What's the correct adhesive for the battery compartment cover?

Comments

• John

  November 2016

  Thanks for the post!
  
  So this is an A1181 white MacBook? I'm a little confused as to what you mean by "battery compartment"? Is this the round battery lock? Or the outer casing of the battery itself? The batteries don't usually come apart, so I'm not sure if that's what you mean.
  
  If the battery is coming apart, the first thing I would be concerned about is whether or not it's swelling -- if it's gotten thicker and this is why it's coming apart, then I would recycle it immediately and buy a replacement. Swollen batteries are a fire hazard and it's never good to use them.
  
  If the battery is normal thickness and the outside casing is coming off, I'd probably use superglue to put it back on, and clamp it together with several small clamps while it dries. But again, it's pretty odd that the casing would come apart, so I feel like I might be missing something.
  
  Thanks!
  
  John
  
• quietforest

  November 2016

  Sorry, I'm not familiar with the correct terminology. It would be that the casing is peeling away from the battery. I don't think the battery is swelling. I'll have to take a closer look at it now. Thanks for the help.
• John

  November 2016

  Interesting. I would just glue it back with superglue and clamp it down while it dries. Or just buy another battery -- you can get them on eBay for $20.
  
  Thanks
  
• quietforest

  November 2016

  Feeling stupid at the moment. Having built my own desktops for several years, among other things, I should have caught this. Pulled the battery to discover that the top is now domed quite nicely. The last time I looked, a few weeks ago when this started, it was perfectly flat. Apparently, the battery bowed out a little on the bottom first. I got this MacBook from Altatac via Walmart.com. I sent them a quick message. I'll wait for their answer, and did find replacements for around that price at Amazon. I've been pushing the poor old thing pretty hard (Blender), perhaps that has something to do with it.
• John

  November 2016 edited November 2016

  Don't feel bad -- a battery can start to bulge very quickly, and it's not necessarily a gradual process or something you would have noticed previously. I've seen MacBook Pros with batteries so bad that the whole laptop case expands like a balloon and you can't even click the trackpad button because it's smashed upward.
  
  Anyway, glad you found the issue! There's a lot of junk out there, so when you buy a replacement, make sure to go with the most reputable seller and be willing to spend a few dollars extra to buy from the right person.
  
  And make sure to get rid of the bad one as soon as possible -- you don't want an expanding battery sitting around. I'd drop it in the recycling receptacle at a Target or similar store.
  
  Thanks!
  
• quietforest

  November 2016

  Quick update. I've just installed a new aftermarket battery from Siker (off of Amazon). $20, and it appears to be working perfectly. No issues with charging or detection. I noticed a lot of people complaining at Amazon about batteries either not fitting or being detected by the laptop (state of charge indicator), and some not charging. This one had good reviews, though it takes them over a week to ship.
  
  I didn't get around to mentioning, yes, this is an early 2009 white A1181, 2 GHz Core Duo with the NVIDIA 9400M GPU. Currently running El Capitan, the last OS upgrade for this one. A little slow, but no real issues. Got it from Alta Tac through Walmart last April. It appears they shipped it with the original OEM battery, so I guess I'm lucky it lasted this long. They only warranty for 30 days, so if I ever do get another Mac, it won't be from them.
  
  Thanks for the help.
• John

  November 2016 edited November 2016

  Great, it's good to hear it worked out! 3rd party batteries do vary quite a bit in quality, but as you've found there are decent ones out there.
  
  Do you mean you have the early-2009 2.13GHZ? The early-2009 2GHZ only has a 667MHZ bus (instead of 800MHZ) and I don't think can go any higher than Lion?
  
  Some people warranty old MacBooks for year, but I can't blame those who don't -- with a $250 computer there is just not enough margin to make a year warranty possible. Plus, paying $250 you are taking only 1/6 the risk of buying a new computer, so if it dies after six months, the loss is far less.
  
  Anyway, thanks again!
  
  John
  
  
• quietforest

  November 2016

  Here's what I have, from About This Mac (I wish there was a way to post pics here, I'd just do a screen shot).
  
  "OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.6
  MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)
  Processor 2GHz Intel Core Duo
  Memory 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
  Graphics NVIDA GeForce 9400M 256 MB"
  
  From what I was able to find at Apple's website, this is the earliest Mac that will run El Capitan.
  
• John

  November 2016

  I looked into it and you're right -- I think the requirement for El Capitan has more to do with the GPU than anything else, and both speeds have the 9400M. I've probably never tried to install it on the 2GHZ version and was just assuming. Good to know!
  
  Thanks,
  
  John