MacBook A1181 Black, no backlight, tried inverter no luck.

so my friend is gonna pay me to fix this laptop that he got from his friend. so i dont know exactly how it went out, but there is no backlight ever, i can turn it on and with a bright light shining on it see the desktop, can open itunes and play music, whatever, i tried replacing inverter and it didnt change anything,i wanna find out whether it is the backlight bulb or logic board. i wanna be able to order the correct part first, because i end up paying to ship parts back, and i cant even get a hold of the place i got the inverter from.

heres a video i recorded of the issue...
YouTube - MacBook 13.3" A1181 No backlight problem, new inverter did not solve

I thank you for taking the time to read my post, and would appreciate any ideas, and suggestions.

It's not the logic board as you can see video on the screen. It may be the backlight CCFL tube that's out or the power cable from the inverter.

Changing a CCFL tube is a difficult job and can lead to other problems. Apple recommends replacing the entire display assembly rather than just the tube.

For parts and step by step repair procedures, go to iFixit: The free repair manual.

thank you, ill get a new lcd then, and i'll let you know if it works, unless you know of a way i can test the power cable? i dont have a voltimeter...

oh yea, one more question. would the screen do anything by unplugging the inverter, i mean, i unplugged the inverter while the laptop was on, with a light shining on the screen so i can see it, and nothing happened, i mean... the lcd didn't react at all when i unplugged the inverter while it was running, is that normal?

I mean, is that normal for it to not react at all with or without power going through inverter?

Yes, that would be normal. If the CCFL tube is out or the power cable is defective, you would see no change on the LCD screen when removing the inverter. The LCD itself still has power and video but no backlighting.

ugh, so i got the new lcd panel, before i started taking things apart i decided to test the lcd by plugging it into the inverter board, and it didn't light up when i turned on the laptop, so, please... what do i do now? i used the new inverter when i tested it.

Did you check the power cable from the inverter as I mentioned above?

yea, after posting that, i took apart the top case and found the inverter cable wasnt even plugged in, so i got it plugged in turned it on and tada light! except, its flickering....? even on new lcd...

okay, got it all set up, installed new lcd anyway, old one was real dim and reddish, flickering went away, that **** black power cable for the inverter is way too loose. thanks for your help

Hey, all is well that ends well. Look at the experience you earned with all that trouble shooting and parts replacements. Good job! Glad to hear you're up and running. Visit often and have fun.

same problem

I know this is an old post but i am having the same problem i have replaced the screen inverterboard and inverterboard cable and still no back light what else could it be?