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Power Mac G5 (liquid-cooled): Fluid leaks
A number of users are reporting leaking of liquid coolant from some thusly cooled Power Mac G5s, in some cases causing severe damage to internal components including the logic board, power supply and more. The lack of cooling liquid can also lead to processor overheating, resultant in sudden shutdowns and other erratic behavior.
MacFixIt reader Thorsten Kohlhage writes: "I found out last week that a leak in the liquid cooling system in my 20 month old Power Mac G5 DP destroyed my processor, power supply and Logic Board. Apple is denying service because the unit is out of warranty -- I think this is a design flaw."
In some cases, the issue is first indicated by a distinct clicking noise -- or loud crackle -- emanated from the G5 housing.
Unfortunately, many G5s are failing outside of standard warranty range, necessitating costly repairs. Some repair prices for afflicted units are running upwards of US$1800 -- nearly the price of a new Mac Pro.
If you discover a coolant leak or apparent coolant leak, you should immediately discontinue use of your Power Mac G5 and seek assistance. As noted in this data safety sheet for the G5's liquid cooling system, there are some potentially adverse health effects that can be caused by the cooling substance if handled.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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What, they didn't get AppleCare? Presumably this would cover anything happening now... although they'd still be SOL after year 3 ended.
Let this be a wake-up call for those of you with such liquid-cooled G5s that if you can still get AppleCare, you should.
Guess I'll watch mine more closely from now on, as I've got one of them (non-whisper-quiet) original dual 2.5s too.
Thorsten Kohlhage
Ther is no apple care in South Africa
Where can I find more info about this loud crackle emeanating from the case? I hear anoice like that from my duial 2.5 a few times a day. I thougt it was from one of my hard drives dying. Sound like whacking the case with a pen. Pretty loud and def not "normal".
These non-Intel G5's run pretty hot and I always wonder if the fans respond correctly --oh well. Basically, I think that the more moving parts in a product the higher your chance of failure. All machines will fail, it's just a matter of time to failure.
My G5 got fried in July. It was set to turn on a 6 a.m. When I went to check email, I encountered a dead computer and smelled ozone and felt moisture. Dropped it off at the Apple Store. Had to wait several hours for an appointment with a Genius. Five weeks later I got a comparable replacement under extended AppleCare. Sigh. Oh. And they neglected to give me the proper power cord. And the replacement had one 500GB hard drive instead of two 250GB drives. Which meant that I had to buy a 500GB external hard drive if I wanted to continue with my disaster recovery plan that includes creating a weekly bootable clone of the startup drive.
---
Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate that.
I had a MDD G4 that Apple replaced (after a number of m'board & CPU swaps on their dime) with a 1.8GHz dual-CPU G5. Less than a year later that unit's power supply went south and, unable to provide a replacement with a reasonable amount of time, they sent me a new 2.0GHz dual-CPU G5. Did I say AppleCare was great? Don't leave the Apple Store without it.
Pat
Also, unplug the machine as there would also be a shock hazard from the liquid.
It sounds as though it is ethylene glycol, the basic ingredient that has been used in automobile coolant/antifreeze for the past 40+ years. It not only SMELLS sweet, but being an alcohol, it also TASTES sweet. It also has been implicated as the ingredient in food for murders of people, as confirmed by autopsy. Just this past week I saw at a retail store a PC which had vinyl tubing carrying greenish liquid coolant; what a bad idea! Flagle's Law on the Perversity of Inanimate Objects: Whatever can go wrong will, and at the least opportune time.
Ive always wondered why Apple gives only one year warranty when the industry standard is 2-and 3 would show they have good faith in their product and are committed to quality-and would give Apple even more of a market share bump.
- by MichelJosephPetulli December 24, 2006 5:35 PM PST
- i think they should have a free replacement watercooling unit it would really weight in at the many court battles that could ensue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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