Acer aspire 5349 Keeps shutting off, but the cpu is not overheating.

[Sailfish572]

Hello,
I have an Acer Aspire 5349. It acts like the cpu is overheating and shuts down. Reseated heatsink, and cleaned fan. Same results. Bought new fan and heatsink. Initially ran for three hours, then when I installed updates, it shut down. Monitored CPU heat and usage with "CoreTemp", no significant heat up even with multiple tasks running. I'm at a loss. Pretty sure that its a heat issue because when it first started to appear I stuck the whole laptop in the fridge and it ran for hours.

 

[C12Friedman]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware Forums,
You might check your power brick - it may be the culprit here, make sure it's not getting too hot. If you have a multimeter, you can check the output voltage of the power brick also.
When you say it acts like it's overheating, do you mean you can hear the fan(s) louder before shut down? If you try to start it right away after shut down, what happens?

 

[Sailfish572]

Thanks, When I say it acts like it's overheating, it's because of the instant shutdown. Like it goes into the cpu protection mode. If I restart it, it may run for a couple of minutes, or it may be a few seconds. I spent a countless amount of time without the cover on trying to find the "hot" component. Absolutely none found. No hot spots on the board at all. Fan operates at the same speed, no matter what. Will take a look at the voltage, but there is certainly no overheating there. Initially thought that the HDD might be the problem, but removed that and the system still shut down just while BIOS running.

 

[C12Friedman]

If it's not the power brick itself, the issue may be with the internal power distribution - let's hope it's the brick (easier to replace)... It does sound very much like a power issue.

 

[Sailfish572]

Should have added, that can't be the power brick, as I have used 3 different ones. Just tried it again an hour ago, lasted all of three minutes, then wouldn't even go for a second. One or two times couldn't even get the power button to illuminate the front power light. Possibly the Power Switch module? I put it back in the fridge, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then turned it on. Been running ever since. Got to be something overheating.

 

[C12Friedman]

Could also be a failing power jack (it would fit the symptoms). Try moving the power connector around at the laptop - does the battery charging indicator light go off and/or on when wiggled.

 

[Sailfish572]

No, nothing with the wiggle. Seems pretty tight. When it has gone down in the past, it has never been with the laptop, or the power cord being disturbed. Still going strong in the fridge.

 

[C12Friedman]

I don't know if this is going to help (or if you already have it) but I did find the Service Guide for your computer here (just have to scroll down a bit on the page)
http/www.manualowl.com/m/Acer%20Computers/Aspire-5349/Manual/257798
on page 3-37 it describes the power board removal (which incidently is right above below?) the power jack - doesn't look too difficult if you've already dove in before - I'm highly suspicious of that part at the moment. I don't know if you have a way to test it or if it's cheap enough to simply replace and hope.
I am at a loss, but as I said, I'm fairly convinced it is a power and not a heat issue - it's the lack of a BSOD or irregular shutdown message that has me more focused on power here.
EDIT: What about the battery, does it get hot while charging - it might get warm, that's normal but hot would be bad also.

 

[Sailfish572]

Don't have the manual, but thanks for the link. Just removed the power board, basically it's just a momentary switch, so I just quickly jumped across the leads on the ribbon cable after disconnecting it from the board. System started up, then as usual it shut down right after Booting (actually it usually makes it to windows sign in). Have not even been using a battery, just the power pack. Expect you are right on the power issue, most likely something with the distrubition on the MB.

 

[C12Friedman]

...most likely something with the distrubition on the MB.

That's the conclusion I'm at also
Maybe you can find something I overlooked in the Service Manual ...maybe?
I was so looking forward to a good conclusion here.

 

[Sailfish572]

Thanks for the ideas. Looks like not so lucky. Not worth the cost of a new MB. Will keep plugging along as time permts. Guessing you didn't miss much in the manual as most of their troubleshooting ends with * Replace Main Board. Thanks again, will post if I have any luck.

 

[NitroNino]

Dear Sailfish572,
I too have an Acer Aspire that keeps shutting down instantly. But I found that if you change the battery plan to Power Saver, it lasts for ages.

Hope this helps you, NitroNino

 

[Ross Holder]

Thanks, When I say it acts like it's overheating, it's because of the instant shutdown. Like it goes into the cpu protection mode. If I restart it, it may run for a couple of minutes, or it may be a few seconds. I spent a countless amount of time without the cover on trying to find the "hot" component. Absolutely none found. No hot spots on the board at all. Fan operates at the same speed, no matter what. Will take a look at the voltage, but there is certainly no overheating there. Initially thought that the HDD might be the problem, but removed that and the system still shut down just while BIOS running.

