Macbook Air shuts down unexpectedly after attempted repair from water drama

[5ilver]

So I was going to school one day when my water bottle leaked in my bag and got in contact with my macbook air mid 2011. Tried switching it on in school (I know I shouldn't have but I didn't know then) but it wouldn't power up. Left it out to dry for a few days, even tried the rice method but it didn't work. My warranty has expired and I didn't wanna go send it for repair because it's too expensive here in Singapore.

Decided to order some tools off ifixit and when they arrived, I opened my macbook up, cleaned the insides and let it out to dry. Thank god it started powering up again! It would work perfectly fine but then it would shut down unexpectedly after a few hours (even with the battery still full) and then refuse to power up again. Sometimes an SMC reset would do the trick and sometimes it wouldn't. Any advice?

 

[Dweez]

Yes - take it to an authorized shop for diagnosis.

 

[TheRealDamager]

There are a couple of types of damage that can happen with water damage - immediate shorts which fry parts of the machine, and a slower corrosion that can disable parts of the circuitry. Sounds to me like you have some corrosion happening which is affecting something internally. I think your only option is a real repair.

 

[michaelsviews]

So I was going to school one day when my water bottle leaked in my bag and got in contact with my macbook air mid 2011. Tried switching it on in school (I know I shouldn't have but I didn't know then) but it wouldn't power up. Left it out to dry for a few days, even tried the rice method but it didn't work. My warranty has expired and I didn't wanna go send it for repair because it's too expensive here in Singapore.

Decided to order some tools off ifixit and when they arrived, I opened my macbook up, cleaned the insides and let it out to dry. Thank god it started powering up again! It would work perfectly fine but then it would shut down unexpectedly after a few hours (even with the battery still full) and then refuse to power up again. Sometimes an SMC reset would do the trick and sometimes it wouldn't. Any advice?

Your just putting off the inevitable , take it in to the Apple Store or Authorized repair center.

Good Luck

 

[cyber16]

? What inevitable?
Without a doubt when apple sees the moisture detection stickers RED and other signs of liquid damage as the OP already knows comes the ONLY option Apple will provide is a high priced repair.

OP if you are getting a few hours out of it and then it shuts down, look to make sure your fan is operating.
Have you ran the hardware test to help with a few clues?
I have found most issues after liquid damage come from the magsafe I/O board or the attached ribbon cable or both, yet yours seems to be working.

Your just putting off the inevitable , take it in to the Apple Store or Authorized repair center.

Good Luck

 

[Gav2k]

Take all the components out and clean it all with contact cleaner. Dry off and put it back together.

 

[TheRealDamager]

Yes, we all realize Apple will charge him - it just may be the only way to get the machine to operate properly.

 

[dbroncos78087]

I'm going to echo michael on this, it's not going to be fun and it's going to cost you an arm and a leg, but you need to get a real repair done on the system.

Your drive SHOULD be fine and getting the chassis fixed should be all that needs to happen. Once you get that repair done, then you should be all set.

Repair is going to be cheaper than replacement.

 

[michaelsviews]

? What inevitable?
Without a doubt when apple sees the moisture detection stickers RED and other signs of liquid damage as the OP already knows comes the ONLY option Apple will provide is a high priced repair.

OP if you are getting a few hours out of it and then it shuts down, look to make sure your fan is operating.
Have you ran the hardware test to help with a few clues?
I have found most issues after liquid damage come from the magsafe I/O board or the attached ribbon cable or both, yet yours seems to be working.

Well for starters the more the OP does to fix the problem / investigate the problem he or she could end up doing more damage.

High priced repair for a high priced system. Personally I hope he can fix it on his own and it run's for years to come but in "REALITY" it's going to have to have professional repair's.

 

[cyber16]

It's a mid 2011 model.
The OP could purchase a working USED mid 2012 for the flat rate fee Apple will be charging him/her to fix it.
At this point, the condition it is in will be worth no less on the secondary market such as eBay if they tried a few things. At this point a liquid damaged air that boots and works for several hours has value being sold for parts or repair.
Taking those sales proceeds and replacing it would be better spent if the OP cannot get it working stable via self repair and used parts.

 

[gnasher729]

So I was going to school one day when my water bottle leaked in my bag and got in contact with my macbook air mid 2011. Tried switching it on in school (I know I shouldn't have but I didn't know then) but it wouldn't power up. Left it out to dry for a few days, even tried the rice method but it didn't work. My warranty has expired and I didn't wanna go send it for repair because it's too expensive here in Singapore.

Decided to order some tools off ifixit and when they arrived, I opened my macbook up, cleaned the insides and let it out to dry. Thank god it started powering up again! It would work perfectly fine but then it would shut down unexpectedly after a few hours (even with the battery still full) and then refuse to power up again. Sometimes an SMC reset would do the trick and sometimes it wouldn't. Any advice?

Talk to your home insurance company. It _might_ be covered.