Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!
📢 Newsroom Update
Apple’s new MacBook Pro features the incredibly powerful M4 family of chips and ushers in a new era with Apple Intelligence. Learn more >
Apple’s new MacBook Pro features the incredibly powerful M4 family of chips and ushers in a new era with Apple Intelligence. Learn more >
📢 Newsroom Update
Apple introduces M4 Pro and M4 Max. Learn more >
Apple introduces M4 Pro and M4 Max. Learn more >
Replaced a battery in a late 2008 MacBook Pro. Battery won't charge and battery condition iust says 'replace now' which I have. Any clues?
Tried restarting, running diagnostics (that didn't work).
Press and held power for 5 while abttery out. That didn't work.
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.6
Definitely agree with @John Galt's assessment. You most likely received a defective battery. Unfortunately the quality of third party Lithium batteries is extremely poor even when purchased from a reputable vendor such as OWC or iFixIt.
Many third party batteries may not show the Battery condition as "Normal" and the Apple Diagnostics may declare even a good third party battery as defective since it doesn't communicate the expected information that an OEM battery would communicate. Some third party batteries will show a "Normal" battery condition and will even pass the Apple Diagnostics. Unfortunately the only way to know is by checking macOS & the diagnostics immediately after the battery is first installed so you have a baseline for comparison. If a brand new third party battery shows any "Replace" or "Service" condition, then it hard to say whether this is normal for that battery or whether the battery really is bad unless you had an earlier base line to compare it with.
You can try an SMC Reset.
Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support
Keep in mind, the age of the replacement battery and whether the battery has been properly maintained while in storage awaiting to be sold will also determine the health of the battery when you receive it. I cannot imagine most vendors are selling too many batteries for such an old laptop....so this adds to the likelihood of receiving a defective battery in addition to the already difficult task of getting a good third party Lithium battery.
Definitely agree with @John Galt's assessment. You most likely received a defective battery. Unfortunately the quality of third party Lithium batteries is extremely poor even when purchased from a reputable vendor such as OWC or iFixIt.
Many third party batteries may not show the Battery condition as "Normal" and the Apple Diagnostics may declare even a good third party battery as defective since it doesn't communicate the expected information that an OEM battery would communicate. Some third party batteries will show a "Normal" battery condition and will even pass the Apple Diagnostics. Unfortunately the only way to know is by checking macOS & the diagnostics immediately after the battery is first installed so you have a baseline for comparison. If a brand new third party battery shows any "Replace" or "Service" condition, then it hard to say whether this is normal for that battery or whether the battery really is bad unless you had an earlier base line to compare it with.
You can try an SMC Reset.
Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support
Keep in mind, the age of the replacement battery and whether the battery has been properly maintained while in storage awaiting to be sold will also determine the health of the battery when you receive it. I cannot imagine most vendors are selling too many batteries for such an old laptop....so this adds to the likelihood of receiving a defective battery in addition to the already difficult task of getting a good third party Lithium battery.
T_D_M wrote:
Replaced a battery in a late 2008 MacBook Pro. Battery won't charge and battery condition iust says 'replace now' which I have. Any clues?
Tried restarting, running diagnostics (that didn't work).
Press and held power for 5 while abttery out. That didn't work.
Maybe time for a new computer. Your computer is obsolete and will not run current apps, security, or operating systems. You could take the computer to a service center that still supports such an old computer and have them diagnose the issue for you. But FWIW, I would not spend any money on a 15 year old computer.
T_D_M wrote:
Replaced a battery in a late 2008 MacBook Pro. Battery won't charge and battery condition iust says 'replace now' which I have. Any clues?
Tried restarting, running diagnostics (that didn't work).
Press and held power for 5 while abttery out. That didn't work.
I agree with Bob, time for a new computer. In your case, a new battery just installed isn't working. You don't say what motivated you to replace the battery, but I surmise you had similar symptoms with the previous battery. That points to your charging circuits in the Mac are no longer working. This is an end of life type issue for a laptop.
It is possible that the new battery was not compatible or was improperly installed and cannot charge for that reason. Many other variables come into play -- was this a new battery, are new batteries even available for such an old Mac, if it is an old battery in new condition, just 15 years of storage can result in a non-working battery. Was the battery condition verified before installation?
T_D_M wrote:
Replaced a battery in a late 2008 MacBook Pro. Battery won't charge and battery condition iust says 'replace now' which I have. Any clues?
That battery doesn't work. Return it and buy one that does.
OWC / MacSales is the only reputable source of aftermarket batteries that I have used and can recommend.
Replaced a battery in a late 2008 MacBook Pro.
