Confirming My Battery Has Swollen

chrison600 · May 9, 2022

Hi all,

I've already asked this in Apple Communities, but wanted to confirm here. It appears the batteries in my 2017 MBP 15 might be swelling. If I take a straight edge and place it left to right across the keyboard area, just where the touchpad and keyboard meet, the straight edge can be rocked back and forth. It appears that the ramp angle is identical left and right as the surface of the MacBook falls away from the underside of the straight edge. Is that surface supposed to be perfectly flat or is there a bit of contour from the middle to the edges?

IWT · May 9, 2022

One of our celebrated members, Jake, posts about this frequently. What you did with the ruler, or whatever you used, should be be straight and even, without rocking.

This would appear to confirm what others have said in Apple Communities.

What are the "symptoms" which first aroused such a suspicion? That would be worth knowing.

Ian

chrison600 · May 9, 2022

I use this Mac in closed clamshell mode with two external displays (CalDigit TS3+). It sits on the left side of my desk in a vertical base clamp. When I came back from some errands today, I noticed there was a gap between the upper and lower enclosures. I've been through many MBP models, all being put to pasture following battery swelling issues. I immediately suspected that here. Hence the opening of the case and use of the straight edge. It's not as bad as I've seen, but there is a definite rise in the middle of the chassis, especially if that lower half of the chassis is supposed to be laser flat.

IWT · May 9, 2022

I'd say that was pretty certain to be a swollen battery - which can be dangerous, so please be careful.

Ian

pm-r · May 9, 2022

chrison600 said:
It appears the batteries in my 2017 MBP 15 might be swelling...

Have a look here and compare the images:

2017 MBP 15 swelling image - Google Search

www.google.com

Have you used any battery utilities to check the condition of the Battery???

- Patrick
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chrison600 · May 9, 2022

Now I need some help deciding what to get as a replacement. I've been planning on getting a M1 Pro 14, 32GB, 2TB. I read today that it's better to keep the clamshell open to radiate heat, but will the M1 Pro support its own monitor as well as a 49 curve and a 27 flat? This 2017 model will support the 49 and 27, but only if closed.

Edit: 14" model.

MacInWin · May 10, 2022

IWT said:
One of our celebrated members, Jake, posts about this frequently. What you did with the ruler, or whatever you used, should be be straight and even, without rocking.

This would appear to confirm what others have said in Apple Communities.

What are the "symptoms" which first aroused such a suspicion? That would be worth knowing.

Ian

Heh, "celebrated." Thanks, Ian.

And @chrison600, the case should be flat, no rocking for the straightedge. You could just replace the battery, or get a Mac repair shop to do it for you.

pm-r · May 10, 2022

chrison600 said:
Now I need some help deciding what to get as a replacement. I've been planning on getting a M1 Pro 14, 32GB, 2TB.

Wow. That must be a nice option, most Mac users I know replace the battery on their laptop when needed rather than purchase a brand new model, but a nice option if one can do it I guess.

- Patrick
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chrison600 · May 10, 2022

I've been contemplating a replacement for months in the interest of trying to clear up some issues with erratic window placement when waking the system - thinking a new M1 based system would clear that up.

This battery issue is just another motivation.

pm-r · May 10, 2022

chrison600 said:
This battery issue is just another motivation.

It's okay Chris, I was just jacking you along and pulling your leg.

I hope you enjoy the new Mac and it works well for you when you get it.

Don't forget to check out Apple's Refurbished units which can save you a fair number of dollars.

- Patrick
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MacInWin · May 10, 2022

chrison600 said:
I've been contemplating a replacement for months in the interest of trying to clear up some issues with erratic window placement when waking the system - thinking a new M1 based system would clear that up.

This battery issue is just another motivation.

What was the window placement issue? Bear in mind that the OS version has more to do with that than the hardware. Just don't want you to be disappointed.

pm-r · May 10, 2022

chrison600 said:
This battery issue is just another motivation.

MacInWin said:
Bear in mind that the OS version has more to do with that than the hardware. Just don't want you to be disappointed.

The motivation in this case seems to be what is called an excuse or rationalization I believe...

- Patrick
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chrison600 · May 10, 2022

MacInWin said:
What was the window placement issue? Bear in mind that the OS version has more to do with that than the hardware. Just don't want you to be disappointed.

When I wake the system up it sometimes will reverse the window tile placement. What was arranged on the 49 is on the 27 and vice versa. I have to drag everything back into order and just hope that it doesn't happen again too soon. I've found that it tends to be Excel that moves around, but that's probably because I generally only use Excel on the 27.

MacInWin · May 11, 2022

chrison600 said:
When I wake the system up it sometimes will reverse the window tile placement. What was arranged on the 49 is on the 27 and vice versa. I have to drag everything back into order and just hope that it doesn't happen again too soon. I've found that it tends to be Excel that moves around, but that's probably because I generally only use Excel on the 27.

That won't be different on a new machine. I struggle with that on my M1 MBP with Monterey 12.3.1. Some apps just don't "play nicely" and Microsoft Office is a particularly stubborn set in that regard. What I would end up doing in your case would be to open Excel, move it where I want it and then use the yellow button to minimize it to the Dock. Then, the next time I want it open, I click on it on the Dock and most of the time it opens where it was. If I let it close or quit Excel, it opens the next time wherever it wants to.

chrison600 · May 13, 2022

Welp. Looks like the delivery schedule on a new MBP is July, so I'll be needing to swap these batteries out. What are the better sources for batteries? I'm decent with laptop tech work, so can probably do this myself. I'll watch a few videos for help.

MacInWin · May 13, 2022

You might want to look at the ifixit.com video on that battery. It's likely glued in, so getting it out is going to be a bear. Do you have a reputable repair shop nearby? You can look for batteries from OWC (www.macsales.com) if you are in the US.

chrison600 · May 17, 2022

I replaced the battery and now kernel_task is running at ~500%. I've warm booted, cold booted, reset SMC, reset NVRAM. Battery status shows "Normal" in system report.

I'm very meticulous about repairs like this. Could this battery be faulty? I sourced it from DV Warehouse in LA. They claimed it was an Apple battery as in it is made by the same company. I suspect maybe a foul here.

MacInWin · May 17, 2022

Battery status and kernel_task are not related. It's very unlikely to be the battery causing kernel_task to be so busy.

What happens if you let kernel_task run for a while? Does it go down, ever? Have you tried Safe Boot to block any third party software that might trigger kernel_task?

chrison600 · May 17, 2022

The seller of the battery had me run Apple diagnostics and there were SMC and Power Management errors. He had me remove the back cover, disconnect the battery ribbon cable and main +/- terminal, then hold the power button for one minute. This was supposed to deenergize the logic board. I did so. No change. Still running at ~500%.

Should I maybe let it run until the battery charges to 100%?

chrison600 · May 17, 2022

I now have the original battery reinstalled and the system still wants to run at 500%. I don't think I broke anything in the installation, but maybe there's a startup procedure error I need to follow?