crwdns2936637:0crwdne2936637:0 crwdns2853008:0crwdne2853008:0 crwdns2918746:0crwdne2918746:0

The larger of Apple's MacBook Air laptops featuring dual microphones and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.

crwdns2934591:020crwdne2934591:0 crwdns2934593:0crwdne2934593:0 | crwdns2947278:034crwdne2947278:0 crwdns2947270:0crwdne2947270:0

crwdns2933897:0crwdne2933897:0

13" Mid 2013 MacBook Air wont turn on after update

A customer has given me a MacBook Air that will not turn on at all. I don’t mean it won’t boot, it wont power on. The only sign of life I can get is the fan. It turns on for a split second and turns off again. It will do this in an endless loop:

She claims that she was updating to macOS Mojave from MacOS Lion when it died. The charger she gave me is off brand and I have a feeling it may have fried it or something. I’m going straight to the assumption that I need to replace the logic board but I’m open to any of your ideas.

Here is what i’ve tried:

  • Disconnecting the battery for 10 seconds
  • Removing the SSD
  • Booting off an external USB
  • Holding down the power button for 10 seconds
  • Resetting SMC and PRAM
  • Charging the battery (with a 60w OEM Apple charger) for over an hour

Thanks in advance!

crwdns2934089:0crwdne2934089:0 crwdns2934093:0crwdne2934093:0

crwdns2934109:0crwdne2934109:0

crwdns2853045:0crwdne2853045:0 crwdns2853046:0crwdne2853046:0
crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 0
crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

crwdns2933315:02crwdne2933315:0

crwdns2934221:0crwdne2934221:0
crwdns2931211:0crwdne2931211:0 crwdns2931215:0crwdne2931215:0 crwdns2934225:0crwdne2934225:0
crwdns2934057:0crwdne2934057:0

crwdns2933897:0crwdne2933897:0

I took out the SSD from the MacBook Air and stuck it into another MacBook from the same year. It booted onto the drive and continued to install the update. After the update was finished, I stuck it back into the MacBook Air and all was well.

Im assuming its because she updated from Mountain Lion to Mojave and didn’t install the firmware updates in between.

Everything works normally now!

crwdns2934105:0crwdne2934105:0

crwdns2853045:0crwdne2853045:0 crwdns2853046:0crwdne2853046:0
crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 1

crwdns2944067:02crwdne2944067:0:

I don't think the OS update was the issue as if you had swapped the drive back with the newer Mojave. I don't think it would have booted with the older EFI firmware. Its more likely the SSD was not fully seated or the contacts just didn't make contact.

I'll need to check things the next time I get a system that has such an old OS on it.

Either way I'm happy you got it working!

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

Just kidding! It was working fine and I was fixing to download the Mountain Lion installer and then it crapped out again. Doing the exact same thing as before.

So I know it’s not a logic board issue because I got it working earlier. It could be the pins not making contact but I’ve tried several different SSDs and all of them click when I put them in.

Plus, wouldn’t it show the blinking question mark folder if it couldn’t boot off of the installed drive?

I don’t know what to do at this point.

crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0crwdne2934271:0

crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

crwdns2933897:0crwdne2933897:0

Depending on your skills and tools you have you might be able to fix the logic board. I would review Louis Rossmann’s vids 2013 13” MacBook Air vids

Check to see if this is the problem Macbook Air Not Turning On how to repair

Otherwise replacing the logic board would be your only other option.

crwdns2934105:0crwdne2934105:0

crwdns2853045:0crwdne2853045:0 crwdns2853046:0crwdne2853046:0
crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 0
crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

crwdns2934229:0crwdne2934229:0

Austin Martin crwdns2934231:0crwdne2934231:0
crwdns2936625:0crwdne2936625:0:

crwdns2936751:024crwdne2936751:0 0

crwdns2936753:07crwdne2936753:0 1

crwdns2936753:030crwdne2936753:0 2

crwdns2942667:0crwdne2942667:0 530