Help - MacBook 2008 only outputs through Digital Out

[smg4fan8473]

I have a 2008 MacBook and it only outputs through the non-existent digital out.
Also when I connect headphones to it, it only outputs on the left speaker.

I reset the PRAM and SMC, but it didn't fix it.

There is also no audio software like soundflower on it.

 

[theMarble]

Have you tried cleaning the audio jack. They can get quite dirty, which may interfere with something given that it's an analog signal.

 

[smg4fan8473]

Have you tried cleaning the audio jack. They can get quite dirty, which may interfere with something given that it's an analog signal.

I Have cleaned it, to no avail

 

[IngoX]

I Have cleaned it, to no avail

Your best chance is probably to try some more gentle cleaning and fiddling in the port. Either dirt or a stuck metal latch tricks the mac that a toslink-adapter is inserted in the 3,5 mm port, and it disables the internal speakers. You probably see a red light shining in the port?

Only left output in headphones also indicates a physical disconnection.

 

[theMarble]

Your best chance is probably to try some more gentle cleaning and fiddling in the port. Either dirt or a stuck metal latch tricks the mac that a toslink-adapter is inserted in the 3,5 mm port, and it disables the internal speakers. You probably see a red light shining in the port?

Only left output in headphones also indicates a physical disconnection.

Yeah, I'd probably try some 99% isopropyl alcohol on a tiny cotton swab that fits inside the 3.5mm jack.

 

[smg4fan8473]

I cleaned the headphone jack, but it still wouldn't work

Also, I used a small flashlight and didn't see any metal latch inside

 

[MBAir2010]

this happens to me and fiddling with the sound system preference
like unmute, muting, sliding balance and just moving the toggles works!

or that could be a worn part on your logic board, my MBA2010 speaker connecting port on the logic board
popped-off one fine sunny day in 2017.......these boards are not the great.

 

[DeltaMac]

For a test, make sure there is nothing plugged in to the headphone port.
When you restart your Macbook, do you hear the boot chime through both speakers? (or, only the right speaker?)
If you play an audio file of some kind, do you not hear anything, or just one speaker? (Be sure to check the balance control in your Sound pref pane. Move the balance slide in that Sound pref pane from one extreme to the other, while playing audio. Do you lose audio completely on one side (maybe the right side, eh?)

Your first post appears to indicate that you have a bad headphone jack, or the audio chip has failed.
If, as you said in your first post, that you only see connection to the digital out (which you don't use), and no indication of speakers there at all, then that might also be a result of a failed headphone jack, which is mounted on the logic board.

 

[smg4fan8473]

For a test, make sure there is nothing plugged in to the headphone port.
When you restart your Macbook, do you hear the boot chime through both speakers? (or, only the right speaker?)
If you play an audio file of some kind, do you not hear anything, or just one speaker? (Be sure to check the balance control in your Sound pref pane. Move the balance slide in that Sound pref pane from one extreme to the other, while playing audio. Do you lose audio completely on one side (maybe the right side, eh?)

Your first post appears to indicate that you have a bad headphone jack, or the audio chip has failed.
If, as you said in your first post, that you only see connection to the digital out (which you don't use), and no indication of speakers there at all, then that might also be a result of a failed headphone jack, which is mounted on the logic board.

I do hear the chime through both speakers.
When I play an audio file, I don't hear anything.

It might be the headphone jack, as I have used it a lot.

 

[rampancy]

I've seen on YouTube videos people gently prodding around with a chopstick in the 3.5 mm jack, sanded or trimmed so it can physically fit inside the port, to trigger the switch inside that turns off the digital out connection.

A workaround I've often had is to use a USB audio adapter - they're cheap, not too much of a hassle if you use them with a short USB cable, and it saves wear and tear on audio jacks that are still functional.

 

[bobesch]

You may create another user-account and log into that accountt just to check, if the problem exsists there too.

You probably see a red light shining in the port?

Red-light-of-death only appears, when the tiny switch inside the socket is bent and permanently triggers the signal, that an audio-jack is in the socket, so the red-light from the optical output apears permanently inside of the sockets and the internal speakers do not work. Combined with the fact, that only one side of the speaker is working suggests a combined damage inside the audio-port.

Only left output in headphones also indicates a physical disconnection.

Maybe one headphone-cable is broken?