Hi john,
The MacBook had coffee spilt on it. I only turned it upside down and cleaned it with a rag. I finished a class I was logged on to and put it asleep thinking everything was ok. Got home and it would not power on. I'm just wondering if I can jump start it to rule out logic board issue. The board is different then your YouTube post where you point out the jump points.
Is it true the points are at the keyboard ribbon cable? Is the ribbon cable accessible without tools? Could it be under a small metal cage that is has the nintendo screws. Or is it not possible to jump start these newer unibodys. I don't really have time to do the keyboard replacement but it would be nice to know if it was a total loss.
A little history.. I did replace a key board and LCD screen in a 13 inch white MacBook a few years back for my girlfriend with a friends tool kit. I again have no tools and in a panic last night tried to remove the bottom of the MacBook pro with a knife and when it slipped I managed cut a peace if my thumb off. Boy that last screw. Looks like no stitches but is a cut. I'm lucky to have a thumb as the little pocket knife is vary sharp. Now that I think of it I could care less about the computer. Just looking at my thumb.
Thanks Play safe and do not panic as I did.
Comments
If you have the early 2009 model, the pads are just to the left of the memory slots, and just to the left of a small pin that is between the two screws at the left end of the memory slots. They are fairly visible, and just left of this pin. If you have the 2010 version (I think this is what you have), it's in the same area, but about another inch further left, just left of a small orange cable, and just right of the screw in the bottom-left corner of the logic board.
It is recommended to disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable before jumping the board, because depending on the damage, the power button may be stuck in place and prevent jumping from occurring. You can always try it both ways. In the 2009 model, you're looking for an inch-wide ribbon cable very close to the right side of the memory slot, and in the 2010 model, it's under a metal grate in the same place that must be removed first. The cable can be disconnected by releasing the plastic clamp from both sides with a small flathead screwdriver, and then pulling the cable out once it is free.
Anyway, good luck!
Little more history I did not turn the computer off after I spilled the coffee. I turned over the laptop and padded it with a rag and put it to sleep. Came home 6 hours latter and it would not power on.
Any way you were right looks like I have the 2010 model. I was not able to jump start the computer. I think the board is fried now but maybe I can now find out..... for sure? Would you describe the jump start pads as square, silver, and looking like a drop of solder or are they smaller round things that are also silver with a black dot in the center? To the far left of this stuff is a nintendo screw and above it are black and gray cables. I used a paper clip ( maybe not a good tool) to touch two of the pads but I am concerned the pads might pop off if I mess with them. Does it sound like I am doing this right? Should the laptop be plugged in when I do this because the green light is vary week on the jack? What If the battery is dead? I did get the orange cable disconnected after taking off the grate. If I can not get it jump started, what might I do next? I would like to take a look under the board and see what the liquid damage looks like.
Thank you
If you're risking them "popping off" then you are applying too much pressure...it's only necessary to tough them lightly. A paperclip should be fine.
You should also test the RAM slots by powering on with one slot empty, and then with the other empty.
It's very likely you fried the board, because after the spill you did not shut it off, which most likely means it got fried. When you have a liquid spill, you should ALWAYS turn it off immediately, clean it up, let it dry, and then try powering on.
Okay the logic board looks good. After taking it out I found under it a nice even layer of dust. So I am fairly certain that no liquid dripped through the three layers of key board. I cleaned off the dust with a q-tip and alcohol. Not a good idea I should have used an old tooth brush because the q-tip tents to leave some cotton on the components. I will take your advice and retire a tooth brush and do it right before moving on.
After taking out the 50 small screws of the keyboard. I pulled out the keyboard and on the metal backing of it, I did found what appeared to be a little bit of cracking old liquid that was sticky to the touch. I decided to clean it off. On further examination I found a blemish .... It looks like a fried/ melted spot on the first layer of plastic that has (I'm guessing) inside of it the circuit of the keyboard.
John do you think that what I found is corrosion and the source of the problem? Maybe I could buy a keyboard for under 100 bucks and have a MacBook Pro again?
I also took out and cleaned up the dc connector because it was filthy. Other wise every thing is cleaned up. Just not sure what to do next.
