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Repair guide

Replace dried thermal paste and noisy fans

Thermal paste dries out and fans clog or wear after many years. Cleaning, fresh paste and a new fan are cheap and bring temperatures down.

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Cleaning · Medium · about 60 minutes. Worth doing. Reports say this fix helps on many machines.

You are in the right place if: The machine runs hot, the fan roars, or it crashes or throttles under load.

Before you start

  • Let hot parts cool before touching them.
  • Do not apply too much paste.
  • Mind sharp fan blades and keep fingers clear.

Board revisions and models

G5 liquid cooling and PowerBook layouts differ from PCs.

Parts you may need

Tools

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Step by step

  1. Power off and unplug Disconnect power and wait for parts to cool.
  2. Open the case Photograph the cooling layout.
  3. Blow out dust Use compressed air, holding the fan still.
  4. Remove the heatsink Undo the retention clip or screws evenly and lift gently.
  5. Clean old paste Wipe the chip and heatsink with isopropyl alcohol.
  6. Apply fresh paste Apply a small pea-sized amount.
  7. Refit the heatsink Press down evenly and secure.
  8. Replace the fan if needed Replace a noisy or slow fan with one of the same size and connector.
  9. Monitor temperatures Boot and check temperatures if a monitoring tool exists.
  10. Close up Reassemble.

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us.

  • Maybe (Low confidence). Use only a small amount of paste. General technique, no source.

Sources

We wrote this one from general technique and have no source to credit for it yet. Treat it as a starting point, and read or watch a guide for your exact model before you begin.

Boards and models vary, so check what is in front of you. A repair can involve hot tools, chemicals and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.

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