I was looking back over my archives, and I realized that I had never blogged about our second PowerMac G5 coolant leak. Coolant leak number one was back in January. This one happened last month.
This time, the globs of glowing green goo got into the power supply and shorted it out. One of my co-workers described a bright flash and a loud buzzing crackle. Light-colored smoke poured out of the machine, and sizzling coolant dripped onto the aluminum handle. The “cheese grater” back grill had scorch marks.
I should, of course, provide two clarifications. Apple’s first-generation liquid cooling systems (mid-to-late 2004) were reportedly problematic. These problems were supposed to have been corrected in later generations (I really hope so).
Also, with both incidents, Apple was extremely cooperative and provided swift resolution by paying for the parts and labor required to restore our G5s back to working condition. We did not lose any data on either machine.
Still though, I guess I’m old school, but I really don’t think that computers should bleed, or wet themselves, or whatever.
How can I know if my G5 will succomb to this problem? I can’t afford to lose her! Also, when you said that Apple was cooperative, does that mean you had Apple Care coverage?
Chris, if your G5 was a 2004/early 2005 liquid-cooled model, you should probably be concerned. On the other hand, the cooling system in the fall 2005 dualcore/quad models is significantly improved and is sealed.
If it is one of those 2004 models, just cross your fingers and keep an eye out, and shut it down at the first sign of leaking. Also, if you have pets, just in case, you might want to get your tower up off of the floor to make it more difficult for them to lap up the coolant and get sick.
Both of our G5s that leaked were out of warranty, and we did not have the foresight to purchase the extended two years of AppleCare. (We will NEVER make that mistake again.) BTW it is possible to purchase an additional two years of AppleCare directly from the online Apple Store if your initial year has not yet run out.
In higher education, we have Apple Reps assigned to all of the schools in our region. When we have a problem, we can go directly to her, and she will try to make things right or assist us any way she can. Our relationship with Apple has been an extremely positive one (even with these recent hardware failures).
If you do have this problem, and Apple Support or an authorized Apple hardware support provider quotes you a $2000 repair bill, try not to be rude or make threats. Try calling an Apple customer support person to see if they could agree to have it repaired at their expense. Be as polite as possible, and if that person is unable to give you a Warranty Code for the repair, politely ask if he or she would be able to escalate the problem.