Battery not charging/recognised

[NelsonKiwi]

Hi, I'm new here. I posted on another forum but yet to get a reply, so, seeing as this forum has a great reputation, here goes.
I have a macbook pro early 2011. Logic board replaced 2 years ago, new 85 watt charger 1 year ago along with new OEM battery and SSD. Running High Sierra.
I was playing a game ( didn't get it too hot) forgot that I wasn't plugged into power.
The whole thing just switch off. I guess battery ran down and the game may have prevented the 'warning, your battery is low' message getting to me.
I plugged into power, booted up, but struck a 'boot loop' sequence. Powered off and waited an hour, tried again and it started up normally.
However, the battery Icon showed 0 charge, but 'normal' and the MagSafe connection led has been a constant green the whole time. Battery Flat but not charging.
I tried resetting SMC, that didn't seem to work, tried again several times. I opened it up and disconnected the battery for 10mins, connected up again, and now it doesn't even show a battery icon. It's as if there is No battery at all. Coconut Battery app shows no battery either.
I checked battery connection, all good there.
Apple Hardware Test shows logic board and all else as Good/ normal.
Reset PRAM, no difference.
Also, as soon as I connect the charger to the macbook, it starts up, and, as I said, the green led is always on.
There is no Apple Store in New Zealand ... so that option is out.
Any idea would be much appreciated ...

 

[honestone]

When you say "new OEM battery and SSD", is that a genuine Apple battery? If not, third party batteries have been known to cause issues. And is the SSD "OEM"?

 

[NelsonKiwi]

YES, Genuine Apple Battery, and Samsung 500GB 850 EVO SSD

 

[honestone]

Hmm, real difficult to say whether the issue is hardware related, software related, or both.

Did this only happen with the game installed? Did it ever happen with any other application that ran down the battery?

How "new" is the game? When did you install it?

One thing to try is to remove the game completely. An excellent free application that can help with that is AppCleaner, available from here:

https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

It will find most files associated with the app. But even after using it to remove all the "stuff" it finds, there could be a few more files associated with the app. So, just do a search of the app's name with whatever search tool you have. Then try running your Mac and see what happens.

Also, what other third party software are you using? You need to insure that each one is compatible with High Sierra. This link can help you with that:

https://roaringapps.com/apps

Even if that site shows "green" for the aa and High Sierra, make sure you have the latest version for each such compatible app.

Also, if you have either CleanMyMac or MacKeeper, you need to get rid of them immediately. Either of them can cause issues, and there are other excellent products available (both free and commercial) that can do the same tasks (some even more).

One other thing: when you upgraded to High Sierra, did you do it "in place", ie, just have High Sierra overwrite what was on your Mac already? If you did, what Mac OS did you upgrade from?

 

[NelsonKiwi]

thanks, good ideas there. I don't have CleanMyMac or MacKeeper. Yes it did just happen this one time, and I have uninstalled the game ( in case). It is a new game, up to date. I've been updating all OS versions as they are available (in place) since 2011.
I'll do the compatability check on 3rd party software later ( off to work soon)
thanks for the help

 

[honestone]

Did you use App Cleaner when you uninstalled the game? If not, there could still be some files associated with the game that can possibly cause issues.

Also:

1. Have you ever done an disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective? By that I mean have you ever run any disk-related software to help with those tasks? There are some excellent products available (both free and commercial) that can help you with that.

2. This is critical: are you making backups to an external device? If you are, what software are you using for that?

Finally, assuming you are making backups, you might want to consider doing a clean, fresh, "virgin" installation of High Sierra? However, V10.13.4 will be released shortly (now in it's fifth beta), so maybe you might want to wait.

 

[NelsonKiwi]

No, I didn't use disk cleaner, I'll look into doing something about that, and maintenance. I always have backups done. But, it most likely something else ? I mean to prevent a smc reset working, surely.
cheers, I'm outa here for now

 

[honestone]

Given that you have never done any disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective, and have always done your Mac OS updates/upgrades "in place", all of that is inherent with a number of potential issues. Owning and maintaining a Mac is just like owning and maintaining an automobile. In the automobile industry, two companies stand out for making reliable cars: Toyota and Honda. And in the computer world, only Apple has a similar reputation.

For an automobile, say one neglects to change the oil when required. If the car runs somewhat low on oil, yes, adding oil back in to make it full again is OK, but remember that there is still old oil there. That is not good for the car. Same with neglecting to perform maintenance on Macs, and also just always doing "in place" Mac OS upgrades. The more and more one neglect such maintenance, and the more one keeps doing "in place" Mac OS upgrades, the more they are asking for trouble.

