MBP Pro Late 2013 Battery Not Charging (PPP002 and PPP07): Motherboard, really?

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MBP Pro Late 2013 Battery Not Charging (PPP002 and PPP07): Motherboard, really?

Hi, thanks for enabling this forum.

So recently my MBP Late 2013 couldn't do the charging or the MagSafe 2 light indicator won't turn on. I tried solutions like restarting the SMC, and even running the diagnostic and find out that my issue according to the diagnostic is PPP02 (The power adapter was not tested) and PPP07 (There may be an issue with the power adapter). Else besides the charging issue, is totally fine. So now my MBP in Late 2013 felt like a Mac that always need electricity to run (it stop at around 11%-14%).

Before I figured it out and run the diagnostic on my own, I previously brought it to an apple bar near my place, which for the consultation only cost you around $26. At first, it diagnosed that my battery may need to be changed, and yes I agree, and it will cost you around $113. But then, it seems it's not just the problem. The connector that sends the electricity to the battery also has an issue. The connector will cost you around $97. So in total cost like $210 will solve the issue. I said, "Okay, fair enough". But then (again), after checking again, the motherboard has an issue too!

It said that the information that not appeared in the battery may caused by the motherboard. I am just a little bit curious, which I know, okay, maybe because I used the MBP too hard (like using Docker and VS Code to run MSSQL while opening Chrome full tabs on two windows and two MS Word too) so the consumed energy may went too far and might end up damaging it too. So the technician suggested me to go to the official Apple Store to check whether the motherboard was really damaged or not because they don't have the machine to check it. So I just charged $26 for that. But that motherboard part was quite a hit for me. Pretty shocked.

Well, my curiosity is actually, first, what will happen if I bring it to the official Apple Store in anyone's experience here?

Since it's already considered "Obsolete", and if I get a free diagnostic test, I'm not sure it will be a little different from my result (PPP02 and PPP07). I wonder if I bought a new Mag Safe 2 that will fix the issue (mine is 60W, and I'm planning to buy the 85W).

My second question is if I really really need to change the motherboard, does it worth fixing this or just letting it be like a Mac desktop and make saving it to buy the new one?

Sorry for any inappropriate words there.

Thank you community!

Posted on Sep 12, 2022 9:45 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 12, 2022 7:11 PM in response to yud347

It is really hard to test components when Apple glues the battery in place. The battery is usually the weakest link if everything else is fine. I usually look for possible signs of liquid damage to the Logic Board before replacing a battery for a charging issue since so many laptops I repair tend to have some sort of liquid damage. If the tech did not notice any signs of possible liquid damage or corrosion, then replacing the battery is likely enough, but there are no guarantees. Did the tech try a different DC-In Board?

When the battery is not showing as bad in the diagnostic and the Battery condition is "Normal", but I suspect a battery problem, I will run a stress test on the battery by monitoring the Full Charge Capacity as I quickly drain the battery and quickly charge the battery. Usually a bad battery will show up by odd fluctuations in the Full Charge Capacity which will sometimes cause the Full Charge Capacity to drop significantly resulting in the Full Charge Capacity dropping below 80% of the original Design Capacity. I end up using the command line to monitor the Full Charge Capacity and to initiate a system stress test to quickly drain the battery.

If you are going to have a tech replace the battery, then I would recommend the battery be from OWC unless the tech is sure of the quality of the battery being used (some techs may have access to a vendor with better quality batteries, although this is rare). The quality of third party Lithium-ion batteries is extremely poor, but you don't have a lot of options for an "Obsolete" computer.

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

156,326 points

Sep 12, 2022 10:37 AM in response to yud347

Well, my curiosity is actually, first, what will happen if I bring it to the official Apple Store in anyone's experience here?

To begin with, you would not be charged for anything just for a diagnosis. Once you have that diagnosis in hand you can proceed accordingly.

Confirm you ran Apple Diagnostics with the power adapter connected, otherwise those errors might appear.

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Answer 3

yud347 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 12, 2022 8:21 PM in response to John Galt

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I notice the power adapter may have an issue too, either it's not working (but the electricity still goes through) or due to the high power consumption, it might need the 85W.

Okay then, I think I will bring it to the official store to make sure of the diagnosis.

Thanks again!

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Answer 4

yud347 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 12, 2022 8:20 PM in response to John Galt

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I notice the power adapter may have an issue too, either it's not working (but the electricity still goes through) or due to the high power consumption, it might need the 85W.

Okay then, I think I will bring it to the official store to make sure of the diagnosis.

Thanks again!

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Answer 5

yud347 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 12, 2022 8:42 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks for the reply.

Regarding the tried DC-In Board, I guess the technician did not do that. What I remember is, only tried connecting to the new battery (while the back case was still opened and the old battery was still attached), and still, while the adapter was connected, the battery is not charging still there. I guess that's where the connector issue came from.

Ow, the battery condition? Well, I'm not that familiar. But here I show the Battery information from my System Information (still plugged):

Model Information:

Manufacturer: SMP

Device Name: bq20z451

Pack Lot Code: 0

PCB Lot Code: 0

Firmware Version: 702

Hardware Revision: 000a

Cell Revision: 389

Charge Information:

Fully Charged: No

Charging: No

Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4825

State of Charge (%): 11

Health Information:

Cycle Count: 904

Condition: Normal

Is that mean the battery is not the issue?

Oh, OWC, yeah I read some articles that recommend that. Sorry, I'm not is US actually, in other part of Asia tbh. But if by ordering that, and I could find the penta screw with adhesive remover, I might tried to replacing it on my own. If the battery is really the issue (my trackpad is still flat). A lot of Youtube videos there how to change it. But bring it to the technician would be very helpful perhaps. But else than that, ow, that's currently, beyond my understanding. Like the connector case for example.

Again, thanks!

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Answer 6

yud347 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 13, 2022 9:11 PM in response to yud347

Hey everyone.

Just want to inform back the updates.

Last night I went to a mini market that has an electricity socket there so I jumped there in the middle of the hard rain and plugged in my MBP cause it's 11% as always and drained out with it. But, somehow, after I plugged in, it charged to 69% in two hours! But the Mag Safe 2 I have seems to become a little bit warmer than before. I wonder If I really need to change the Mag Safe 2 into 85W instead the 65W.

But after I updated my Big Sur to 11.7 (if I'm not mistaken), this morning, it's now fully charged 100%! Yeah, no green or orange light in the mag safe, but it's charged. I wonder if it really needs to change the battery or the Mag Safe 2 now.

I'm curious actually how should I better main my mac after this issue is somehow resolved. Should I always shut it down, or sleep again is okay and just put it in the bag, or is there any hibernate option?

Oh wait, just now it's decreased to 10%, and not charged anymore. Hmm.. should I go to that mini market that has a small cafe again to charge this...

I wonder...

Thanks and have a good day!

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MBP Pro Late 2013 Battery Not Charging (PPP002 and PPP07): Motherboard, really?

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