MacBook Air Booting Issues

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I have a Mid 2013 MBA that has recently started giving me some issues. Under normal use, it does not respond at all to the power button. The only way I can get it to start, is by opening the back and disconnecting the battery, then pressing power. It will then start, but the fan runs at full speed the whole time, and if I press the power button while it's running, it turns off (dead) instantly. If I do a software reset, it'll restart, if I do a software shut down, I have to do the battery pull to start it again. If I run it without the battery connected, it'll do the same thing, except I have to remove and replace the MagSafe connector in order to restart. I've tried multiple SMC resets, as well as NVRAM/PRAM resets. No change. I've also completely wiped the SSD and did an internet OS reinstall. It exhibits the same behavior with the WiFi and SSD disconnected. I ran diagnostics (D at startup), and got the following errors:

There may be an issue with the System Management Controller (SMC) PFM006

and

There may be an issue with the power management system PPN001

So based on the symptoms, paired with the diagnostic codes, it sounds for sure like an SMC issue, hence, a MLB issue. I couldn't figure it out, and didn't want to just blow $600+ on a MLB without knowing for sure, so I went to the Apple Store, who didn't impress me too much. They told me it could be the battery, the MLB, of the IO board (USB/Audo/MagSafe). But he kept calling the IO board the SMC board, which doesn't make sense to me as I was certain the SMC was on the MLB. So they just want to shotgun parts at it, which I'm trying to avoid. With that said, I replaced the I/O board just because it was relatively cheap, and nothing changed. Can anybody give me some insight on this, I've done everything I can think of. I'm prepared to spend the money to fix it, but I want to be sure before I start randomly replacing parts.
 

chscag

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Welcome to our forums.

Since you have already replaced the I/O board, that leaves the MagSafe Adapter Charger, the Battery or the Logic Board as possible culprits. Replacing the battery can be expensive since it's the non user replaceable type and should be done by Apple. And if the battery turns out to not be the problem, that leaves the Logic Board.

You may not know this but Apple has a flat rate depot charge that they can apply in order to repair your MacBook Pro. It's usually less costly to let them do the work that way, however, it may mean that you will be without your machine for a week or more. You might want to go back to the Apple Store and speak with them again.
 
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No offence but I'm done with the Apple store. They had no solid reasoning for their troubleshooting, and their information was flawed (i.e calling the IO board the "SMC Board" and insisting the controller was part of it). There was also no flat rate fee, he gave me three part prices, plus a labor fee for each, and basically said they would start with the least expensive and work their way up. He made it very clear though that even if it didn't resolve the issue, I would still have to pay the fee. This to me is ridiculous, I can do that myself. Also, changing the battery is no big deal, it's 8 screws and a connector, but again, I don't to just throw parts at it with no rhyme or reason behind it. I don't think it's the charger, as it does basically the same thing with or without it connected. That leaves the logic board but I've read posts online of people with the same issue that have replaced the MLB, and not resolved the problem. That's a $600 pot-shot. What about temperature sensors? Does anybody know where they are located? I read something about that being an issue also....
 
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Just for anybody who may be experiencing the same issue, I got it resolved. I had buddy who's MBA was having keyboard/trackpad issues, and seeing as mine was already partially apart, we took the trackpad out of mine to determine if it was the keyboard or trackpad (it was the trackpad). I put my trackpad back into my own laptop, and wouldn't you know it, everything back to normal. I have no explanation as to why this would affect it, and whenever I try and ask others for their opinion I just get referred to the Apple store. But anyway, if anybody out there is having the same problem, it's worth a try. Thanks.
 
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When it would start (after the battery/MagSafe juggling described above) it would start normally with the chime. Once started though it would run the fan up to full speed, and also shut off instantly if the power button was pressed (instead of giving the shut down option windows it should give).
 

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