2009 Macbook Pro, dim green light problem. Bad battery?

[Qusus]

Hey guys, I have an old 2009 Macbook Pro that's running great except for one issue.

It's still running on the original battery and at some point, after I let it run all the way down one time, I started getting the "dim green light" charging issue.

That is to say, sometimes when I plug in the MagSafe adapter to charge, it will show a faint green light instead of a bright green or yellow light (even when the battery isn't full).

I've tried all the memory/SMC reset stuff. I've always tried other MagSafe adapters and all have had the same problem.

The issue isn't constant, if I plug in the MagSafe adapter in a specific way it will charge, but if I move/shift the laptop slightly it will go back to a dim green light.

After researching the issue I read that this could be due to a faulty DC board inside the laptop. Very difficult to replace.

However, I'm wondering, is it possible that I could fix this problem by simply replacing the very very old battery? I suspect the answer is no, simply because the dim green light can be fixed by adjusting the MagSafe adapter slightly.

Has anyone ever fixed their "dim green light" issue by simply replacing the battery? If so I'm gonna try that, otherwise I don't want to buy a battery for such an old computer.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Sanpete]

One simple thing you didn't mention but probably already tried: Did you clean the port? It sounds like a poor connection.

 

[Qusus]

One simple thing you didn't mention but probably already tried: Did you clean the port? It sounds like a poor connection.

Thanks for your reply. Yeah I did clean the port with some rubbing alchohol. Seemed to help a little bit (or it's just my imagination) but didn't totally fix the issue to where it always gave me a solid light 100% of the time.

 

[Sanpete]

If it did help some, you may have buildup that requires a little more vigorous cleaning. I've seen photos of a sort of plaque buildup. Some favor a toothbrush with some kind of cleaner, don't recall which. Others have used a harder tool to chip away at the buildup--I'd be pretty cautious about that. (And you may as well clean the inside of the MagSafe connector too.) If cleaning will work, might save you some money and trouble.