Cleaning the cooling fans of a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2015 model
Posted by jpluimers on 2022/03/14
After years of use, the cooling fans of my 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2015 model got quite a bit dirty, causing them to run louder and louder.
The video below the fold shows how to clean them: 11 screws, some isopropyl alcohol, (dry!) compressed, and caution for the connector-clips connecting the bottom plate.
It helps having a:
- pentalobe P5 screwdriver
- plastic spudger so separate the bottom plate (especially be careful with the connector-clips)
- magnet to stick the screws to, as they are really tiny and it is easy to loose them
I got the pentalobe screwdriver with some spare screws from the German Amazon: [Archive.is] Kricson Ersatzschrauben MacBook Pro – 4 Pack Gummi: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör
You can get a similar one from the USA Amazon site: [Archive.is] Amazon.com: 8 Pack Rubber Case Feet + Set of 20pcs Repair Replacement Screw + 1pcs 5 Point Pentalobe Screwdriver for Unibody MacBook Pro Retina A1425 A1502 A1398 13″ 15″ Bottom Case(Retina): Computers & Accessories
Two important tips:
- After using isopropyl alcohol, let the parts dry
- Hold the fans when spraying compressed air (to prevent the fan-motors to create over-voltage, and to prevent the fans spinning faster than they are rated for)
The iFixit pictures for replacing the SSD help greatly to see how to remove and re-attach the back-cover, and where the various parts are inside the machines.
Note the screws differ between the 13-inch and 15-inch models!
- [Wayback] MacBook Pro 15″ Retina Display Mid 2015 SSD Replacement – iFixit Repair Guide
- Eight 3.1 mm pentalobe screws far from the model name
- Two 2.3 mm pentalobe screws near the model name
- Replace the SSD in your MacBook Pro 13″ Retina Display Early 2015.[Wayback] MacBook Pro 13″ Retina Display Early 2015 SSD Replacement – iFixit Repair Guide
- Two 2.3 mm P5 Pentalobe screws near the model name
- Eight 3.0 mm P5 Pentalobe screws far from the model name
–jeroen
Video for the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro
Video for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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