MacBook (MB466LL/A) Late 2008 Unibody - Logic board vs. display issue?

[johnslee]

Hello everyone! I'm having some issues with my old trusty MacBook (late 2008 unibody model MB466LL/A) that I'm hoping you guys might be able to solve.

When I turn on the laptop, the screen lights up completely black. I can hear the usual start up sound and the logo that pops up on the middle of the black screen is very faint and barely visible. After about 15 seconds, the screen turns completely black again.

I don't know if this is a problem with the logic board or the display. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

That could be a few different things - logic board, display, inverter, backlight. Regardless, it is a hardware issue. Unfortunately, that model is listed as obsolete, which means repairs/parts are no longer supported/available. You may be able to acquire parts from a third-party, but it's not a user-serviceable model and it would take a little hardware diagnosis to know exactly what is causing the issue.

You could connect an eternal display to the MacBook to troubleshoot. If you get video on the external, then it is most likely not a logic board issue, and it would be a component of the display assembly.

Hope that helps a little.

C