Please help: MBP late 2008 15" - not turning on

[MarvinHC]

Hello,

I hope I can get some ideas for troubleshooting:

I have a late 2008 15" Pro that does not turn on. No reaction at all to the power button. The battery indicator lights work. When plugging in the magsafe the light stays green although the battery is not full (it is not charging), and when pushing the battery indicator button while it is plugged in the leds go on left to right and back again etc.
I have already tried a SMC reset but without result.

Any ideas?

(I know nothing about the history of this Mac, I have been told that it had power issues in the past (turning off by itself etc) and all of a sudden it refused to start altogether. I bought it for next to nothing for spares but I want to give it a last try before giving up on it. Next step is of course opening it up and check for any obvious (water?) damage, but maybe some upfront hints can point me into the right direction)

 

[MarvinHC]

No ideas at all?

I have had a first look inside and there are no signs of water damage on the bottom of the logic board. Took out the RAM modules and put them back in again, again no change. Only thing I have noticed is plenty of dust inside like it has never been opened.

No progress so far, I have ordered some spudgers to be able to disconnect all cables gently and take it from there...

Google search and reading on the forum has not given me any insights yet what to look for.

 

[Charadis]

No ideas at all?

I have had a first look inside and there are no signs of water damage on the bottom of the logic board. Took out the RAM modules and put them back in again, again no change. Only thing I have noticed is plenty of dust inside like it has never been opened.

No progress so far, I have ordered some spudgers to be able to disconnect all cables gently and take it from there...

Google search and reading on the forum has not given me any insights yet what to look for.

Just taking a guess, but could the battery be the problem? I understand that iPhones cannot work without a battery installed; maybe your computer's battery can no longer hold a charge? Sent from my MacBook Air.

 

[MarvinHC]

Just taking a guess, but could the battery be the problem? I understand that iPhones cannot work without a battery installed; maybe your computer's battery can no longer hold a charge? Sent from my MacBook Air.

Thanks Charadis, interesting idea. I doubt it as the battery lights still indicated that there is some juice in but definitely worth a try since I have a suitable spare battery lying around. Will try later when I am at home.

 

[MarvinHC]

Ok, different battery does not make a difference. Macbook is still playing dead