Did you ever find a solution to this problem?

 

[EastCoastCanadianMrFixIt]

I have had much success with doing the Oven Method as described on Youtube for many laptops.
I have just noticed (from Ebay Searches) that Acer is known for a Voltage Regulator (onboard) to go bad.)
This would be a fairly technical repair but not impossible.
Sounds like either a power issue or the graphics chip is heating up and seperating from motherboard and/or perhaps the voltage regualtor on the motherboard.
I suggest removing and installing devices. one at a time, like the DVD (just one screw at the very back of dvd and underneath) it pops out with a tug. I open the tray with a paperclip (there is a hole in most dvds) just insert it in the hole in the faceplate.
The memory is under a panel on bottom - there are retaining clips on each ram stick, just push these aside gently with fingers (can be tight squeeze) The ram then pops up and you slide it out. The reverse of this is slide ram in firmly and gently push ram into holding position.
The Wifi Card is a problem on many laptops, good to test laptop with it removed
The hard drive probably isn't the issue but a slight possibility.
Hope I didn't give you more problems to think about but for the Do-it-yourselfers, I suggest the oven bake method to fix this issue.
Oh, and a good cleaning of the Cooling System as well as new CPU thermal Heat-Sink Compound and a general cleaning of the motherboard with alcohol (I use toothbrushes).
To Reset the CMOS in most laptops One must detatch the battery and short circuit the two posts of positive and negative (Not on the battery Silly)
Good Luck.
East Coast Canada Rules!

 

[Samapushkal]

Thanks, When I say it acts like it's overheating, it's because of the instant shutdown. Like it goes into the cpu protection mode. If I restart it, it may run for a couple of minutes, or it may be a few seconds. I spent a countless amount of time without the cover on trying to find the "hot" component. Absolutely none found. No hot spots on the board at all. Fan operates at the same speed, no matter what. Will take a look at the voltage, but there is certainly no overheating there. Initially thought that the HDD might be the problem, but removed that and the system still shut down just while BIOS running.

Did you ever find a solution to this problem?

Hi,
Did anyone ever find a solution to this issue. I have an acer timelinex notebook doing the same thing. I have cleaned the heat sink and changed the thermal paste but it didn't help. Also cleaned the motherboard and other components. Kindly respond ASAP as I desperately need this to work.

Thanks,
Pushkal.

 

[ebadirad2323]

My Acer Aspire is doing the exact same thing. It randomly shuts down. It doesn't matter if I have been working 2 minutes or 2 hours but just randomly shuts off. I lose everything I have been working on even when I save it. I have sent it to Acer for repair and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They just set it back to factory default. It keeps shutting off even after getting it back from Acer. All I know is I will NEVER but an Acer product again.

 

[HANGMAN609]

MY ACER ASPIRE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM..IT IS NOT HEAT RELATED CAUSE I HAD OPENED AND CLEANED IT

 

[sid2k7in]

I am facing exact same problem with my acer timelineX 4820TG. Notebook crashed when I tried to update a driver manually and its been like this ever since. What I encountered is the heating problem could be due to intel HD graphic and ATI 5650m running simultaneously (had that problem in ubnuntu before). And it should work if one could install AMD graphic switching driver and turn off one of them. I even tried to remove the ATI chip but its soldered onto the board.

The workaround I found is installing OS in a SSD with my desktop, putting it back in the notebook and install the graphic driver(SSD helps in booting faster before it shuts down). After that its quite stable to work with. I tried cloning the SSD partition in my old drive with arconis but no luck (will probably try with norton ghost or some other OS clone software). Still trying to fix it as I dont have another SSD to use on laptop.

UPDATE: fixed it with the help of SSD

 

[bobengleschmidt]

This happened to me--the solution I found was just tightening all of the screws on the back of the machine. Apparently there is a safety feature installed that will shut it off while being serviced on, so if the back screws are not tight enough it can make it shut off.

 

[anteag]

I have an Acer Aspire S5 and also had problems with the machine disconnecting from the battery. I had to stop using the battery completely as it became so unreliable. Periodically, while plugged into an outlet, it showed a warning sign that no battery was connected.

My solution: I opened up the machine as if changing the battery and noticed that the battery contacts are very poorly designed so it's very easy for them to become disconnected. I've put a folded business card in above the battery to wedge the contacts more firmly and create a firmer connection. Problem solved, it seems. Let's see how long that lasts!