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I have a MacBook Pro (unibody late 2008 15")

A few weeks ago the charger was causing hassle and eventually the connector came loose.

The MacBook eventually lost power.

Then, I asked my friend for a lend of his charger. I plugged it in, no light showed indicating the charger was plugged in. However, upon plugging the charger out, the battery light would blink indicating the laptop was totally drained of battery.

The odd time (when I press loads of keys and power button at the same time) the laptop would turn on and I could work on it, but no battery showed and once I plugged the charger out it would die.

I figured it was something wrong with my friends charger.

I ordered a magsafe connector online and connected it to my broken charger.

I tried it out today and exactly the same thing is happening as did with my friends charger.

No charger indicator light, and battery indicator blinks for a few seconds when I plug it out.

It can't be a fault with the charger, since the same thing happens with my friends charger.

I doubt it's a fault with my MacBook Pro, since I had no issues before until the charger broke.

I tried an SMC reset, though it's hard to know if it worked properly since the battery is totally drained (as the battery light indicates), and I'm not sure if I did the right SMC reset for my specific macbook.

Any suggestions?

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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Apple makes 3 different chargers for their MacBooks that you need to be concerned about:

  • 45-Watt -- For MacBook Airs.
  • 60-Watt -- For 13" MacBook Pros.
  • 85-Watt -- For 15" and 17" MacBook Pros.

You can use a higher-wattage charger than you MacBook requires, but not a lower-wattage one. Yours was an 85-watt charger. If your friend's charger was a 60-watt, that's why it wouldn't work.

Also, if your charger is broken, attaching a new MagSafe connector to it isn't going to make a difference. Assuming your MacBook is OK, you will need a replacement 85-watt charger.

You may also need to reset your SMC.

For your model, according to this Apple document:

  1. Shut down the Mac.
  2. Disconnect the MagSafe power adapter from the Mac.
  3. Remove the battery.
  4. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
  5. Reconnect the battery and MagSafe power adapter.
  6. Press the power button to turn on the Mac.

You should note that your computer will not give you any feedback at all when you do this. No lights or noises will come out of the computer to indicate it was successful.

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  • Careful! Along with there being Magsafe 1 and Magsafe 2, there's more than just those. There's the 29W for the new MacBook, and it's a 45W for MacBook Airs, not 40W. Though this may not apply directly here, for other people, it's useful to have this info.
    – JMY1000
    Apr 28, 2016 at 21:57
  • My friend had an 85 Watt Charger. I'm also still using my own 85 watt with a new L-connector I got on eBay. In saying that, when I hook up a multi-meter to the charger it is showing 60 watt, though I'm using my previously functioning 85 watt charger
    – Gregory Peck
    Apr 28, 2016 at 22:03
  • It was the Magsafe L-connector that broke, so a new one should be sufficient. I am typing this on my Macbook as we speak. The fans are running very loud, and no battery is showing in System Settings or top bar. I looked this up and an SMC reset should fix this, but it's not working for me
    – Gregory Peck
    Apr 28, 2016 at 22:04
  • @JMY1000, The only difference between MagSafe 1 and 2 is the connector shape. The charger is the same. As far as the new MacBook goes, the connector is not MagSafe, but a USB type-C connector instead. I made an error on the 40-watt. I meant to say 45-watt as there is no 40-watt charger. I updated my answer to reflect that. Thanks for noticing it.
    – Wes Sayeed
    Apr 28, 2016 at 22:18
  • @GregoryPeck; I added info about resetting the SMC to my answer. The symptoms you describe (fans at full speed, no battery icon, etc) are definitely an SMC issue. If resetting the SMC does nothing using your friend's charger, maybe your MacBook Pro is fried :-( It could also just be that the battery is shot.
    – Wes Sayeed
    Apr 28, 2016 at 23:07
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If you can at least start the Mac up and make the battery lights flash, it's lint.

Here's how you clean lint from a port:

  • Get a toothpick.
  • Stick it in the port.
  • Carefully rub the inside of the port.
  • Pull out the toothpick.
  • Repeat.
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  • Props for the obvious thing that nobody ever thinks of. Yes, the contact pads can (and do) get dirty. Although I would advocate an ear swab, not a toothpick.
    – Wes Sayeed
    May 5, 2016 at 21:26
  • @WesSayeed Yes, both work fine. I mainly use toothpicks, however.
    – bb216b3acfd8f72cbc8f899d4d6963
    May 5, 2016 at 21:57

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