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Why is my Mac not Charging Correctly?

So I recently acquired a used Macbook late 2008 aluminum. I purchased it in the hopes that I might be able to fix it, as it does not seem to want to charge. Here are some details that have made me think it is still possible to fix:


  • The 85 Watt T-Shape Magsafe connection has a faint green light
  • The laptop claims to not be charging, but has a positive amperage ranging from 90~140 mAh
  • The battery percentage does not lower, but retains charge when plugged in during normal use
  • The battery will in fact charge in small amounts when left to idle


What I have tried in order to fix it:


  • Cleaned the magsafe pins on both the computer and charger
  • Reset SMC and PRAM
  • Various methods of reseting, and restarting
  • I tried removing both sides of the adapter and plugging it back in


Here is the Battery Log File from the system settings:


Battery Information:


Model Information:

Serial Number: W020702JS6GOA

Manufacturer: SMP

Device Name: bq20z951

Pack Lot Code: 0

PCB Lot Code: 0

Firmware Version: 002a

Hardware Revision: 000a

Cell Revision: 100


Charge Information:

Charge Remaining (mAh): 1726

Fully Charged: No

Charging: No

Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 3985


Health Information:

Cycle Count: 58

Condition: Normal

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): 119

Voltage (mV): 11368


System Power Settings:


AC Power:

System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Automatic Restart on Power Loss: No

Wake on AC Change: No

Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes

Wake on LAN: Yes

Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes

PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep: 0


Battery Power:

System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10

Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 2

Wake on AC Change: No

Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes

Current Power Source: Yes

Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes

Reduce Brightness: Yes


Hardware Configuration:


UPS Installed: No


AC Charger Information:


Connected: No

Charging: No


I think my best bet would be to change the magsafe connector inside the laptop, or resort to just leaving it plugged in to trickle charge. Could it be a bad logic board, and if so is there any recommendation on how to go about cleaning corrosion, or any other issue I might face instead of replacing the logic board right out?


Thanks.

MacBook, Mac OS 9.2.x

Posted on Mar 31, 2014 8:09 PM

Reply
7 replies

Mar 31, 2014 8:14 PM in response to S.Blevins

This is a six year old battery with only 58 cycles. That is a good sign that the battery is not functioning due to lack of use. I would try replacing the battery with one known to be good before embarking on any repairs. It's also quite possible that if the battery is good, then you have a defective charger you should replace.

Apr 2, 2014 11:26 AM in response to S.Blevins

Out of curiousity does anyone know what signals to the computer if the AC adapter is plugged in? Is it the magsafe DC-In board or the logic board? If it is the DC-In, then it might be the simple part replacement. If not, then I might have a bigger problem. It is getting some power since it says 109 mA and 1.3 watts of power is being recieved.


I ordered the Magsafe DC board and it should arrive by Monday.

Why is my Mac not Charging Correctly?

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