Questions regarding fixing of a liquid damaged macbook pro

Joined
Dec 6, 2009
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I recently got a liquid damaged macbook pro 13 unibody a1278 at a very cheap price. I've never been a mac user ever in my life and purely a pc user. But I always like to fix electronic things and bought it because it was really really cheap thinking I could fix it myself.

I'm guessing the damage is about 1-2 months old. Not sure what kind of liquid damaged it. Upon receiving it from the looks of it. I cannot see any type of liquid residue on the surface itself and is in mint condition. I opened up the macbook to check the logic board. I can see that there's white residue(didn't smell like juice/coffee..so I'm guessing its water) along circuit connections and it doesn't look like it has gone into other areas(superdrive, HDD, battery) of the macbook. So I've inquired and visited one local repair services. One guy is apple certified and other is not.

They said:
1. 80% of the logic board can be recovered but no guarantees. $100-150
2. Replace the logic board. $500-800

My questions:
1. If I purchase the A1278 logic board from ifixit.com and replace it... will it alone help this problem to restart the macbook?
2. Can I take out the HDD and put it in my dell laptop to see if the HDD still works?
3. Will I have to replace the RAM and processor because of liquid damage?
4. The HDD.. if I do take it out and format it..it works fine can I put it back into the macbook and reinstall osx?
5. The keyboard doesn't seem to have any liquid residue either..but its actually the only logical place for any liquid to enter from the top that is.
6. Lastly...why is the type of liquid important in liquid damages? ex: is water damage better than juices/coffee damage?
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
25,564
Reaction score
486
Points
83
Location
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
Your Mac's Specs
Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Hey harry: Pet urine? Yechh...:Angry-Tongue:

All kidding aside, you're right. There is no "good" liquid spill on electronic equipment. It's all bad. I guess with a little bit of luck he could replace that logic board and be OK. But who knows where else whatever spilled on the machine got into and what troubles it will cause later on?

Regards.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
6,879
Reaction score
191
Points
63
Location
Tucson, AZ
Your Mac's Specs
Way... way too many specs to list.
that white residue is likely corrosion.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
1. If I purchase the A1278 logic board from ifixit.com and replace it... will it alone help this problem to restart the macbook?

Hard to say. Many times liquid will run where you'd least expect it.

2. Can I take out the HDD and put it in my dell laptop to see if the HDD still works?

Sure, I'd recommend using a USB to SATA adapter. You can purchase one at any good computer store for about $20. Be aware that although you should be able to see the drive is Disk Management, Windows will not able able to mount the Mac partition without the help of 3rd party software.

3. Will I have to replace the RAM and processor because of liquid damage?

Not unless there is damage around the RAM. The processor is soldered fast to the system board and will be replaced with the board.

4. The HDD.. if I do take it out and format it..it works fine can I put it back into the macbook and reinstall osx?

Yes.

5. The keyboard doesn't seem to have any liquid residue either..but its actually the only logical place for any liquid to enter from the top that is.

It's easy to clean the key caps. It's hard to clean beneath them. It might look brand new and still not work.

6. Lastly...why is the type of liquid important in liquid damages? ex: is water damage better than juices/coffee damage?

Really, it isn't. Liquids and electronics don't mix, period.
 
OP
S
Joined
Dec 6, 2009
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for the answers cwa107.

Yea I tried the USB-SATA adapter in my external HDD enclosure. Seems to be working fine. It installed the drivers but cant actually see whats in the HDD. Im going to install macdrive 8 to see if its going to work.

I guess the only way I can check is to have a another MBP in hand to swap parts and test them. Better off taking it to a shop.

Unless someone in Toronto would like to help me out with this project.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top