T42p - No Power - Advice Requested

[PeteS457]

I've had a loaded T42p (2373-Q1U) for almost 5 years and it has been my baby. It's treated me well during the years and I've treated it well, keeping it clean and very efficient in operation. However, I've now come to a crossroads in its life and I'd like some advice.

About two weeks ago, I got the dreaded "Fan Error" and confirmed upon opening up the computer that the fan was non-operational. (This is actually the second dead fan with this computer, the first one I got replaced under warranty from IBM.) Instead of opting for a new fan, I got one that was pulled from an old Thinkpad on eBay. When I installed it, I noticed that it didn't spin at a constant speed at first, but as it "warmed up" and with a little lubrication to the bearings, it worked well - or so I thought. After I put my Thinkpad back together, I was still getting the "Fan Error" message that I bypassed. I installed the Hardware Control software and tpfancontrol. I could feel the fan blowing out hot air out of the vent so I knew it was working and the temp stayed within normal range (47-70). However, it did concern me that I was still getting the "Fan Error" and the tpfancontrol was registering a fan speed of 0 RPM.

A few days later, the machine power started acting very flaky. It would just shutdown in the middle of operation. Then with battery installed and/or just AC power, the little green battery icon would start to flicker. Finally, the little green battery icon did not light at all - with charged battery or AC power attached. And of course, the machine does not power on at all now. It's totally dead. So I'm guessing that the system board has died or a fuse has blown.

So here are my questions:

1. Can anyone here with experience give me additional troubleshooting advice. Or maybe confirm that this is a dead system board or something else I can test?

2. IBM support of course has always been superb for me when it was under warranty. If I send it to them for repair, anyone have an idea of the price. Are they reasonable or very expensive. I could probably buy a new system board and replace it if I knew that was for sure what was wrong. But I'd rather they check out the machine and I'd know an expert has checked it out.

3. Finally, I'm like everyone in that I have new computer envy. Maybe I should just save the money on a repair and buy a new machine. After all, it's 2GB RAM max, old IDE/ATA drive - maybe it's time to bite the bullet and buy a new computer.

Thanks for listening. Anyone have any suggestions/advice?

[RealBlackStuff]

Start by unplugging AC and removing the main battery.
Then take out both RAM sticks. Reconnect the keyboard, then try to boot.
If the mobo is still alive, it should give 1-3-3-1 beeps.
Report back with your findings please.

Sending it in to IBM will set you back anywhere from $350.- upwards
Buying a known good used mobo will cost about $100 - 140.

[PeteS457]

Start by unplugging AC and removing the main battery.
Then take out both RAM sticks. Reconnect the keyboard, then try to boot.
If the mobo is still alive, it should give 1-3-3-1 beeps.
Report back with your findings please.

Sending it in to IBM will set you back anywhere from $350.- upwards
Buying a known good used mobo will cost about $100 - 140.

Thanks for getting back so quickly. I have actually done this as this was the procedure for testing the power in the Hardware Maintenance Manual, page 41. I didn't read anything though about the 1-3-3-1 beeps.

So, I unplug the AC, take out the battery, take out both RAM sticks and disconnect the keyboard - then reconnect the keyboard, don't reinstall the RAM, plug in the AC - and when I push the switch, I should get a 1-3-3-1 beep confirmation the system board is still alive? If you can confirm this exact procedure, I'll try it again - but sadly, I'm pretty sure nothing is going to happen.

Thanks.

[RealBlackStuff]

Yes, that's it. The 1-3-3-1 beeps indicate a (possibly only partly) working motherboard without RAM.
If you hear no beeps at all, your mobo is most likely a goner.

[PeteS457]

Yes, that's it. The 1-3-3-1 beeps indicate a (possibly only partly) working motherboard without RAM.
If you hear no beeps at all, your mobo is most likely a goner.

Thanks. After I thought about it, I understood what you were testing - the beeps associated with having no RAM installed. But as I expected, I did the procedure again - just to be sure and try one last time - and nothing. No icon lights indicating any power and nothing when I hit the switch.

I'm rather dreading the whole process of buying a new system board, taking the laptop apart, installing the board, and putting it back together again - for a 5 year old notebook with the outside possibility of it still not working. But I have to agree with you - it has to be a dead system board. It's just so ironic that it happened only days after replacing the fan. From the forums though, it seems like there are starting to be a lot of issues with the system board on the T42p. But the product has been out for 5 years, so I guess it's about time. But I like the laptop a lot and it works extremely well, when I'm not having a major issue like this with it. It runs too well to be dumped in a recycle bin.

Any suggestions on where I can get a new system board for as cheap as possible? Thanks for all your help.