A better approach, like you mentioned, is to make sure the board is clean and free of corrosion. Dust can short out a board, so it's important to make sure you've cleared it away. Look at the board under a magnifying glass and with a flashlight. When the light on the AC adapter plug is dim, it's usually due to board damage, but to be 100% sure you might want to replace the DC-in. Also, try another AC adapter, and test your RAM slots by leaving one slot empty, and then the other slot empty. Often RAM slots are bad, and if you remove RAM from the offending slot, the computer functions normally.
But if you try all this and still have a dim light, and the machine won't start, you have a 99.9% chance of a bad board, and a new keyboard is definitely not going to help.
A few leftover screws are a few leftover screws too many, and any one of them could account for a dim light. Especially if you've used wrong screws in any location. Go to ifixit.com for a guide in order to make sure you're doing it right.
I'm not speaking hypothetically -- I deal with thousands of Apple laptops a year, and unbodies by far have the worst record for bad boards and liquid damage, far more than iBooks, PowerBooks, and earlier MacBooks. It's getting to be a big problem for refurbishers, because we have piles of unibody carcasses, and not enough good boards.
The thing is, if you have a dim light on the AC, a new keyboard/power button is not going to fix that. And the DC-in is only very very rarely part of the problem, unless it has corrosion right on it, so I would not suspect it. By replacing it you're just shooting the messenger. So it's very unlikely anything is going to change with a new DC-in, and especially a new keyboard, as long as you have a dim light. Remember to test the RAM slots by powering on with one empty and then the other empty, because the extremely common issue of a bad slot can cause a dim light.
If you had a solid green light, which it doesn't sound like you do, then the proper approach would be to jump the board, because buying a keyboard without jumping the board is to take a shot in the dark. Only at that point if you were able to jump the board would buying a new keyboard/power button make any kind of sense. And if you weren't able to jump the board at that point, I'd scrub down the board on both sides with rubbing alcohol, try again, and if it still fails, it's likely a lost cause. Beyond that, it's a matter of having the schematics and also being really good with a soldering iron and a multimeter, and most of the time that kind of effort is just not worth it. I wouldn't call jumping the board "out there"...it's pretty much the most basic troubleshooting step you can take with these laptops, and it's critical to knowing whether you're looking at a bad board or a bad keyboard/power button. But like I said, a green light is a prerequisite, because no board will power on with a dim light.
Liquid damage can be as subtle as to not be visible at all, but more commonly it looks like a dried dusty/milky stain. The board should have a shiny finish, and liquid damage eats away that finish and makes it look dull.
I always find it more productive to simply pay attention to the symptoms the laptop is presenting rather than try to determine what happened to it, because the symptoms are concrete, and what caused the issue is likely something you'll never know.
No, a bad keyboard has absolutely nothing to do with a dim light on the AC. You can disconnect the keyboard cable on a working MacBook and the light should still be solid green. A dim light usually indicates a power issue. Again, you can't jump a board with a dim light -- you have to have a solid green light first.
I'm sorry, but the people who would disagree that a few leftover screws are OK are incompetent. Screws are there for a reason -- they hold the board and other components in place. If thing start moving around, you run the risk of additional wear, and electrical shorts. Plus, if you have screws left over, there's a very good chance you made other errors as well. You should follow the guides on ifixit.com.
I put most of it back together all except the bottom case/ lid thingy. It was nice to see the green light light up strong. The computer actually started up where I left off back in September 2011... same web pages opened as when it stopped working. I have noticed that the "O" and "I" # "9"buttons are not working. Also the power button is not functioning like normal. It did turn on just not on the first press. Kind of hesitant to turn it off again. I will though after in a few minutes.
Im thinking that cleaning the DC- in board was what helped it power up as that is where maybe the liquid dripped, it was dark and sticky now its better. As for the keyboard think I saw the melted spot ...a few keys were fried. Anyway thanks for your assistance John I appreciate it.
I was playing around a bit to try to hook up the white macbook to the mbpro to use the keyboad. Also i forget my password so no big deal... I might just start fresh and put the newer osx if it all works out ok. I am able to use it in guest mode so stuff is working almost. I may wait till I can order a new keyboard and DC-In from Ebay. And then the disassemble
John