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Released October 24, 2011 / 2.2, 2.4, or 2.5 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 Processor

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MacBook Pro 15'' late 2011, not turning on, SIL blinks every 5 seconds

I posted this on apple discussions, but I thought I would try it here as well.

I have a MacBook Pro 15'' Late 2011, i7 processor. When ever I plug in the power cord (without pressing the power button), the sleep light turns on, turns off, waits 5 seconds, then repeats, the fans follow along with this cycle. It does the exact same regardless of whether RAM is installed, or not installed. NOTHING else turns on, other than the sleep light, and fans. It does this even if the screen is closed.

When the power cord is disconnected, you can turn it on pressing the power button, however, the sleep light does not turn on, only the fans. The fans turn on, then off, wait five seconds, turns on, turns off, then repeats.

What we have tried.

  • SMC reset
  • Removing RAM
  • Changing RAM
  • Using only one RAM slot
  • Trying to turn it on with no RAM
  • With hard drive
  • Without hard drive
  • With a different hard drives.
  • Attempted PRAM reset

Not exactly sure what to do now. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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4 Comments

What's the history of the machine? Did you ever get screen anomalies?

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Sadly I do not know. I received this computer from a computer charity the other day as is. So all I know about this computer is that it does not turn on.

by

Not much to go here. Press the battery test button on the side and tell us your findings. What does the mag-safe light do when you plug it in?

by

When I press the battery test button, it acts as normal and turns on the green lights displaying the battery charge.

When plugged in, the mag-safe light turns green, then after a few seconds turns to orange.

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Chosen Solution

For right now leave it plugged in until the magsafe turns green and the battery is as fully charged as it can get. Then try the power on button. Next take the back off any carefully inspect the logic board for any signs of liquid damage such as green, blue or white corrosion residue. Look at the battery to see if you can detect any swelling.

This model has hard drive/IR cable failure frequently. Look at the cable as it comes over the last step and see if it shows any signs of damage.

This model was also under a class action law suit and subsequent repair p[rogram (which has now ended) for GPU and video failure.

https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro...

Let us know your findings.

All else failing and if it shows no signs of liquid damage or impact damage, it may be eligible for an Apple Depot flat rate repair which runs $357 with tax an shipping (we can go into this later).

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Alright, I it have plugged in right now, ill let you know when it's fully charged. Thank you!

by

When you attempted start up did the SIL blink five times pause and then start it again?

by

It blinks once, waits five seconds, then blinks once again. Every time the light blinks, the fan turns on.

by

OK. let's check to see if it has the correct RAM.

If the computer detects no RAM (Random Access Memory) or the RAM installed does not meet the appropriate specifications, the screen will remain black but the power LED on the front of the computer will blink once per second to signal the error. This error condition may be due to physically damaged RAM, installing the incorrect type of RAM, or not having RAM installed. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201702

The machine you have posted uses

RAM Type: PC3-10600 DDR3 Min. RAM Speed: 1333 MHz

Details: Supports 1333 MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM.

by

So I let it charge up, I tried pressing the power button, but the same results.

This is the kind of RAM inside of it

https://www.amazon.com/Hynix-PC3-10600-2...

I have tried reseating the RAM multiple times, and have even tried with different RAM (also PC3-10600). Same result...

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Try turning on the computer while connected to an external display. Some Apple computers will not turn on all the way if they do not detect a functional LCD attached to the computer. If the built-in display is non-functional, an external display should do the trick.

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I currently don't have a cord, but I'll start searching for one to buy. Thanks!

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Peter,

Did you ever get anywhere with this issue?

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Peter will be eternally grateful.
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