than pulls apart. This wasn't very clear in the guide.

Mon conseil

The trick was figuring out how to separate wire plug connections. The rest was pretty straight forward. It is wise to make some notes as you go regarding wire color connection order and to have some tape or something to stick the screws to in the order you took them out. Not too hard even if you don't.

Mon problème

Noise

Ma solution

Very well, only problem was it was a little unclear in step 17, how to disconnect the isight,inverter, and left fan cables. Once I got them to pop off, the rest was easy and it fixed my problem. Took about an hour and a half.

Mon conseil

Make step 17 a little clearer to us novices. Too late for pictures, sorry.

Mon problème

The right fan was replaced a year or so ago on this 7 year old mbp ---- so the left fan went crazy!

Ma solution

the only problem was that the fan connector was different than the picture. The picture shows a white connector with "wings" that are used to slide back and out. The actual fan connector is black and does NOT slide in. It rather pushes straight down into the connector receptacle. That took 15 minutes of being very careful not to get frustrated and force something. All is ok and the new fan is purring : )

Mon conseil

Yes, a specific picture of the A1212 fan connection and description of how it comes out and goes back in.

Mon problème

The left fan had been making noise over a period of months. Recently, the fan became very noisy any time the computer was running. I believe the bearings had failed in the fan.

Ma solution

The repair went smoothly. The directions given in the guide were excellent and made the repair easy. I took about an hour to complete the repair.

Mon conseil

While the case is open, take the opportunity to blow the dust out. I should have purchase the #00 phillips screwdriver. I found something that worked, but the right tool would have made the job easier.

Mon problème

The left fan thought it was a jet engine.

Ma solution

I had some doubts in the beginning but then the whole procedure seemed to be natural.

Mon conseil

The photos on your site worked out to be a good guide.

I was so absorbed, that I forgot to take any pics.

It´s a good idea to put the screws on a piece of cellar tape and tag them. It makes it easier to put everything together again.

You just need to be bold enough to start.