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Leaking PowerMac G5

B

brilli

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 19, 2009
1
0
Hi

I just got a used and broken PowerMac from a friend, its a mid 2004 model with watercooling thats sadly started to leak. I think the psu still work, but the mac dont start, just a red light and a black screen. Furthermore, i have tried too disassemble the cooling unit with no luck.

So the question are; can somebody link or upload the service manual for my PowerMac?

All answears are greatly appreciated.
Best regards Brilli
 
Put it back together.

Go read the stories of the leaks on www.xlr8yourmac.com

Attempt to bring it into Apple and have them either fix or replace your leaky G5 with a new Mac Pro.

I've been looking for people selling these for cheap or free, as that's what I'd try to do. Even if it's not in warranty anymore, Apple is still fixing and replacing some machines. It all depends on how nice they want to be.
 
This eventually happens to every liquid-cooled G5, so it's not worth repairing. Read all the reports on xlr8yourmac. Apple is having a tough time sourcing repair parts, and is instead giving up and replacing some with new Mac Pros.
 
I always thought the liquid-cooled consumer computer was a bad idea. I was surprised Apple made them. I was even more surprised anyone bought one.
 
sigmadog said:
I always thought the liquid-cooled consumer computer was a bad idea. I was surprised Apple made them. I was even more surprised anyone bought one.
Click to expand...

it was a desperate time, with the G5 chip standing still with clock speeds. I think the liquid cooling idea was the only way to get a modest speed bump out of the chip.
 
aibo said:
This eventually happens to every liquid-cooled G5, so it's not worth repairing. Read all the reports on xlr8yourmac. Apple is having a tough time sourcing repair parts, and is instead giving up and replacing some with new Mac Pros.
Click to expand...

Yep. I got a new Mac Pro after my G5 died...3 months after my Apple Care expired too. It didn't leak or anything, but the logic board died 3 times and they couldn't find parts.
 
Okay, the store quoted me about $2500 for the repair, so I started going through the regular channels to get an exception. The manager of the store said to call Apple Care, the guy forwarded me to a product expert guy, and he's sending the problem to the "engineers." I'm not sure what they had to do about customer relations and business stuff, but apparently they have the final say.

Most people on http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/G5_coolant_leaks.html
have had good luck, so I hope I can get it repaired or replaced.
 
brilli said:
Hi

I just got a used and broken PowerMac from a friend, its a mid 2004 model with watercooling thats sadly started to leak. I think the psu still work, but the mac dont start, just a red light and a black screen. Furthermore, i have tried too disassemble the cooling unit with no luck.

So the question are; can somebody link or upload the service manual for my PowerMac?

All answears are greatly appreciated.
Best regards Brilli
Click to expand...

voyagerd said:
Okay, the store quoted me about $2500 for the repair, so I started going through the regular channels to get an exception. The manager of the store said to call Apple Care, the guy forwarded me to a product expert guy, and he's sending the problem to the "engineers." I'm not sure what they had to do about customer relations and business stuff, but apparently they have the final say.

Most people on http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/G5_coolant_leaks.html
have had good luck, so I hope I can get it repaired or replaced.
Click to expand...

The both of you are most likely SOL unless it was just coming off of warranty.
 
Hmmm. A neighbor has a G5 sitting in his basement. He found it in a foreclosure that he purchased. (You wouldn't believe all the stuff these folks left when they abandoned the house.)

What should I tell him to look for - which model, which year etc.?
 
ski2moro said:
Hmmm. A neighbor has a G5 sitting in his basement. He found it in a foreclosure that he purchased. (You wouldn't believe all the stuff these folks left when they abandoned the house.)

What should I tell him to look for - which model, which year etc.?
Click to expand...

If it leaked, there would most likely be evidence of it on the bottom of the computer under the heatsinks when you open it up. The one I found was a June 2004 mode. The Dual 2.5GHz model is the one with the liquid cooling. The Early 2005 2.7GHz and the Late 2005 Quad 2.5 also have the LCS.
 
My neighbor's is a g5 dual processor powermac, with 2 water-cooled PPC processors. The case is in very good condition. He thinks the logic board is bad. I could not see any corrosion or obvious water leakage.

Without obvious water damage, how can I tell if that is the cause?

What else do I need to look for?

If Apple will repair or replace this due to a problem, I will pursue it further.

Help me out here.
 
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