MacBook won't charge/run without battery

[Paytontx12]

Last week, I managed to spill a (sugary) drink into the hinge on the back of my Macbook. It shut off immediately, and I removed the bottom cover, dried the machine as best I could and set it under a fan for 2 days. I continued to let the machine dry for 3 more days while I waited for the tri-wing tool needed to remove the battery. When I removed the battery, there was more residue from the spill that I cleaned up. At this point, I tried to power up the macbook (both w/ and w/out the battery) with no success.

I then got another tool (a torx screwdriver - six pointed star) to remove the hard drive and optical drive -- more residue here. I cleaned everything I could see and let it dry overnight.

This morning the macbook powered up and seemed to be fully functional, save for: I had 50% battery remaining, but it would not take a charge. I removed the battery and plugged in the magsafe connector -- no power, no light on the connector.

I have come to the conclusion that the Magsafe board was fried during the spill. My battery seems functional, although I am unable to charge it now.

My question is... should I take it into an apple store to confirm this, risking that they will notice evidence of the spill thus voiding my warranty. My lcd was also damaged - there's a halo of brightness along the bottom of the screen - but that's for another day when I decide if it's worth replacing the screen.

This is a 15" MacBook Pro Unibody (mid 2010)

 

[Detrius]

My understanding from what you're saying is that you let it dry, but you never actually cleaned the logic board or the magsafe board. Is this true?

 

[Paytontx12]

I did some minimal cleaning -- isopropyl alcohol and cotton swab anywhere it looked like the liquid had reached. I used a keyboard air cleaner to help dry it out. This was all before the most recent bootup that worked.

But i didn't go so far as to remove either the MagSafe or logic board - only the hard/optical drive and battery.

 

[Paytontx12]

Update: I've been reading just about everything i can on situations similar to mine. Right now, my MBP is completely disassembled. I've done some further cleaning on the underside of the logic board, including a spray with contact cleaner.

My next step will be to soak the logic board in 91% isopropyl - but i want to make sure i've removed all necessary components.

I did remove the heatsink - i have new thermal paste on order to reapply when it's time to reassemble. Should i remove the metal plates that cover the processor(s)?? Also, should i try to remove all the existing thermal paste before it dries/before soaking??

 

[Paytontx12]

In case anyone is interested, my Macbook lived! I'm typing on it right now!

Seems soaking the logic board in alcohol did the trick. I came away with 2 very manageable problems:
- My LCD has some bright areas along the bottom of the screen. They are only terribly visible when there is a white area under them (which, unfortunately most web pages)
- My macbook won't sleep when the lid is closed. I've read that this is most likely a problem with the 'reed switch' - a magnetic deal that lets the computer know when the lid comes into contact with the top case.

I've read a guide on replacing the LCD and I'm afraid it's beyond my computer repair skill level...

As for the reed switch, I've seen where some people have fixed their issue by locating the magnetic area on the LCD bezel and rubbing a magnet on the top case in the corresponding location. No luck there for me. I've found at least 4 areas on the bezel that are magnetic - not sure how many/which are for the reed switch. I can't seem to find online the exact location of the reed switch for the newest (2011) model of the 15" Macbook Pro.

Any further help/advice with either of these issues is appreciated!