Removing front panel board and housing on G5

nutz-man · Dec 4, 2011

Hi all, I have been asked to look at a G5 that been stored in a garage and now wont start :Lips-Are-Sealed:

. Open opening up the unit the first thing that grabs my attention is this: -

Can anyone help by telling how i remove the front panel and housing?

Thanks in advance.

pigoo3 · Dec 4, 2011

nutz-man said:
Can anyone help by telling how i remove the front panel and housing?

As of this reply your inserted photo wasn't working...but what do you mean by the "front panel & housing"?

Do you mean the large aluminum side panel that needs to be removed to get access to the inside of the G5...the clear plastic insert that needs to be removed...or something else?

- Nick

nutz-man · Dec 4, 2011

Hi Nick,

hopefully this should work: -

As you can see, the panel housing is very corroded and i am hoping this is the cause of the non-starting problem. if you have any suggestions on how this comes off without using brute force, i would appreciate your comments. Is there anything you would look for or another of booting up the machine another?

Many thanks

Zeke_D · Dec 4, 2011

I have a PDF of the G5 service manual if you want it. But with the amount of corrosion on the power supply panel, ram and front panel, I wouldn't expect great things from this unit. I assume you removed the cable and plastic clip connecting the panel to the logic board, you should also check to see if you see corrosion inside the connector.

nutz-man · Dec 4, 2011

Yes please!

Zeke_D · Dec 4, 2011

http://hizzouse.doesntexist.com/powermac_g5.pdf

My ISP is as bad as dial up, so it will be a slow download if the dns even resolves. 26MB fyi.

pigoo3 · Dec 4, 2011

nutz-man said:
As you can see, the panel housing is very corroded and i am hoping this is the cause of the non-starting problem. if you have any suggestions on how this comes off without using brute force, i would appreciate your comments. Is there anything you would look for or another of booting up the machine another?

Yes...the photo helped a lot!

Well...seeing the rust/corrosion...the garage this G5 was stored in certainly was damp/humid!

My first question would be (for the owner of the G5)...did this G5 work before it was stored in the garage? (I mean...RIGHT before)...obviously it worked at some point (years) before it was put in the garage...like when it was new!

?

Obviously if it didn't...then the corrosion wouldn't be a factor (or at least not the primary factor in it not working).

When you say that the computer is not working...do you mean NOTHING happens when you plug it in & push the power button (no hard drive spinning, no lights, no startup sound, no "ticking" sound from the power supply, etc.)?

If the owner claims that it was working prior to "garage storage"...then the first thing I would check is the "PRAM" battery. If it's dead...that could be a problem. They look like this:

- Nick

Zeke_D · Dec 4, 2011

Let me know when you download the PDF so I can delete it from my server.

nutz-man · Dec 5, 2011

pigoo3 said:
Yes...the photo helped a lot!

Well...seeing the rust/corrosion...the garage this G5 was stored in certainly was damp/humid!

My first question would be (for the owner of the G5)...did this G5 work before it was stored in the garage? (I mean...RIGHT before)...obviously it worked at some point (years) before it was put in the garage...like when it was new!?

Obviously if it didn't...then the corrosion wouldn't be a factor (or at least not the primary factor in it not working).

When you say that the computer is not working...do you mean NOTHING happens when you plug it in & push the power button (no hard drive spinning, no lights, no startup sound, no "ticking" sound from the power supply, etc.)?

If the owner claims that it was working prior to "garage storage"...then the first thing I would check is the "PRAM" battery. If it's dead...that could be a problem. They look like this:

- Nick

Hi Nick,

Im being told that it was working fine, it was put in the garage by his parents who didnt know any better.

It is totally dead, no life whatsoever. The mains lead has been tested and i know thats fine. Will a dead PRAM battery stop the unit from firing up?

Thanks

nutz-man · Dec 5, 2011

Zeke_D said:
Let me know when you download the PDF so I can delete it from my server.

Cheers Zeke_D all done, this is very useful.

Thanks.

Zeke_D · Dec 5, 2011

no prob!

harryb2448 · Dec 5, 2011

Looking at the corrosion, any chance the G5 was a 2.7Ghz DP or a 2.5GHz Quad Core? Both of these models are liquid cooled and leaks can cause that heavy type of corrosion.,

FatherTime · Dec 6, 2011

harryb2448 said:
Looking at the corrosion, any chance the G5 was a 2.7Ghz DP or a 2.5GHz Quad Core? Both of these models are liquid cooled and leaks can cause that heavy type of corrosion.,

I have repaired a lot of these I would like to see a picture of the full side with the panel off also remove the G5 cover.

nutz-man · Dec 8, 2011

harryb2448 said:
Looking at the corrosion, any chance the G5 was a 2.7Ghz DP or a 2.5GHz Quad Core? Both of these models are liquid cooled and leaks can cause that heavy type of corrosion.,

I wish it was but its just the 2.0ghz dual core version.

I have manage to test the front switch with another one prior to dismanting and no joy. I the spent the night reading Jeke_d's very handy manual which tells you how to test the PSU. I tried this and the voltmeters showing a big fat zero so it looks like its a PSU problem

pigoo3 · Dec 8, 2011

nutz-man said:
I tried this and the voltmeters showing a big fat zero so it looks like its a PSU problem

And replacement (or used) PSU's for this "puppy" are not cheap!

- Nick

nutz-man · Dec 8, 2011

Ive been offered a 2nd hand working one for £45 ($70). I have also seen capacitor repair kits going on ebay for £12 but that idea doesn't sit well with me.

FatherTime · Dec 8, 2011

pigoo3 said:
And replacement (or used) PSU's for this "puppy" are not cheap!

- Nick

Take the PSU apart some of them have an internal fuse.

pigoo3 · Dec 8, 2011

FatherTime said:
Take the PSU apart some of them have an internal fuse.

Always a possibility...and pretty awesome if that's all it would need!

- Nick

nutz-man · Dec 8, 2011

FatherTime said:
Take the PSU apart some of them have an internal fuse.

Cool thanks for that. Will start taking it apart and let you know how i get on.

Cheers!

Zeke_D · Dec 8, 2011

nutz-man said:
Ive been offered a 2nd hand working one for £45 ($70).

I would jump all over that. parts alone are worth £90. Plus you can use known good parts from the working one to test the dead one.

Removing front panel board and housing on G5

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