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vickxxx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
4
1
Hawaii
I've had this Mac Pro 5 since 2011. It's a 2.8Ghz,8GB Ram,RadeonATI, 2 SATA 1TB hard drives, all stock from the factory. I moved 8 months ago from Los Angeles to Hawaii (drier to more humid climate) and the Mac continued to work as it had before the move. Been a great machine til I went to start it up last week and nothing happened, no lights flashing (other than the red light coming on then off on the board when plugging in the power source),fans don't come on. I've checked and swapped the power source, cable, changed the PRAM battery, reset the PRAM button, and have even changed out the PSU with a brand new one with the same result--no start up. There are no Mac repair facilities on this island so I would have to ship this unit out to another island for repairs. But before I do this, am I missing something? Has anybody run into this situation? Any help on this is very much appreciated!
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,090
1,564
I have a similar issue. Could be the backplane board. On my 5,1, when I hit power it usually makes a clicking noise but does not turn on (lights do not turn on). Then if I unplug the power cable and plug it back in, and then hold the power button with some force, the lights turn on and the machine turns on okay. I posted this question before and I was told the backplane board might need replacing. I brought my machine to the Apple store more than once and the first thing the guy was going to replace was the backplane board. He ended up not replacing it because we were able to start the machine (albeit not completely without a hitch). Hope that helps.
 

vickxxx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
4
1
Hawaii
I have a similar issue. Could be the backplane board. On my 5,1, when I hit power it usually makes a clicking noise but does not turn on (lights do not turn on). Then if I unplug the power cable and plug it back in, and then hold the power button with some force, the lights turn on and the machine turns on okay. I posted this question before and I was told the backplane board might need replacing. I brought my machine to the Apple store more than once and the first thing the guy was going to replace was the backplane board. He ended up not replacing it because we were able to start the machine (albeit not completely without a hitch). Hope that helps.
Thanx for the tip Z. Ive gone this far already. I'll replace new front panel while everything is apart along with a brand new back panel. It'll be the closest to brand new when done.
 

mw314636

macrumors newbie
Jan 11, 2016
2
0
Does this look like the issue either one of you had? I had to push and hold the power button till I heard a click and then it would power on the next try.
 

TonyK

macrumors 65816
May 24, 2009
1,032
148
As I noted on a different thread for the 4,1, my wife's 2009 would not start. Pushing the power button resulted in a single click noise. Now earlier on unplugging/replugging the power cored would allow it to start but just after Christmas that failed.

When the unit started it ran just fine. It firmly appeared to be a PSU issue. SimplyMac in Chattanooga replaced the PSU with a new Apple PSU, ran full diagnostics and found no issue with any other components. It has been back nearly a week though we don't power down often. It did start on the first push after returning home so am hopeful we are past the issue.
 

vickxxx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
4
1
Hawaii
I just received a new back plane today and installed it into my Mac. Fired right up and i'm up and running. The other back plane lasted 5 years. Hope this one will do the same air better:) I will get back to everyone should things change in the next few days.
[doublepost=1452585245][/doublepost]
Does this look like the issue either one of you had? I had to push and hold the power button till I heard a click and then it would power on the next try.
No. Absolutely nothing happened when the power button was pressed on my Mac. No clicks, blinking lights
, nothing. New PSU did not solve the problem. New back plane did solve the problem.
[doublepost=1452585546][/doublepost]
As I noted on a different thread for the 4,1, my wife's 2009 would not start. Pushing the power button resulted in a single click noise. Now earlier on unplugging/replugging the power cored would allow it to start but just after Christmas that failed.

When the unit started it ran just fine. It firmly appeared to be a PSU issue. SimplyMac in Chattanooga replaced the PSU with a new Apple PSU, ran full diagnostics and found no issue with any other components. It has been back nearly a week though we don't power down often. It did start on the first push after returning home so am hopeful we are past the issue.
The first thing I replaced was the PSU and unfortunately that did not fix the problem. Replacing the back plane (which I was hoping to avoid by replacing the PSU) solved my problem.
[doublepost=1452585675][/doublepost]
I have a similar issue. Could be the backplane board. On my 5,1, when I hit power it usually makes a clicking noise but does not turn on (lights do not turn on). Then if I unplug the power cable and plug it back in, and then hold the power button with some force, the lights turn on and the machine turns on okay. I posted this question before and I was told the backplane board might need replacing. I brought my machine to the Apple store more than once and the first thing the guy was going to replace was the backplane board. He ended up not replacing it because we were able to start the machine (albeit not completely without a hitch). Hope that helps.
New Back plane took care of my problem. Again, thanx for the tip on this!
 
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TonyK

macrumors 65816
May 24, 2009
1,032
148
That is the problem, diagnosing issues. Sometimes it takes replacing parts or having a test system to swap parts in and out of to determine the resolution.

Glad your new back plane solved the problem. Can I ask how much it set you back, the new back plane?
 

vickxxx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
4
1
Hawaii
Thanx. Diagnosing under the threat of spending money and "is it worth it" is always a challenge :). $498+shipping,new, on Ebay, 90 day warranty. There is a vendor out there that offers 2-3 year extended warranty on their boards but $$700 was pushing my limit.
[doublepost=1452708847][/doublepost]
That is the problem, diagnosing issues. Sometimes it takes replacing parts or having a test system to swap parts in and out of to determine the resolution.

Glad your new back plane solved the problem. Can I ask how much it set you back, the new back plane?
#8
Thanx. Diagnosing under the threat of spending money and "is it worth it" is always a challenge :). $498+shipping,new, on Ebay, 90 day warranty. There is a vendor out there that offers 2-3 year extended warranty on their boards but $$700 was pushing my limit.
 
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