Water weirdness...

[pawprint1125]

Hi folks,

Newbie here. I have a 13", 2017 MBA, and did something stupid. Never attached my silicone keyboard cover, and paying the price now. I spilled a some club soda on the keyboard. Shut it off, tried to get all of the moisture out, put a fan on it for 3 days. Moment of truth a little while ago, turned it on (I'm on it now).

It looks like the battery is fried. It works on AC only, remove the adapter and the machine goes dead. Battery percentage is stuck at 48%. Seems to work otherwise. I'm a pretty handy guy, already saw the youtube video on replacing the battery, and I'm also not given to take it into Apple. A job downsize has me trying to hold onto my pennies.

Should I wait a little while, perform some other hocus pocus to it. Any possibility of it coming back from the dead? Any other recommendations?

Would hate to have to buy a $100 Chromebook to replace this!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Audit13]

Although the MacBook may work now, I recommend disassembling everything, clean all areas with our products isopropyl alcohol, leave it apart for a few days, then reassemble. As the club soda dries, the residue can start to affect the components to the point where the MacBook developes severe issues.

I don't know how much liquid was spilled into the MacBook or the areas that the liquid reached but, if it was enough to fry the battery, I would not use it until I examined all areas of the logic board, especially the area of the board facing the backlight.

My recommendation may seem rather extreme but I've come across enough MacBooks that have been exposed to liquid that stopped working weeks or months later due to corrosion.

 

[AZhappyjack]

It's not really "weirdness" when one mixes water, electronic circuits and electricity. If the internals were not absolutely bone dry when power was applied, there's a better than good chance that something shorted and fried. How much club soda was "some"?

 

[pawprint1125]

Thanks. As far as how much - can’t really tell. A 12 oz. can, maybe half left, spilled, most went on the floor, but some...

I’ve wanted to open it up but can’t find a pentalobe tool locally. Have ordered one from Amazon, but it will take a couple of days. I think I’ll turn it off now.

Does drugstore isapropol alcohol work okay? I know it’s around 70%? Okay to use?
[doublepost=1556926656][/doublepost]And how much alcohol to use? I've read a lot of different methods, including someone who practically bathed his machine in it! FWIW, the battery indicates it is at 48%, but isn't charging...

 

[Audit13]

I recommend that you stopusing it and disconnect the charger.

You can wet a Q-tip with the alcohol and swab the board. Make sure you use 99% or higher alcohol. Anything less will contain other liquids which you don't want touching the board. The alcohol will dry very quickly.

 

[pawprint1125]

Received the tools, alcohol, and a new battery from Amazon. Took it apart, cleaned it all with alcohol, put it back together with the new battery - and same thing.

It occasionally sees the battery, but mostly not. On AC, computer works fine, but will not work if current is pulled. Oh boy. Short of a new logic board, anything left for me to try?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Audit13]

Does the headphone jack and usb port on the MagSafe side work?

When the battery is detected, do you see the battery charging on the desktop? Does the charger go from green to orange when connecting the charger?

 

[pawprint1125]

Headphone jack and USB port both work.

The light on the charger OCCASIONALLY lights green, goes orange, and then eventually goes out. When the battery IS detected, it does not show the battery charging.

 

[Audit13]

With the battery disconnected, does connecting the charger cause the MacBook to power up on its own? If yes, does the LED on the charger remain lighted?

It could be a bad MagSafe i/o board too.

 

[Analog Kid]

It occasionally sees the battery, but mostly not. On AC, computer works fine, but will not work if current is pulled. Oh boy. Short of a new logic board, anything left for me to try?

If it ever sees the battery, then it starts to sound more mechanical than electrical. I’m sure the power system is pretty complex, but if water fried something electrically then I’d expect it to never work— or work so briefly that the protection circuits cut in before you notice.

I don’t want to send you on a wild goose chase, but it might be worth cleaning some connectors, including the external side of the MagSafe...

 

[pawprint1125]

I disconnected the battery. Plugging in the charger DOES boot the machine up. The charger light isn't on...

 

[Audit13]

Could be an i/o board issue. If a replacement doesn't fix the issue, I would conclude that it's a problem with the main logic board if the charger and battery are fully functional.

 

[pawprint1125]

Thanks, folks. So you think it's worth a shot to purchase and replace the I/O board? I can buy a new one on ebay for around 37 bucks.

Of course, as I type this, the orange light on the charger just popped on...

 

[Audit13]

Where are you located? Maybe you can find one locally for a bit less?

 

[pawprint1125]

Hi again folks...

So I purchased an I/O board - cheap enough at $23 to try. Arrives later in the week.

So, another “ask.” The battery connector on the logic board popped off, probably because I unplugged it one too many times. It seems like an easy fix to glue it to the board. Is there a preferred adhesive, other than Super Glue? Thank you.

 

[Audit13]

You mean the plastic housing around the pins came off? You don't need to glue it on. You can just attach the battery and cover it with kapton tape.

 

[pawprint1125]

Yes, that’s what I mean - and that works! Thanks...