What is ironic is that with such superior reputations, there are some folks who own a Honda or Toyota product, or similarly a Mac, and they are of the belief that given how well such products are made, no maintenance is needed. That could not be farther from the truth.

 

[NelsonKiwi]

I meant, no I don't use App Cleaner. I do regularly run Disk Utility ( that does disk cleanup and maintenance I thought) , and I keep all apps/programs up to date. I also use Sophos antivirus. I use Time Machine for backups.
I didn't think think permissions, even if I hadn't repaired them, how I backup my computer, or even a slow computer ( it's not) would stop my battery charging ? But I don't know what's at fault, that's why I'm here

By the way, does the 'Apple Hardware Test' which I ran, and passed, test the charging circuit ?

Thanks again for your time and help

 

[honestone]

First:

"The Apple Hardware Test only detects problems with the computer's internal hardware components (logic board, memory and wireless components) not external components nor software-related problems"

Secondly, since you are backing up with Time Machine (which is not bootable), for Disk Utility to repair any issues on your drive, it must be run from the (hidden) Recovery Partition. This link describes what is on that partition:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

So, did you run Disk Utility from there?

Third, while disk utility does some disk cleanup, there is a lot more one needs to do on their own. For example, if you have the original file for an app, along with an update for that app, and you download a newer update, do you get rid of the prior update file? Also, when you delete an EMail, do you have it permanently removed? There are so many more things you could be doing on your own. And there are some excellent prograrms available (both free and commercial) that can help with that.

As for AppCleaner, it is certainly a valuable disk cleanup tool.

Assuming that you did not run Disk Utility from that Recovery HD partition, and thus no disk cleanup was done, and that you have always upgraded your OS "in place", unless there is another hardware issue (seems unlikely, with a new battery, new SSD, and new logic board), I am just offering some assistance with possible software issues.

I guess the battery could be going bad.

 

[NelsonKiwi]

Thanks, but I'm not sure. Are you saying the charging circuit is on the Logic board? therefore a clean test means it's ok? What about the, what seems seperate, board that the MagSafe is on ? ... sorry to keep pestering.

 

[honestone]

I did not mean to insinuate any "electrical" issues anywhere, although I guess that is a possibility. It's just so, so strange that with all your new "pieces" (SSD, Battery, Logic Board, and 85 watt charger), such an issue would arise.

One thing, though, is that according to this:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP619?locale=en_US

that machine comes with a 60W MagSafe Power Adapter. You said yours is 85 Watts. Could that be the issue?

 

[NelsonKiwi]

I agree, it is strange. I hope I get it sorted out one day soon. Oh, the link to the specs is for a 13", mine is 15".
I think we've just about exhausted the possibilities and list of things to check. I'll take some time to ponder my next move now. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[honestone]

OK, cool. By the way, for the specs of the 15" model, what about the MagSafe Power Adapter? Is it 60W, like the 13" model?

Also, hope you gained knowledge about disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective. Such tasks are always needed and beneficial. And my analogy with Hondas and Toyotas is very accurate also. Heck, we own a 2013 Toyota Camry XLE, and while yes it is certainly reliable and trouble free (as was the 1996 Toyota Camry XLE we owned before), I still make a concerted effort to keep it "lean, mean, and clean" (as I also do with our other car)!

 

[honestone]

Never mind my question above about your model. It looks like the 15" model does indeed use an 85W MagSafe Power Adapter:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP620?locale=en_US

 

[Terry Corder]

A strange problem that I had myself. Unfortunately I can't offer any advise as it fixed itself after a few days. Maybe yours will do the same.

 

[NelsonKiwi]

A strange problem that I had myself. Unfortunately I can't offer any advise as it fixed itself after a few days. Maybe yours will do the same.

Well, that's certainly given me hope. Thanks for that

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

Yes, the AHT does indeed test the battery and the AC adapter. It doesn't test any other external devices, Apple or third-party.

-Can you upload a screen shot of  > About This Mac > System Report... > Power?
-Was the 85W AC adapter also a genuine Apple product?

C

 

[NelsonKiwi]

Hi, thanks for the interest. Yes, the adapter is genuine Apple 85W. Here's the screenshot too ..

 

[Cory Cooper]

Thanks.

For some reason, the battery is not being seen at all, as you can probably tell.

-Strange that AHT would pass with it showing the battery isn't installed. There could possibly be a damaged cable/connector internally, or an issue with the Left I/O board or logic board. It isn't likely that the OS is at fault, but it is still a small possibility.

If you leave it plugged in most of the time, without cycling the battery, it could just be that the battery has failed at this point. Hard to diagnose much further without being able to see it in person.

C