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3GS battery... it's big.

gr8whtd0pe

gr8whtd0pe

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 21, 2008
522
18
Dallas, NC
So I get a text from a friend tonight informing me his screen in his iPhone 3GS just popped out. I'm thinking yeah right, you mean you broke it. He brings his phone over and the top of the screen is in fact popping out of the case. Separated from the back. Kicking myself for not talking pictures of that. I take the screen out just thinking it has to be reseated and see that the logic board is bulging and is bent up. At this point I'm all like WTF mate? I take one screw out of the logic board to remove it, it rips two others out and pretty much flies out. This was reveled:

409437_210707465689342_100002502690126_403300_1509451832_n.jpg

WTF!

I take it outside as it gets larger, use pliers grab it by the plastic tab and rip it off of the back... and then put it in my hand and take a pic of it. :rolleyes:

402579_210707692355986_100002502690126_403301_613133172_n.jpg

I have NO idea how this happened. I say it was stepped on and cracked the battery, he swears that nothing happened.

Either way, battery could have gone boom. :eek:
 
Seems to be occurring more now, various stuff online about the expanding 3GS battery issue. There was a recent post about this issue on HF too. Still rare but with the batteries being older now, been more reports about it.
 
You may want to bury that before it explodes in your hand lol. Seriously though, I'd be cautious about using tool or anything on it.
 
That's crazy, that just happened to me. My battery was around the same size, but I wasn't so lucky, the screen came off along with the chrome and tore the power button cable. Logic board still works fine though,

https://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=320523&d=1326951415

That picture doesn't do it any justice.

Stab a vent hole in the battery before it pops... oh, and it's going to stay warm for a few hours, so empty out the kitchen sink and throw it in there ;)
 
kbfr08 said:
Stab a vent hole in the battery before it pops... oh, and it's going to stay warm for a few hours, so empty out the kitchen sink and throw it in there ;)
Click to expand...

Jesus Christ, do NOT, under NO circumstances, "poke a hole" into the battery!!

Get it outside of your house as soon as possible. If you poke it now, it will simply explode.
 
I had something similar happen Tia battery in a high end Logitech remote control. Long story short I went to a place near me called Batteries Plus to get a new battery and they told me that happens from over charging. Told me not to charge it until it was almost dead and to leave it off it's charging cradle unless I wanted it to charge, obviously. Maybe leaving the iPhone plugged in to much could do that?
 
Sounds like some reaction in the battery is generating gas - best take the thing to a recycling centre so they can deal with it. Frankly you wouldn't catch me handling something like that....
 
treichert said:
Jesus Christ, do NOT, under NO circumstances, "poke a hole" into the battery!!

Get it outside of your house as soon as possible. If you poke it now, it will simply explode.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know not to do that. I left it on my porch and told him to take it with him. What he did with it I don't know. I'll take a pic of the logic board tonight. It's warped but still works. The back has stress cracks like crazy in the middle but with it being black ill doubt if I can get a pic of it.
 
It looks like this is happening with a lot of aging 3GS models, as other forums have threads about this too.

Seems to be a redux of the swelling MacBook battery situation, back in 2006-07.
 
It happens from time to time. It usually happens to my gps's most likely cause they are plugged in charging 10 hours a day 6 days a week. Takes a couple years though.

When I see the screen starting to distort or something I order a new one.

What kind of charger does he use? And what are his charging habits?

Might even be something to do with the board not stopping the charge.
 
Small White Car said:
It's tough to come up with a totally new and unique never-been-seen-before thread on Macrumors.

Congrats...you managed one!
Click to expand...

Haha yay! Where is my prize? :D

As far as his charging habits I couldn't tell you. I really think it was crashed and the battery cracked internally. How the screen wasn't broken and it still works is beyond me.
 
gr8whtd0pe said:
Haha yay! Where is my prize? :D

As far as his charging habits I couldn't tell you. I really think it was crashed and the battery cracked internally. How the screen wasn't broken and it still works is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily, it's happened to others there's been more frequent post online about it in like the last 6 months or so, maybe something to do with the 3GS batteries getting up there in age (or certain ones manufactured in a certain time frame?). Happened to a buddies, woke up in the morning, and his 3GS was almost apart with a cracked screen from the battery expanding, only one I know personally that it's happened to though. Never happened to my 3GS and I still have it, actually I've left it in charging for the last week since I don't use it anymore and kinda forgot about it lol, and just checked it and it's a-ok lol.
 
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