Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Can't believe I just spilled tireshine INTO my ibook

California

California

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
I was on the phone just now. Just bought a used but good condition 1ghz ibook. I wanted to shine her up. I use this tire shine stuff on my black refrigerator and applicances and so, I thought, it would be good on the lid and bottom case of the ibook

Well, the guy I bought the book from had taken out the bottom screws on the bottom case and I accidently poured a teaspoon full of this tire stuff -- pretty much just water -- but spilled it INTO the ibook.

So I poured a ltite pure water in right after that to get it out -- should I flush it again with more water or what is MR consensus? Obviously i'm leaving it open and draining and NOT turned on and battery out.
 
Ideally you'd want to flush it out but you don't want to get any more areas wet than you already have. How possible is it to rinse the thing without getting other parts wet too?

Also, you probably already know to not use the thing for at least 24 hours, but there's no harm in reminders.

I guess I'd leave it if I were you though. I figure I'd probably do more harm than good trying to get it clean. I'd just let it dry. :eek:
 
mad jew said:
Ideally you'd want to flush it out but you don't want to get any more areas wet than you already have. How possible is it to rinse the thing without getting other parts wet too?

Also, you probably already know to not use the thing for at least 24 hours, but there's no harm in reminders.

I guess I'd leave it if I were you though. I figure I'd probably do more harm than good trying to get it clean. I'd just let it dry. :eek:
Click to expand...

Yeah, pouring more water into you iBook will more than likely cause it unrepairable damage.
 
You really want to make sure that it gets completely dry. If I were you I would disassemble the bottom half of the case and remove the parts. Wipe them down with a lightly dampened cloth then a dry cloth. Then leave all the parts out to dry. You really want to wipe it down because that tire shine stuff may leave a conductive residue on your motherboard. Before reassembly carefully scan every nook a cranny for any signs of moisture, perhaps probing hard to get to spots with a Qtip.
 
carpe diem said:
Put a blow dryer next to if for a couple of hours.
Click to expand...

Before you do that i would take some isopropyl alcohol and some Q-tips some dry and some wet and clean the inside take it all apart except the screen and clean every nook and cranny get the crap out of there. It is an oil base liquid and its not going to dry all the way. Dont get the Q-tips to wet with the stuff but just damp enuff to clean with. Then take a blow dryer to it, But not real close to it either cause it can damage parts
 
What spilled into it spilled only through the middle screw hole of the back of the 12" ibook. It seemed to have come out through the keyboard onto the screen (when it initially happened, the book was closed)

I think it'll be okay. If it is not, in to Apple I guess. I'll keep you posted tomorrow as it was going in to a local tech for a new topcase anyway.
 
California said:
What spilled into it spilled only through the middle screw hole of the back of the 12" ibook. It seemed to have come out through the keyboard onto the screen (when it initially happened, the book was closed)

I think it'll be okay. If it is not, in to Apple I guess. I'll keep you posted tomorrow as it was going in to a local tech for a new topcase anyway.
Click to expand...

Now if it got that far threw the system its in the keyboard's board and buttons now and prolly on the logic board to so i would if i was you take the thing apart and clean it if you not afraid of screwing somthing up or not being able to put it back togeather again. cause if you take it to apple you are going to pay a good penny for them to clean it out
 
Dang. Well, let's see if the logic board craps out. Help me, God.
 
pdpfilms said:
Yeah, pouring more water into you iBook will more than likely cause it unrepairable damage.
Click to expand...
Could give a small fireworks show if the wall power is connected

Also: remmeber you didn't spill the tyre shine, some fool spilt substance "Unknown" onto it and you insurance company requires a call
 
It's working fine.

I had a feeling that a quick rinse with pure water right after the spill would flush it out. Wasn't that much stuff that actually got in there, but enough to cause grave concern. After nearly 24 hours and using an ion blowdryer on the screw hole on the back of the machine for a minute, it is happily copying files now. Thank you God that it is working. Will take it in for a new topcase and new hd maybe superdrive Friday.
 
sorry to hear about your spill, i dropped my phone in a bucket of bleachy water once. I was really fast about it, as soon as it got in i pulled it back out and poped the battery before it can short circuit. Then i blow dried through the cracks, and left it there for about a day...it worked perfectly after that...and a couple months later i droped it again and did the same thing...works everytime.
 
California said:
It's working fine.

I had a feeling that a quick rinse with pure water right after the spill would flush it out. Wasn't that much stuff that actually got in there, but enough to cause grave concern. After nearly 24 hours and using an ion blowdryer on the screw hole on the back of the machine for a minute, it is happily copying files now. Thank you God that it is working. Will take it in for a new topcase and new hd maybe superdrive Friday.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that your iBook G4 is okay. That had to be extremely scary! :eek: I know that I would have freaked out if it had happened to my iBook G4 (typing on it right now for the first time :) ).
 
glad to hear that its fine n all but next time just go to the apple store and get some ibook/powerbook cleaner...dont giver yourself a heart attack.

If it happened to me (this is the only mac i got) i would freak out and cry like a big ole girl.

Bless
 
It's 36 hours later and the little iBook is running like a champ.

You know, I wasn't all THAT freaked out because I'd read in MR somewhere that people had flushed their pbs and ibooks out with A LOT of water at different times for different spills.

I ran the Applecare techtools test, came out fine.

Thanks for all your concern; tho I will be checking for damage when the topcase gets replaced and the hd and combo drive are switched out. Will be interesting to see if there is any telltale "water marks" inside the case.
 
zap2 said:
legal? one thinks not!
Click to expand...

Well, it WAS an accident. I didn't intend to drip plastic shine into my computer -- it did tip over into the hole. As I do have this type of insurance, if it was a catastrophic logic board failure, I might have decided to file that type of claim. Not illegal -- it was an accident. Though Applecare would not have covered it.
 
If you are going to do the upgrades yourself like I like to do, go to http://www.pbfixit.com. They have extensive repair manuals with visual aids and screw guides. Makes doing it yourself a snap. Just make sure you have the tools necessary for the job before you begin, or you'll likely strip screws or break plastic. I have rebuilt my 1Ghz ibook G4 twice now. It had a water spill, from previous owner, that resulted in hard drive failure. Apple wanted $690 to replace the board, but it was apparently unharmed after I cleaned it out with a little alcohol and Q-tips. If you don't get in there soon and clean it out, you will likely get some corrosion, even though you caught it quickly. Congrats on making it through the spill. :)
 
in this situation isoproply alcohol is your best friend, take it apart, and rub all components with the alcohol, and it will quickly dry off, you now have clean, completely dried parts. (i have saved watercooled PC that have gone awry this way many a time) parts are usually fine, its only when electricity is passed through them that they will be permanantly damaged from water. SO, that is all i can recommend to you. good luck, Mike
 
I think that because the stuff only went in through the middle hole on the back of the machine while the ibook was upside down, it dripped right through the machine onto the back of thekeyboard and onto the screen.

There have been no problems. I don't know why I wasn't more scared, but again, I think it was because I'd read about these kind of spills before in MR. So, thanks MR that I didn't lose my head over this and just calmly put some water through it and waited and then, it's working GREAT.

I will do the alchohol on q tips thing when it gets taken apart. Too busy now until next week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back