Powermac g5 2004 PPC Dual 2.5

[aidynphoenix]

hello i just received this Computer with intentions of trying out a MAC computer for the first time. i was told by the person i bought it from that it posts but has no operating system and hangs at a flashing folder.. i figured that would be a easy fix.

well i bring it home and it doesn't display any video at all..
it chimes, and the light is steady on the front..
but that is the extent of it's functions.
after a few minutes i notice the fans slowly start increasing their speed.

well i tried different ram. tried re-seating the graphics card. tried resetting the PNU
i also tasted the battery to see if it was holding a charge and it didn't taste like it.. so i put it in my 3.7v lithium battery charger for several minutes.. after that it did test at 3.6v.

frustrated i unplugged everything and looked around closer..
i noticed that at the very top between the motherboard and cd rom there was some corrosion on the inside of the case..
i assumed maybe there was some on the bottom of the motherboard also and proceeded to disassemble everything.

i got the cpu removed and noticed a whole bunch more at the bottom of the board and on top of the power supply..

is this the point of no return or is it possible to clean away the corrosion?
did the liquid cooling solution leak out?
is it possible to replenish it?

 

[MacCubed]

That corrosion isn't going away sadly... If the liquid didn't mess up the logic board, you could get a new LCS+Processor system off of eBay, and replace the unit. I definitely would take the PSU out and inspect for further damage, as usually when a leak like this occurs, it gets inside the PSU as well. However, these parts may be more expensive to purchase than the G5 is worth. There are a bunch of people here who have had experience with the liquid-cooled G5s, me included, and we all warn against getting models except for the G5 Quad. The DP 2.5GHz and the DP 2.7GHz were more prone to failure, but the 2.5 was definitely the worst.

I would take a look on eBay, or even on your local CL for another G5, preferably and air cooled model. I got a DP 2.0GHz a few years back off eBay, for really cheap. Sadly I don't have a use for it anymore, so I want to sell it to someone who will have a use for it.

 

[x56h34]

I'm just curious to know what sets the g5 quad apart regarding the lcs quality? I have one and am afraid that one day the lcs may leak. Thanks.

 

[MacCubed]

I'm just curious to know what sets the g5 quad apart regarding the lcs quality? I have one and am afraid that one day the lcs may leak. Thanks.

From what I can tell, the manufacturers of the LCSes in the G5 Quads improved the reliability sixfold with the newest revisions. After multiple failures of the 2.5GHz and the 2.7GHz Liquid Cooling Systems, Apple must have issued a quality report or something of that nature to Delphi and Panasonic.

The G5 Quad LCSes had 2 models, the Single and the Dual pump. The single pump shipped the the earlier Quads, while the Dual pump shipped with the later ones. From what I have read and other members' experiences with Quad LCSes, the single pump versions are the more reliable of the 2.

However, at this point in time, all of the PMG5 LCSes are prone to failure due to their age. I know for a fact, that with age the systems become weaker. My Quad G5, which is a prototype, has a noisy/weak system. Again, there are a few people with this problem here. Some with Dual Pump systems have one pump go weak, and the other stay strong. Honestly, the whole G5 LCS thing is a total mess today, but the Quad is definitely the most reliable.

 

[x56h34]

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

 

[MacCubed]

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

No problem! There's probably a lot more people here who could go into more depth!

 

[Bubalight]

I think the most important change made between the PCI-X LCS and the later Quad is that on the quad, the heat exchanger was gold plated instead of being nickle plated copper. The nickle really liked corroding. I think they used a slightly too small or compressible gasket on the earlier ones too.

If you were to decide to try and rebuild, just get a set of the air cooled heat sinks from a DP2.0 or DP1.8 and do without the LCS, it is the only way one of these systems will ever be reliable. But what you have sounds too far gone. The motherboard is probably toast, the CPUs themselves are almost certainly shot and the power supply is definitely not reliable, and probably unsafe.

