Need Help Understanding PowerBook G4 Random Sleep

Hey MacRumors! I'm reaching out to see if anyone can help me make sense of a problem I'm having. I have been searching these forums and Google for many, many, many hours and can't nail down what exactly is going on. In full disclosure here, I'm a novice and I'm not technical at all.

My PowerBook G4 (1.67 GHz, 2GB RAM Crucial, Rev. C? Pre-Glossy Screen) has begun to show signs of age. It just starts randomly sleeping. Sometimes it gets to the point where it won't wake up at all. I'll take you guys through the problem and hopefully you can point me to the direction of something I've missed.

After using these forums and Google I started to see many users describing the same problems I have. Even the support document above. Full disclosure again, without pictures I'm kind of lost about what an Upper Case or a Temp Sensor are. Here are the steps I did. Please keep in mind, it keeps sleeping throughout this process.

Set System Preferences to never sleep.
Trashed PowerManagment.plist.
Reset PMU, NVRAM, Safe Boot.
Apple Hardware Test.
First Time. Error Message: 2STH/1/2: Cpu Bottomside
Switched Upper and Lower 1GB Ram Chips
Apple Hardware Test, Again.
Second Time. Error Message: 2CPU/10/9: CPU0
Installed Factory RAM from Apple 512 MB.
Apple Hardware Test, Again.
Passed.
Restart. Sleep Again.
Console: Error Messages Galore.
"Power Management received emergency overtemp signal. Going to sleep."
That message repeated a lot of times.
Read the forums and internet about PowerBook narcolepsy, sleep crashes, cutting out Temp Sensors, going into Terminal and turning off sensors and about N.A.P.
Read faulty Temp Sensors are the #1 cause. Specifically in the track pad.
Download, "Temperature Monitor"

This is where I'm stuck.

There should be a reading for "trackpad" in Temperature Monitor, but there isn't! I only Have listed Battery, Power Supply Bottomside, Processor Bottomside and Processor/Controller Bottomside. Nothing for the track pad and nothing for the Hard Drive. The readings aren't that crazy (I haven't gotten over 162F or seen some of the ones described like spiking to 200 degrees) but I still keep getting sleep crashes. Even when the temp is low, around 100F.

As I said, I'm pretty much a novice at repair (I know how to install RAM. Easy, I know.) and don't know anything about system code. I'm just hoping someone with a good deal of knowledge could walk me through a potential fix.

Thanks everyone for your time and I hope to hear from someone soon!

 

Wow, such quick replies. You guys rock!

I had the logic board replaced in February of 2008 during that extension. The lower RAM slot died and was covered under that program. Unfortunately, that program ended in July of '08 and Apple will not cover any more repairs. I hope it isn't that again because I was told that this repair would've cost $900 if they didn't extend the warranty.

I did look at that document and I don't know what the Upper Case is or what the sensor is and how to unplug the sensor. If this is something I attempt, how would I do that and what should I look for?

Thanks again everyone! Keep those replies coming!

 

Great news everyone my PowerBook G4 is up and running for the last few hours! Knock on wood!

After hours and hours and hours of searching, the answer was to remove the Trackpad Temperature Sensor! For a novice like me figuring out where sensor lies in the computer was very difficult to figure out. The following links were absolutely crucial to my success. A friend took out the sensor with a soldering iron. I hope these links will help any one else in the future that has absolutely no idea how to correct this problem.

http://knit1spin1.com/2007/11/14/narcoleptic-powerbook-cured/

http://web.mac.com/rickcameron/iWeb/Electric Lamb/N.A.P./N.A.P..html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mollyf/sets/72157603976242622/with/2288888245/

Thanks everyone for all your support!

 

You're welcome! I'm so glad this worked for you. The PowerBook G4 is a great machine. Enjoy it!