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weez999

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 4, 2009
82
65
GA
So I have had this old faithful running for literally 9 years with very minimal shut downs and LOTS of sleep modes and reboots over the years. Suddenly one day, after a reboot, it never turned back on.

So here is what happens, when I press the power button, it clicks immediately then does nothing. At that point, I can't do anything until I unplug it.

Machine:

2009 Mac Pro
Dual 2.66 Xeons
64GB RAM - all 8 slots full
GTX 985 graphics

Here is what I've done/tried:

1. Replaced Power Supply with a known fully functional one of the same product number
2. Replaced 2032 battery
3. Pressed and held both logic board buttons according to Apple instructions
4. Moved Graphics card to slot next to it then back again after continued failure.
5. Reseated EVERYTHING
6. Removed and shuffled the RAM chips seeing that's the issue but no luck (Right now only 2 chips are in there for simple troubleshooting.
7. Press LED Diag on logic board and see that the yellow 5v light illuminates indicating power. (NOTE: when i first plug in power cable, two red LED lights flash for a moment then go out permanently.
8. Looked for any Memory LED lights lit but there are none nor is there any on the CPU tray
9. Reset RTC

These were in random order when written and I did not track my steps 1 by 1 out of anger that I just bought a new power supply and it still isn't working.

I am not sure what else to do here and am stumped. As a 20year systems engineer, I deal with this everyday but when you can't solve your own, it's frustrating so any help you guys can provide is much appreciated.

I THINK I covered it all but please HELP! And please don't say logic board replacement.... :)
 
Last edited:
How do one reset RTC?
I would have reset SMC (and/or NVRAM/PRAM)
Maybe you ment the same thing, and if so, sorry for not helping.
There's a button down by the 2032 motherboard battery. That button is to be pressed and held down for a period of time based on your particular model.
 
My 4,1 recently died when one of the Northbridge heat sink rivets broke. Mine showed red lights on the logic board and CPU tray, which is admittedly different from what you are experiencing, but given everything you have already investigated or replaced it wouldn't hurt to pull the CPU tray, remove the CPU heat sink(s), and check to see if one of those rivets is broken. If you go that route, you would also need to have supplies on hand to clean off the old thermal compound and apply fresh. It is a somewhat common issue with the 4,1s though.
 
CASE CLOSED guys! I used the manual link supplied by verdejt which was a little different than the one I used. I did a deep dive power issue troubleshooting routine and removed EVERYTHING from the motherboard except the power plug. It turned on, then I systematically added all cables back which powering on eat each step successfully. I put everything back in until.... the graphics card. Once plugged that in and hit power, boom, it clicked and shorted out again. I removed the graphics card and it fired up. I disconnected the fan on the graphics card just in case it was shorting out then tried again but no, it simply won't boot with it.

The issue came down to a faulty graphics card but only after I did the "deep dive" troubleshoot process. Been a while since I had to work on stuff like this so now I just gotta find a new GTX 285 or one of the other compatible ones for the 2009.

I recommend that whoever else has this issue, follow the deep dive and remove everything and systematically put it back in ending with graphics.

This can be archived as needed.
 
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now I just gotta find a new GTX 285 or one of the other compatible ones for the 2009.

I would definitely take this opportunity to upgrade your graphics card. With a card that supports Metal and a simple firmware flash, your 2009 computer will support OSX versions through the upcoming Mojave.
 
CASE CLOSED guys! I used the manual link supplied by verdejt which was a little different than the one I used. I did a deep dive power issue troubleshooting routine and removed EVERYTHING from the motherboard except the power plug. It turned on, then I systematically added all cables back which powering on eat each step successfully. I put everything back in until.... the graphics card. Once plugged that in and hit power, boom, it clicked and shorted out again. I removed the graphics card and it fired up. I disconnected the fan on the graphics card just in case it was shorting out then tried again but no, it simply won't boot with it.

The issue came down to a faulty graphics card but only after I did the "deep dive" troubleshoot process. Been a while since I had to work on stuff like this so now I just gotta find a new GTX 285 or one of the other compatible ones for the 2009.

I recommend that whoever else has this issue, follow the deep dive and remove everything and systematically put it back in ending with graphics.

This can be archived as needed.
If you are buying a new GPU, take a look on a PC eVGA GTX680, or one of this thread: Confirmed and Possible Flashable GTX 680 Models.
You can flash it yourself with eVGA GTX680 for Mac ROM and get a Mojave Metal supported card on the cheap.
 
The link I provided is for a seller that has flashed Nvidia cards. I bought the 680 he also has Sapphire R9 and on occasion the 7970. Plus he also has upgraded processor trays. He's real good and delivery is fast and replies to all questions quickly.
 
This machine has been downgraded to run my iTunes server now. no need for upgrades but thanks guys! I ended up making a lateral move just to get it going. I actually run it with windows too so I can run Steam games on both platforms. I have a newer more robust machine.
 
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