 

[aidynphoenix]

ok well i used some battery terminal corrosion cleaner. followed by some steel wool and WD40 and it looks better. its not fixed by any means but i am about to crack open the PSU and see how it looks in there.. i am surprised that the back side of the motherboard looks untouched.. a few thoughts.. perhaps the person whom sold it to me did actually have it display video. or perhaps the vibration from driving caused a bad connection somewhere. i have not taken apart the cpu heat sink from the processor board (insert proper term) ??? to see if leakage happened there. i did inspect the heatpipes and rubber fittings and i cant tell where the leak came from yet.

 

[aidynphoenix]

ok so i dissasembled the processors from the water cooling block. and after removing thermal paste i can see that one of the cpu dies is cracked. it must of overheated at one point. i suppose it might be worth trying to find another one to see if it works. are both these processors identical or is one of them a primary and the other secondary?
[doublepost=1473233362][/doublepost]well i just decided i am going to convert this case to ATX.

 

[ITguy2016]

ok well i used some battery terminal corrosion cleaner. followed by some steel wool and WD40 and it looks better. its not fixed by any means but i am about to crack open the PSU and see how it looks in there.. i am surprised that the back side of the motherboard looks untouched.. a few thoughts.. perhaps the person whom sold it to me did actually have it display video. or perhaps the vibration from driving caused a bad connection somewhere. i have not taken apart the cpu heat sink from the processor board (insert proper term) ??? to see if leakage happened there. i did inspect the heatpipes and rubber fittings and i cant tell where the leak came from yet.

The failure is due to the leaking LCS and not some vibration from driving. If the seller represented the system as functional then they misrepresented it. Unless they qualified it with something to the effect of "It was functional when I put it in storage two years ago".

 

[MacCubed]

I wouldn't scrap it just yet! If the Logic Board is fine, a set of 2.0GHz processors for these with heatsinks is very cheap($25)! The PSU most likely needs to be replaced, however these shouldn't run too expensive ($37)!

Processors: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Power...215631?hash=item3ac9d3f9cf:g:0I8AAOSw6n5Xqg-w

PSU: http://www.ebay.com/itm/614-0225-Ap...275422?hash=item41b24d28de:g:2YcAAOSwhRxXJ7mc


Not my auctions!!

 

[ITguy2016]

I wouldn't scrap it just yet! If the Logic Board is fine, a set of 2.0GHz processors for these with heatsinks is very cheap($25)! The PSU most likely needs to be replaced, however these shouldn't run too expensive ($37)!

Processors: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Power...215631?hash=item3ac9d3f9cf:g:0I8AAOSw6n5Xqg-w

PSU: http://www.ebay.com/itm/614-0225-Ap...275422?hash=item41b24d28de:g:2YcAAOSwhRxXJ7mc


Not my auctions!!

If that's the case I've got a pair of 2.0GHz processors the OP can have. System Identifiers: Mid-2004 - M9455LL/A - PowerMac7,3 - A1047 - 1969C

 

[gavinstubbs09]

You *can* just buy heatsinks and use the original 2.5GHz cards but I would swap in a pair of 2GHz cards at the same time. To clean up the motherboard use rubbing alcohol and a old toothbrush, does great for knocking corrosion off (I do this a lot on laptops that come in for liquid spills).

Liquid cooling G5 systems suck - I've owned 5 G5s with them and only one of those 5 (G5 Quad dual-pump) actually isn't all messed up.

 

[aidynphoenix]

If that's the case I've got a pair of 2.0GHz processors the OP can have. System Identifiers: Mid-2004 - M9455LL/A - PowerMac7,3 - A1047 - 1969C

Hmm. I am interested. The 2ghz cpu&heatsink won't have a water pump will it? Will the board accept not having something plugged in where the pump goes? I'm pretty confident the power supply is fine.

 

[ITguy2016]

Hmm. I am interested. The 2ghz cpu&heatsink won't have a water pump will it? Will the board accept not having something plugged in where the pump goes? I'm pretty confident the power supply is fine.

