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Mid 2009 Model A1278 / 2.26 or 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo processor EMC 2326

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'Replace battery now' Is this dangerous?

My new (to me) MBP is telling me I should replace the battery now, which isn't surprising as I bought it off ebay listed as needing a new battery. However before I spent £25 on a new battery I thought I'd do that reset the SMC thing to see if it improves it all, which it did; now the battery actually charges rather than completely refusing to.

I would just buy a new battery as on system info it says it has 1330 cycles and only 1882mah full charge capacity xD however I'm going away for 2 weeks on the 22nd so the battery probably won't arrive by then. So trying to keep this dead old battery running even just a little would be useful as I wouldn't have to rely on mains power to run the laptop.

My only concern is; is the battery safe if it says replace now? Is there a considerable risk that it might swell up and damage my trackpad? Or worse. If there is much of a risk I'll just remove it and accept I'm going to have to rely on mains.

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Not dangerous! Just less useful out on the road ;-}

Here's the IFIXIT guide to do it your self (very easy!): MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2009 Battery Replacement

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there is always the possibility that your battery could be bloating. but it is VERY rare that they catch fire from it. most commonly the battery will break the frame before any actual fires start.

That being said, this is not going to happen overnight. there are PLENTY of safe reasons for this alert as well. it is impossible to say without us opening and looking at the battery.

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Thanks for the reply. Should I be able to tell if the battery is swelling before it breaks the frame? Would the track pad become more sensitive to clicks or the fe would bulge slightly?

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the only way to tell is if you disasemble it, and look at it physically. the only symptoms it gives electronically is a lowered battery lifespan.

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It is unlikely that your battery will suffer a catastrophic failure just because it's old and doesn't hold a lot of charge.

I've had laptops that could only power the laptop for five minutes or less before shutting down because the battery was so weak. They worked for a long time with no problems, other than battery life.

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Tristan Gale will be eternally grateful.
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