[Troutmagnet]

Hi ehMac-ers,

I have a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid-2009, 2.53Ghz, 4GB, 320GB HD) with an unhappy motherboard for sale OR I'm willing to hear offers for an economical repair, if anyone out there is good at fixing these issues (motherboard - power related).

It's the usual story - a month outside the warranty and the MacBook stops charging. The light on the Magsafe flickers green and dimly. Eventually, the unit would not turn on at all once the battery was completely dry. A friend of mine had the EXACT same issue with the same model and he had his repaired out of warranty by Apple - it ended up costing him upwards of $700 and later found out that it could be done for a couple of hundred bucks, fewer parts and some know-how. (Apple, apparently, are mandated to replace ALL related components at the expense of the client - had he known, he would have probably opted for the DIY option because the fix was JUST the power segment of the MB).

The screen I know is perfect, the battery has low cycles (I've used the battery in another MacBook I own with no problems - it charges), the keyboard works fine, all of the USB ports are fine, the HD I may have to remove (personal effects, although I can be talked into erasing the drive and throwing it in). The underside of the case has a few scratches, but the lid has none. If I sell it, it wil come with no Magsafe power adapter. My other MacBook is using it after my other one was stolen at Pearson International.

I keep meaning to either try the repair myself or take it somewhere, but I'm clearly procrastinating, so I've decided it needs to go or get fixed. It's sitting here gathering dust as it is...

SO! If anyone is interested, PM me.

 

[imactheknife]

does it have dual video cards? I am interested but have no idea what to ask. Let me know by PM what kind of money were talking if u want.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[spoonie]

the power inverter board is pretty cheap, have you considered giving it a shot with just that as a fix? The ifixit instructions are pretty clear.

 

[jezzy]

tough one.. I spent 200$ on a MacBook to replace its defective logic board. dim charging light too, no power, battery indicator would search for battery. I also got the inverter dc board, didn't work for me. but I got this laptop used for cheap as it was liquid damaged.. in the end I fixed it.

try the dc inverter board, cheap enough to try. or sell it as is..

you do need to remove the logic board entirely in order to change the dc board.. now takes me 10-20 mins to do for a compete job. atleast on that 2009 13" it did!

 

[CubaMark]

If the problem is simply the DC board, it's not that difficult a fix. As spoonie noted, iFixit has a great series of illustrated guides.

Heh - I just looked at the guide for that model - it is ranked "difficult" because you have to strip it all the way down to the motherboard... but if you're organized, prepared in advance, have all the tools, and a good system for tracking the ridiculous number of (all different) screws, you can do this.

The DC board for that model is $59.95 if purchased at iFixit. You'll likely be able to get it much cheaper on eBay.

I followed an iFixit guide to replace the DC board on my late-2008 MacBook Aluminium - it's still going strong a year later

 

[GlassOnion]

PM sent

 

[Macfury]

GlassOnion, I was waiting for you to show up!

 

[GlassOnion]

GlassOnion, I was waiting for you to show up!

Always there for a potential repair project.

 

[Troutmagnet]

the power inverter board is pretty cheap, have you considered giving it a shot with just that as a fix? The ifixit instructions are pretty clear.

Hey! I got it working!

It WAS the DC-in board. A friend pointed me in the right direction, so I ordered the part from iFixit.com. It arrived via Fedex yesterday and I just repaired it about an hour ago using the iFixit walkthrough. It was a little tricky, but certainly not rocket science.

Total cost: $115 including taxes, shipping and duty.

Good things never happen to me, so I was doubtful this would work at all...

Sorry, GlassOnion. Maybe next time. Thanks for the information ehMac-ers!