They're air cooled. I can't answer your other questions as I've never done this before. Do the water cooled systems have a separate connection to power the LCS?

 

[MacCubed]

Hmm. I am interested. The 2ghz cpu&heatsink won't have a water pump will it? Will the board accept not having something plugged in where the pump goes? I'm pretty confident the power supply is fine.

The computer will work fine, you just have to make sure you run thermal calibration in ASD 2.5.8 after installing the new processors!
[doublepost=1473283108][/doublepost]Also, try popping the lid off the PSU to make sure there is no corrosion on the inside of it! Be carful though, its a PSU and there may be some power left in it

 

[aidynphoenix]

thanks. i opened the psu last night, discharged the capacitors. and checked the board.. it looks like the fluid just ran down the side of the psu and only left corrosion at the bottom under the board. i am confident the power supply is ok. just for safe measure i cleaned areas near that side of the psu and where those molex connectors meet the board.

 

[MacCubed]

Also, I do want to see what the CPU daughter cards look like. Do you think it is possible for you to remove them from the LCS assembly and snap a few pictures?

Oh and by the way, MacRumors has a file upload system, so you don't have to upload the photos to an external site. Just hit the upload a file button, and select you files!

 

[aidynphoenix]

Also, I do want to see what the CPU daughter cards look like. Do you think it is possible for you to remove them from the LCS assembly and snap a few pictures?

Oh and by the way, MacRumors has a file upload system, so you don't have to upload the photos to an external site. Just hit the upload a file button, and select you files!

i tried to upload pictures to the website but i got a error saying the images were too large.













free photo hosting

 

[aidynphoenix]

ok so i have a pair of replacement 2Ghz processors thanks to ITguy2016.
System Identifiers: Mid-2004 - M9455LL/A - PowerMac7,3 - A1047 - 1969C

i installed them and it would not power on.. i swapped locations and now the fans power up.. however there is no chime. i swapped back to the orig cpu and it chimes. any suggestions?

 

[MacCubed]

ok so i have a pair of replacement 2Ghz processors thanks to ITguy2016.
System Identifiers: Mid-2004 - M9455LL/A - PowerMac7,3 - A1047 - 1969C

i installed them and it would not power on.. i swapped locations and now the fans power up.. however there is no chime. i swapped back to the orig cpu and it chimes. any suggestions?

When the original CPUs are in does it power up to the flashing question mark folder? There could be an issue with the CPU connector, I would definitely check that

 

[aidynphoenix]

nope i have never seen it display any video. the chime followed by a black screen is as far as i have gotten

 

[MacCubed]

nope i have never seen it display any video. the chime followed by a black screen is as far as i have gotten

Hmmm, try blasting the RAM slots with a hair-dryer for around 5 minutes and try to power it on. If this works, you G5 has the common BGA RAM slot failure. This means the logic board has some major issues, and will not work unless you properly reflow it.

 

[aidynphoenix]

i could just re flow those solder connections.. those dims are through hole.. but with the new cpu i do not get a chime.. so i am assuming i am took a step backwards.. can anybody verify if the 2Ghz Cpu is compatible with my board? if not perhaps my only option is to track down another pair of 2.5Ghz cpu's.. i looked on ebay and there is only several available but everybody seems to be very proud of them.

 

[mark8]

"so i am assuming i am took a step backwards.. can anybody verify if the 2Ghz Cpu is compatible with my board?"
How did you make out with the 2.5 to 2.0 conversion?
If you want to use the LCS system , you need to flush it out completely, then rebuild it. Look at Photonorms write up on that. You will need new seals. those 2.5 cpus looked ok.
If you decide to go w/o the LCS, you can try the 2.5 cpus on the air cooled heatsinks. you will need to apply new thermal paste after cleaning it off the processors and heatsinks. You should also get a copy of ASD 2.5.8 to do a thermal calibration. You also need to press the pmu reset on the motherboard(behind the main intake fan toward the bottom)