Water Damage - External Display Working but not laptop display

[mje2815]

Hello,

I was hoping you guys could help me a troubleshoot a problem I'm having. A few days ago, I woke to find my mid 2009 MacBook Pro in a very shallow pool of water (probably a glass knocked over by my cat). I have two displays, one external Dell and the other one the regular laptop display. When I found it, the external display was working normally but the laptop display was flickering so I turned the computer off. After letting it dry for 5 days, some with the back cover off some with it on, I tried turning it on.

The result was that the external monitor worked fine, but nothing appeared on the regular laptop display (also the sound, keyboard backlight, keyboard and trackpad worked).

I tried cleaning the display data cable / connector with isopropyl wipes, but still no luck.

Are there any other components related to the display that I should try cleaning? Is there a diagnostic I can run to see the what the problem?

Thanks for you help,
Miles

FYI I'm not opposed to taken the logic board apart, but it would be a great undertaking for my skill set.

 

[GGJstudios]

Spilled Liquid On My Mac or Keyboard

 

[whoathere]

I had the same situation a month ago. I replaced LVDS cable, tried different display, nothing. I could see where the logic board fried at the Display connection. You could probably find my post with pictures.

I didn't take it to apple as the MBP smelled of beer so it was obvious what happened. I ended up sending it to 'Expert Mac Repair' out of D.C. For $680 I received a working MBP, with repairs guaranteed for a year, as well as a sign off that Apple had approved the repairs, so no change in AppleCare coverage. It was expensive, but better than scrapping and replacing. I highly recommend these guys, I worked with Sergio an Oliver. Very pleasant, quick responses, and my computer is in 100% working order. Couldn't have asked for a better turnout, and believe me, I was skeptical.