I bought an iMac g4 for $25 but it shows no signs of life, it appears to be a newer version due to the different newer style font on the word “imac”, does anyone know what’s wrong with it and how to fix it?
Dead iMac g4
- Thread starter The Mac Guy
- Start date
Hey @The Mac Guy, you have the cool iLamp. 
That iMac G4 should have the configuration on the bottom that will help us to specify which model, as circled below. Can you please let us know what yours is?
That iMac G4 should have the configuration on the bottom that will help us to specify which model, as circled below. Can you please let us know what yours is?
Thank you, @The Mac Guy. That narrows down to either 15-inch or a 17-inch screen. Which one do you have? If you are not sure, you can measure diagonally from the top corner to the bottom corner.
Resetting the Power Management Unit (PMU) on the 15" or 17" iMac G4 (2002):
- Disconnect the power cord.
- Remove the user access panel from the bottom of the computer.
- Press the PMU to reset the switch once on the bottom side of the logic board. Please do NOT press the PMU to reset the switch a second time because it could crash the PMU chip.
- The switch is near the memory slot, next to the airport card.
- Wait ten seconds before you connect the power cord, and keep your fingers crossed.
Source: iFixit
Yeah, I suspect the same. If the reset doesn't work, the next thing to do is replace that battery.
Here are the step-by-step instructions, with pictures, to replace the PRAM battery in the 17" iMac G4:
www.ifixit.com
iMac G4 17 800 MHz EMC 1936 PRAM Battery Replacement
Removing an old or broken PRAM battery.
www.ifixit.com
It just does nothing, no beeps, no fans spinning I’ve tried the previous 2 methods just now but still nothing
Okay. Next...PSU.
Are you comfortable with recapping? If not, you can replace it. Unfortunately, the PSU can get costly. The PSU is Apple part number 661-3185 (M6489)
Are you comfortable with recapping? If not, you can replace it. Unfortunately, the PSU can get costly. The PSU is Apple part number 661-3185 (M6489)
I'm sorry. Such a beautiful iMac, and you can't have fun with it. Sometimes a visual inspection inside can help to determine a problem that may be simple to fix.