Battery Replacement for IBM Thinkpad T40 (Type 2374)

[boarnoah]

Hello there,

I own a used IBM Thinkpad T40 (Type 2374) laptop. Its an old laptop, very loud fans (Temperature is also very high - However I have noticed that the battery doesnt heat up much, most of the heat is from the central bottom where the CPU is). Other than that it works very well.

However for the last 6 months I have noticed that the laptop holds a charge in its battery (original) for shorter periods of time, since recently the battery doesn't store any charge. The LED battery indicator is at a permanent blinking yellow/orange state. The problem isn't with the adapter either as it runs normally with battery removed.

In the control panel (under Power Options) The battery is always displayed as Online, Critical. I have checked to see if the battery is in fact seated properly in its holder and it is, the prongs seem a bit wobbly to the touch but it feels very secure once locked in place.

I do not have any Thinkpad tools (that came installed) that would help to diagnose the problem as it recently suffered a corrupted partition and had to be reformatted.

Is this problem caused by a battery at the end of its life?

If that is so I am willing to buy a replacement however I found that there is quite a large price range for batteries on the market (From low $20 to $100). Some of the the batteries although marketed for the T40 have different models for supported laptops listed elsewhere.

I was thinking of something similar to this, but I am worried that these vendors aren't exactly trustworthy.
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4400mAh-IBM-ThinkPad-T40-2373-2374-2687-BATTERY-/160643241023

Newegg has some too but a bit more pricey:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834996671&cm_mmc=CNETFindPWRUS-_-34-996-671-_-na-_-na

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834992111&cm_mmc=CNETFindPWRUS-_-34-992-111-_-na-_-na

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997260&cm_mmc=CNETFindPWRUS-_-34-997-260-_-na-_-na

If anyone has experience buying similar parts (that were compatible etc...) could you please give me their details?

 

[hpfreak]

The battery is most likely dying, so yes- replacing the battery is the move to make if you want the portability of the laptop.
Newegg is a lot more trust worthy than Ebay.

Lenovo discontinued those batteries... That's one of the reasons why they are "compatible" with different brands of laptops, 3rd party companies make them instead.

To stay on the safe side, I'd go with the Newegg products, the prices just seem a bit distant. Look at the geniune battery and compare the details (voltages, milliamps etc..) to make sure that the specs match.

Good luck,

 

[jaguarskx]

Some batteries are made cheaply and so not provide good battery life, or may have very limited lifespan. The following Amazon link lists various batteries for various ThinkPads not just the T40 (can't refine the search).

http/www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=thinkpad+t40+battery&sprefix=thinkpad+t40+b%2Caps%2C150

Lenovo's official battery for the ThinkPad T40 costs $65 compared to some knock-offs selling for as low as $16. However, this is the extended 9 cell battery instead of the standard 6 cell battery so naturally it adds bulk and weight.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-THINKPAD-SERIES-CAPACITY-08K8197/dp/B00009IGSB/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1344719360&sr=8-7&keywords=thinkpad+t40+battery

From my experience with my IBM ThinkPad T40 (Lenovo bought the division in 2005), the standard 6 cell battery should give 5 hours of battery life. You can read through the various user reviews of the knock-off 6 cell batteries to find out how many hours people are getting of those batteries.

At over 9 years old, my T40 is still functioning properly. Sadly the battery now only provides little more than 2 hours of battery life. Not that it matters since now it just sits around under a dust cover.

 

[hpfreak]

Some batteries are made cheaply and so not provide good battery life, or may have very limited lifespan. The following Amazon link lists various batteries for various ThinkPads not just the T40 (can't refine the search).

http/www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=thinkpad+t40+battery&sprefix=thinkpad+t40+b%2Caps%2C150

Lenovo's official battery for the ThinkPad T40 costs $65 compared to some knock-offs selling for as low as $16. However, this is the extended 9 cell battery instead of the standard 6 cell battery so naturally it adds bulk and weight.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-THINKPAD-SERIES-CAPACITY-08K8197/dp/B00009IGSB/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1344719360&sr=8-7&keywords=thinkpad+t40+battery

From my experience with my IBM ThinkPad T40 (Lenovo bought the division in 2005), the standard 6 cell battery should give 5 hours of battery life. You can read through the various user reviews of the knock-off 6 cell batteries to find out how many hours people are getting of those batteries.

At over 9 years old, my T40 is still functioning properly. Sadly the battery now only provides little more than 2 hours of battery life. Not that it matters since now it just sits around under a dust cover.

Sheesh jaguarskx.. 2 hours is better than what I could hope for on my laptop when it was new. xD Now I'm stuck at around 20-30 minutes at max.

 

[Supermuncher85]

My old T40 is still running as an internet radio streamer. The battery though died long ago. I bought an extended battery from this random battery site that I googled a few years ago. I can't remember their name or their website but it was about $40 and the battery still works. So I would anyone of those you linked should work.

As to heat you should probably air can out the dust from the fans at the bottom.

 

[boarnoah]

Thanks! Ill probably go for a reputable dealer then, (avoid the cheap stuff).

As for getting specs to match, this particular battery doesn't have much info written on it. The information I could find was 10.8V and 4.4Ah. Can't seem to find anything more specific on the back (and I don't have the manual as it is second hand) I suppose that info is all thats needed to buy the battery.

Do I have to worry about a mismatched no. of pins or anything like that?

 

[hpfreak]

Thanks! Ill probably go for a reputable dealer then, (avoid the cheap stuff).

As for getting specs to match, this particular battery doesn't have much info written on it. The information I could find was 10.8V and 4.4Ah. Can't seem to find anything more specific on the back (and I don't have the manual as it is second hand) I suppose that info is all thats needed to buy the battery.

Do I have to worry about a mismatched no. of pins or anything like that?

No need to worry about that. Just make sure that the batteries are the same model.

Good luck,

 

[boarnoah]

Best answer selected by boarnoah.

 

[sos85]

I found a very cheap replacement UK : http/starmall.co.uk/ibm-thinkpad-t40-battery/