MacBook Air Mid 2011 13" No Power Problem

[jasongoldworthy]

hi guys I have the above mentioned MacBook Air and since the battery died it will no longer charge or turn on,

I get no power light on the mag safe connector or anything,

I have removed the bottom and taken the logic board out and have discovered some corrosion despite it never getting wet ??

any ideas if this can be saved ?

or should I just replace it ?

picture will be attached of the only area with corrosion on it.

many thanks for any help

Jason

 

[chscag]

Any spills on the machine? Also did you attempt to change out the battery?

And since Apple lists your machine as vintage that means they won't even look at it. You might want to think about saving your £££ to buy a new or newer machine.

 

[Rod]

I think what you have done is conducted a post mortem. Let's face it, it's had a long and productive life, time to let it go.
Seriously I would consider buying a new device rather than spending money on that one. If that's what you decide might I suggest the 2015 13" MBPr 8Gb RAM 500Gb which I have. It was the last model to keep the original input/output ports for USB, HDMI, Thunderbolt and SD Card Reader as well as the MagSafe power connection. I also have to say I prefer the action of this keyboard too compared to my wife's 2018 MBP.
At about US $1,300.00 brand new it would still be my choice. Of course you may well be able to pick up a refurbished one at less than that.

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi chscag no spills at all,

and its running the original battery,

and yeah I think it may be time to let her go to the scrap pile.

 

[Rod]

That's a pretty good life span for a battery.

 

[jasongoldworthy]

thanks Rod the only sad part is I can't work out how it got corrosion in there ?

as I said all water indicators are white still and not tripped red :-/

I've got the service manual for it but can't for the life of me work out if damage is just at the point in the photo or elsewhere (although the rest of the logic board looks mint)

I do know she is old now but she still runs 10.13 quite well when she works plus makes life easier carrying her around rather than a 2012 MacBook Pro.

 

[ferrarr]

Sometimes moisture happens. Going from a cold area to a warmer area will make moisture, or even using the laptop in a cool area?

 

[jasongoldworthy]

now see that I can understand, but why effect just one component and no others ?

I have been over the whole board with a magnifying glass and bright lamp and there is no other issues there,

the service manual says its the following SMC Crystal Circuit (which probably explains why its dead)
now I have the tools to remove the part and replace it, anyone know if you could even find a replacement part for it ?

as the numbers on the top can't be read.


I know the board is as good as dead but hey if I can make it work again then that's a good thing saves scrapping her as she is mint (condition wise)

 

[chscag]

I know the board is as good as dead but hey if I can make it work again then that's a good thing saves scrapping her as she is mint (condition wise)

You might want to check eBay to see if you can pick up a replacement logic board at a fair price. I know that sometimes purchases like that from eBay can be iffy but if the price is right, you might want to give it a try rather than just throw the machine away.

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi chscag


thanks for the reply I have found a same year MacBook Air logic board the only difference is the replacement one for cheap has an i7 board number is the same and same ram,

so I'm wondering if it would work ?

so let me explain this again so it sounds right,


its a 2011 MacBook Air 13inch i5 4gb ram original,

its a 2011 MacBook Air 13inch i7 4gb ram (replacement),

 

[jasongoldworthy]

further updates

I have cleaned the area on the board with isopropyl alcohol, and this is how it looks now

I can confirm all traces are still connected, this I have checked with continuity mode.

 

[chscag]

its a 2011 MacBook Air 13inch i5 4gb ram original,

its a 2011 MacBook Air 13inch i7 4gb ram (replacement),

It should work. There really is no difference in the machines other than the logic board which contains everything. Display assembly and keyboard are the same. You can check with ifixit to make sure.

 

[pm-r]

I have removed the bottom and taken the logic board out and have discovered some corrosion despite it never getting wet ??

Man, I'm going to have to take my new expensive digital glasses back and get them replaced with something better, 'cause I sure can't see any corrosion in that image you posted, even after expanding it several times.

But I guess you're correct as it doesn't work.

- Patrick
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[jasongoldworthy]

thanks chscag I appreciate that I have looked on I-fixit and they are the same otherwise so should be fine.

- - - Updated - - -

hi pm-r


do you want me to show you a close up of the part I'm on about as the 2nd photo I cleaned up with isopropyl alcohol I can see under the SMC crystal still some corrosion but I dunno if I have the skills to remove it and clean it up and try and replace it although I do have an hot air station ?


thanks

 

[pm-r]

do you want me to show you a close up of the part I'm on about as the 2nd photo I cleaned up with isopropyl alcohol

No, that's OK, thanks anyway.

but I dunno if I have the skills to remove it and clean it up and try and replace it although I do have an hot air station ?

Well, if it's already kaput, you can't do much more damage.


- Patrick
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