Chosen Solution
I have a MacBook Pro 17" 2.3GHz i7 Early 2011 BTO/CTO - MacBookPro8,3 - A1297 - 2352-1 The problem is that I cannot switch it on. I took it to the Cyprus Apple representative and replace the logic board (this is the problem according to the support center). Problem fixed but after a few months the same problem appeared again. What they told me is that there is nothing they can do, Apple aware the problem but they are not willing to do anything to resolve the problem. The only “solution” is that they call it “vintage” and furthermore they do not support it any more! They advised me to buy a new one. So I’ve spent 2500 euros a few years ago to buy this so called “super tool” in order to lose them a few years later without being able to do my daily work! Also Apple does not develop 17’ laptops any more. Instead of that you can buy only 13’ or 15’ at the same price 2500-3000 euros! Of course there is no way to buy again an apple product. Please note that I used to be an Apple man! I have two iPhones, an iPad, the MacBook Pro, For the office 4-5 more apple devices (iMac, MacBook Pro, Apple TV etc). Honestly, I hope this is not the truth and there is something else you do in order to resolve the problem.
Maybe you’ll get lucky and it’ll be a bad charger controller chip. That chip sends out the main power rail of the computer. However, I want you to open the bottom case and with the lid open, keep watch of what the fan does. Spin for a second then shut off = Power cycling. This is the issue that board repair techs rip their hair out with. In your case with that board, it will almost always be caused by the GPU (Graphics chip) being shorted. Spin continuously but no chime = No brain. The GPU is dead and is stopping the machine from posting. No spin = System is not reaching an operational state and can be fixed by a board level technician.
Best bet for you would be to find an Independent Repair Shop near you who is specialized in Apple repairs. The best repair you can find in a Apple Store is: replace the board and after a while replace the whole device for a more recent one. Louis shows in one of his videos the most common problem of this device, this involves micro-soldering skills but it can be done. A lot of people are in your position and they want to keep for as long as possible the 17" MacBook Pro.
No one want’s to address your issue here! Everyone just wants to gripe. That of it not powering on. So I’ll look at that problem. It’s a poor tech that wants to replace the logic board first. First let’s see if it will spontaneously boot. Disconnect the the mag-safe, disconnect the battery from the logic board. Press and hold the power on button for 5-10 seconds. Hook up the battery then the mag-safe. Tell me if it booted.