[RealBlackStuff]

Enter your TYPE and SerialNo. (bottom of your laptop) in this screen, it will tell you the original part numbers ex factory.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... yle=lenovo

Then look around on eBay (ca. $150.- because it is a T42P) or place a WTB (want to buy) ad in our Market Forum.
Following the HMM, it's a do-able job to replace the mobo yourself.
For a small fee I could do it for you if you send me the laptop and new mobo.
If you don't require the horsepower of the P model, a regular T40/T41/T42 mobo would also fit (and be cheaper), or go one step further down, and look for an R51 mobo with Intel graphics.

[PeteS457]

Enter your TYPE and SerialNo. (bottom of your laptop) in this screen, it will tell you the original part numbers ex factory.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... yle=lenovo

Then look around on eBay (ca. $150.- because it is a T42P) or place a WTB (want to buy) ad in our Market Forum.
Following the HMM, it's a do-able job to replace the mobo yourself.
For a small fee I could do it for you if you send me the laptop and new mobo.
If you don't require the horsepower of the P model, a regular T40/T41/T42 mobo would also fit (and be cheaper), or go one step further down, and look for an R51 mobo with Intel graphics.

Hi RBS. Thanks for sticking with me along by journey to resolve my issue. On page 219 of the HMM, the part number of the system board for my 2373-Q1U is 27K9912. Upon searching eBay and Google for "27K9912", the offerings are mostly between $220 and $320. (I did find one for $830 also.) But nothing below $220. I'm really hesitant to repair this machine unless I can get a T42p system board for around $150 or less. So I'll place an ad in WTB and see if that can help in my quest. I'm not totally confident in replacing it with a mobo designed for a lesser model - unless you really can propose one in which I lose so little performance that I could hardly tell the difference. Maybe you have another resource to check for availability?

Although I've never replaced a laptop mobo before, I have taken notebooks (and Thinkpads in particular) totally apart and put them back toegther, so I'm fairly familiar with the procedure. (I've built many desktops.) In replacing the system board, are there risers and screws like on a desktop mobo? Is that what all these other unnumbered screws on the bottom of the Thinkpad are for?

Thanks once again.

[RealBlackStuff]

If you can live without the fingerprintreader, same mobo (128MB GPU, 93P4159) without FPR for $150 but not much longer!
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Thinkpad-T42P-1 ... 0161380019

When you take out the screws, make a drawing and put them on there with scotch-tape.
No funny risers etc.

[hotlips69]

I've got a totally dead T43...no lights come on whatsoever and no beeps.

1) Is it possible or extremely unlikely to be just the graphics chip causing my T43 to appear totally dead?

2) If the CPU was dead (or not present) would I still get at least the power light coming on when connected to the mains charger?

[RealBlackStuff]

The T43 suffers more often from a loose Southbridge rather than from a loose GPU.
Its the T40/T41/T42 models that suffer from a loose GPU.
A loose Southbridge usually manifests itself by booting up, but getting stuck in the IBM Logo screen.
Also (on a T43), bad/no HD connection and/or flaky USB connections are pointing towards a bad Southbridge.
This can be remedied by "reballing" the Southbridge.
For the UK, see http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=73945

Your T43 would hardly suffer from a bad GPU.
Without a CPU, nothing goes!
Check your power supply with a multimeter, it should put out 16V DC.

[hotlips69]

Your T43 would hardly suffer from a bad GPU.
Without a CPU, nothing goes!
Check your power supply with a multimeter, it should put out 16V DC.

I've checked my PSU with a different T40 and it powers that up fine.

So, without a CPU (either faulty or not present) would I get the power LED still coming on or not when connected to a working charger?

[ajkula66]

@PeteS457:

You can replace your board with any board from a T42p, if you're willing to give up the FPR, because that's the only difference between that board and the rest of "p" boards with ATi FireGL T2 graphics.

I don't know where you were looking, but I've sold the exact board that you're looking for on this forum a few weeks ago for less than $150, in perfect working condition. Patience is the key.

If I get another one sometime soon, I'll drop you a PM.

Good luck.

[hotlips69]

I've checked my PSU with a different T40 and it powers that up fine.

So, without a CPU (either faulty or not present) would I get the power LED on my T43 still coming on or not when connected to a working charger?

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I could really do with a swift answer to my question (quoted)

[ajkula66]

@hotlips69:

Nothing prevents you from starting your own thread, you'll get more visibility that way as well.

You should get a power (charging) led at least briefly, although I've never tried this on a T43.

Also, missing CPU altogether and a non-working one are two entirely different pictures...so which one is it?

[RealBlackStuff]

I could really do with a swift answer to my question

This forum is entirely run by volunteers, who donate much of their spare time, to quite often answer questions that have been posted before!