MacBook 09 unibody white not working (no power light on MagSafe adapter)

[Mikey323]

Hello,

I just got myself a unibody white MacBook from a yard sale for $50 without knowing if it's working or not but I was sure it wasn't in working order. I've tried known good working power adapters, I've even swapped out the battery but still no change (I have another working 09 unibody white macbook).

The LED light on the MagSafe charger doesn't turn colors Orange/green it just stays blank as if noting is connected.

After I took it apart I noticed what looks to be liquid damage as 1 of the sensors is red and some parts of the board are white/green and some parts even show some rust.

I've tried cleaning the board with 91% isopropyl alcohol but can't seem to get any of it off.

How would you guys recommend me repairing this? I've repaired tons of laptops and iPhones before but have never worked with liquid damage items this is my first.

I need some advise on what steps to take to get this board up and running again.

Thank you for all your help

 

[iDutchman]

Hello,

I just got myself a unibody white MacBook from a yard sale for $50 without knowing if it's working or not but I was sure it wasn't in working order. I've tried known good working power adapters, I've even swapped out the battery but still no change (I have another working 09 unibody white macbook).

The LED light on the MagSafe charger doesn't turn colors Orange/green it just stays blank as if noting is connected.

After I took it apart I noticed what looks to be liquid damage as 1 of the sensors is red and some parts of the board are white/green and some parts even show some rust.

I've tried cleaning the board with 91% isopropyl alcohol but can't seem to get any of it off.

How would you guys recommend me repairing this? I've repaired tons of laptops and iPhones before but have never worked with liquid damage items this is my first.

I need some advise on what steps to take to get this board up and running again.

Thank you for all your help

I've had a few successes with lost cases like this. It is important to first make sure all the corrosion or other visible blemishes are gone. 96% isopropyl alcohol can do this. In order to fully clean the board, you need to completely remove it since the both sides can contain corrosion.

The circuit board is damaged somewhere and might make it possible for energy to flow again through the board when all the corrosion is removed. I've done this with success! After this, clean the whole inside of the computer with the same alcohol. Never use too much although it 'fades' away rather quick. Also, the topcase is most likely damaged by the liquid spill since these models are sensitive to topcases going bad (I mean the whole casing has to be replaced in such a scenario).

You can test the board without connecting anything else. Get it out, clean it and connect it by attaching the magsafe board to the logic board and then connecitng the magsafe. if it remains dead, then is $50,- worth of parts for the other macbook.

I can't stress enough that the board has to be completely clean! It is possible the initial spill cause some capacitors or resistors to burn (although not obvious on first sight).