"How to repair bad firewire 800 port on MacBookPro 5,3?"

Question

"How to repair bad firewire 800 port on MacBookPro 5,3?"

I have a June 2009 MacBookPro (5,3), 2.66GHz, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB HD that has a bad firewire 800 port. A good FW800 external drive (1) will not mount on desktop, (2) is not seen in "About this Mac. (3) is not seen by Disk Utility. When same drive is connected by USB cable, all is AOK. The computer will boot in Target Disk Mode, but cannot be seen/does not mount when attached by FW800 cable to a laptop with a good FW800 port. Can a bad FW800 port be repaired? Does an Apple June 2009 MBP (5.3) have a FW800 card that can be replaced?

Thank you.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), mid 2012 w/ 2 USB3 ports

Posted on Nov 9, 2016 4:14 PM

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Answer 1

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Nov 9, 2016 4:59 PM in response to David Gelfand

The Logic Board needs to be replaced as shown in this iFixit Guide . Here is an example of a 13-in or 15-in Logic board price at iFixit - MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-2-26-GHz-Logic-Board or MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Mid-2009-2-66-GHz-Logic-Board .

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Answer 2

Nov 9, 2016 4:37 PM in response to David Gelfand

Personally I would not spend any money on an obsolete or vintage computer:

Vintage and obsolete products - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Nov 9, 2016 5:01 PM in response to Loner T

Thanx Loner T. Very helpful, but I think I won't repair, given the cost of a new logic board and difficulty'time it would take to repair. Much appreciated O guru!

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Answer 4

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Nov 9, 2016 5:55 PM in response to David Gelfand

These can be put to good use, even without the FW port. 😉

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Answer 5

Nov 9, 2016 5:56 PM in response to Loner T

I agree. I have to replace the HD and then I'll upgrade the 4GB RAM to 8 GB RAM (both easy to do) & my granddaughters can have as back-up if their other computers crash.

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Answer 6

Nov 9, 2016 6:05 PM in response to David Gelfand

Why would you spend money on RAM and a hard drive on an obsolete computer with a bad logic board? Think a little more before spending money on this computer. Just MHO.

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Answer 7

Loner T

Level 9

59,536 points

Nov 9, 2016 6:09 PM in response to David Gelfand

Can you run the following two procedures and test the FW port?

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

How to reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

Usually, unless an object was inserted into a port or a pin is broken, they do not go bad. It is the soldering on the Logic Board which cracks/degrades over a period of time.

If you are adventurous, and as a last resort, it is possible to 're-flow' the connection in a conventional-heat oven. It does require very careful work and is not guaranteed to work all the time. You can search using your favorite Internet search engine.

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