Macbook Air mid 2013 shuts down spontaneously when not plugged in even if battery is full. What to do to trouble shoot???

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Macbook Air mid 2013 shuts down spontaneously when not plugged in even if battery is full. What to do to trouble shoot???

For the past couple of weeks, my Macbook Air shuts down spontaneously after a few minutes of being unplugged, even if the battery is full.

I'm at a lost in trying to trouble shoot and looking for advice!

OS X Yosemite 10.10.3

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Air

Model Identifier: MacBookAir6,2

Processor Name: Intel Core i5

Processor Speed: 1.3 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 2

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 3 MB

Memory: 4 GB

Boot ROM Version: MBA61.0099.B18

SMC Version (system): 2.13f15

Battery Information:

Model Information:

Manufacturer: DP

Pack Lot Code: 0

PCB Lot Code: 0

Firmware Version: 511

Hardware Revision: 000a

Cell Revision: 1200

Charge Information:

Charge Remaining (mAh): 6483

Fully Charged: No

Charging: Yes

Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 6658

Health Information:

Cycle Count: 122

Condition: Normal

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): 168

Voltage (mV): 8337

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on May 2, 2015 6:57 PM

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Answer 1

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John Galt

Level 10

141,000 points

May 3, 2015 6:51 AM in response to JRLostinMac

Power or other problems related to unexpected system sleep, shutdown, lights or fans call for an SMC reset. Read all the steps.

Before Resetting the SMC

Try each of the following steps in this order before you reset the SMC. Test the issue after completing each troubleshooting step to determine if the issue still occurs.

Press Command + Option + Escape to force quit any application that is not responding.
Put your Mac to sleep by choosing the Apple () menu from the upper-left menu bar and then choosing Sleep. Wake the computer after it has gone to sleep.
Restart your Mac by choosing the Apple () menu from the upper-left menu bar and then choosing Restart.
Shut down your Mac by choosing the Apple () menu from the upper-left menu bar and then choosing Shut Down.

Resetting the SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own

Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if it's not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time. The power adapter indicator light may cycle off / on once.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.

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Answer 2

JRLostinMac Author

Level 1

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May 3, 2015 6:16 AM in response to John Galt

Thank you John for this but unfortunately, it didn't work.

I followed the steps to shut the Mac down, then did the shift+control+option and power button hold for a few seconds, the orange light on the power piece switched to green for a brief second, back to orange and I let go of all keys and pressed the power button again. Logged back in, unplugged the power source and a few seconds later, black screen (battery was at 98%)...

I do remember a few weeks ago the fan making more noise than usual and the back being more hot than usual and this spontaneous shutdown seem to have started after this.

I also just did the last Yosemite upgrade but I had issues before so I don't think it's that.

Other recent installations around the time when this started:

-XProtectPlistConfigData

-Gatekeeper Configuration Data

-Adobe Flash Player

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Answer 3

notcloudy

Level 4

1,252 points

May 3, 2015 6:52 AM in response to JRLostinMac

JRLostinMac wrote:

I do remember a few weeks ago the fan making more noise than usual and the back being more hot than usual and this spontaneous shutdown seem to have started after this.

That is the clue that something needs repair - 4GB of ram is running Yosemite very lean - so your active applications may be forced to swap to virtual memory. Take to repair shop.

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Answer 4

JRLostinMac Author

Level 1

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May 3, 2015 6:31 AM in response to notcloudy

Thanks, I had a sneaky suspicion I would have to take it in. But first, do you know if there is any diagnostic utility or logs I could look into? This is my first Mac so I don't really know my way around logs and error report sources...

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Answer 5

John Galt

Level 10

141,000 points

May 3, 2015 8:14 AM in response to JRLostinMac

That's pretty much all you will be able to do on your own.

4 GB RAM is perfectly adequate for a MBA running Yosemite, and insufficient RAM wouldn't cause a spontaneous shutdown anyway. A far more likely cause is a battery in need of replacement, which Apple can diagnose. If required they can install it for $129, diagnostic fee and warranty included: Genius Bar Reservations.

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Answer 6

notcloudy

Level 4

1,252 points

May 3, 2015 8:38 AM in response to JRLostinMac

JRLostinMac wrote:

Thanks, I had a sneaky suspicion I would have to take it in. But first, do you know if there is any diagnostic utility or logs I could look into? This is my first Mac so I don't really know my way around logs and error report sources...

In the Utilities menu - Console has a bunch of logs. About the only time they were useful for error - was when I had a problem with a backup drive - error message was very clear - drive did not have the correct firmware.

As your macbook is overheating - it may be the battery is not powerful enough to support the fan and all the activity on its own -- I think Yosemite has an options that lets you see how hot the mac-book is running -- and lifting if off a surface may help get some air underneath it.

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