Cleaning a logic board?

Sorry if there already has been threads like this.

My friend spilled some pop bottom part of the keyboard of her macbook (MBP 13") few months ago. However, it was working fine, other than the sticky keyboard, which she could manage.

Yesterday, I spilled a bit of beer on the upper part of her keyboard. The laptop was on while the beer was spilled, and we had music on. Music suddenly went off as the beer was spilled, but the screen seemed alright and everything else seemed to be working. I turned it off after a few minutes, turned it upside down for it to dry. Then a few hours later (stupidly) we tried to turn it on again. We could hear the sound of the machine turning on but saw nothing on the screen.

The next morning we went to the Apple store and it turned on, slowly, and seemed to be working fine. They opened up the laptop and showed us the logic board, which was apparently corroding and had residue on it. He recommended that we replace it for 600 dollars because over time it could corrode and become useless. He also said that it was possible to clean it with alcohol but you'd have to be careful because more things can go wrong by doing it if not done properly.

How risky/hard is to clean a logic board? I found few tutorials/ehows on how to clean a logic board with rubbing alcohol but the guy made it sound like it would be very risky to do it ourselves. I'm actually very clueless with computers so any help would be appreciated!

How risky/hard is to clean a logic board? I found few tutorials/ehows on how to clean a logic board with rubbing alcohol but the guy made it sound like it would be very risky to do it ourselves. I'm actually very clueless with computers so any help would be appreciated!

Click to expand...

The logic board has to be completely removed in order to clean it in a manner that will remove corrosion and prevent any future corrosive action. The reason it has to be removed is that both sides have to be treated.

Also... rubbing alcohol contains impurities and will not do a good enough job of cleaning. You would have to use denatured alcohol or a very pure acidy based cleanser such as pure vinegar. In reality, the board should be submersed or soaked in the cleanser for several hours.

And... what was not mentioned to you is the fact that you're going to have to replace her keyboard assembly in addition to treating the logic board. It's easier to replace the keyboard than cleaning it.

My opinion: Buy your girlfriend a new computer. She'll love you even more.

Regards.

You ruined it. It's only a matter of time before it fails, even if cleaned. Let me give you some advice, too...

If your friend is too clumsy to keep from pouring liquid in his very expensive computer, don't have liquid around it! I wonder how many people are crying, wishing they could rescue your friend's computer...

Thanks for your replies. I'm just looking for the best way to save her computer at the minimal price. I feel responsible for it because I was the one who spilled beer on it. I'm not her boyfriend, I'm just her girl friend. We don't have much money either; we're just college students. If cleaning it would make it better, even by a little bit, we would like to try it but I don't know how risky that would be.. That's what I was trying to ask. So do you recommend cleaning the logic board? Could that help a little? The Macbook apparently works ok for now.

My apologies for the gender-confusion!

humm said:

Thanks for your replies. I'm just looking for the best way to save her computer at the minimal price. I feel responsible for it because I was the one who spilled beer on it. I'm not her boyfriend, I'm just her girl friend. We don't have much money either; we're just college students. If cleaning it would make it better, even by a little bit, we would like to try it but I don't know how risky that would be.. That's what I was trying to ask. So do you recommend cleaning the logic board? Could that help a little? The Macbook apparently works ok for now.

Click to expand...

OK. I guess I was also confused over your gender. Regardless, there is really no easy way to repair her computer and having it done by an Apple technician will be expensive. If you feel competent in being able to remove the logic board and apply the cleaning suggestion I gave in my previous post, then go ahead and do it. It would be lots of work and might not be successful. But if you're both college students and can't afford a new machine, that would be the least expensive way.

Something you might ask your friend: Was her computer insured? Perhaps her parents have a home owners policy that covers items used by a student away from home? A long shot I know, but worth asking.

If we can be of more help, just post again.

Regards.

As a technician, ladies, let me give you some frank advice: its too late.

The pop has been working on this logic board for months, and it just got a fresh recharge from your beer.

If this had been water we were talking about, you'd have some hope; but anything with sugar and acid in it is a hopeless cause. The corrosion has already started, and cleaning it (even if you could do it, which since you indicate a lack of experience I'm pretty skeptical about) will likely do no good.

Your parents' homeowners policy, nor Applecare (if you had it) cover blatant abuse like this. I'm sorry, but the bottom line is that you'll need to replace the computer.

Learn the lesson from this, and ALWAYS ALWAYS keep drinks at least six feet away from a computer. Look for a used or refurb replacement, that's my only suggestion for a way to save some money.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in my honest option that's your only real option.

While it is likely the computer will bite the farm in the not to distant future, it never hurts to try.

With that in mind, you need some very small screw drivers that you can find at a radio shack for around 20 dollars. Aside from that you will need to follow instructions very carefully and if you set aside some time you can do it. The following link is a guide to taking your logic board out

Installing MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement - iFixit

After you get it out I would recommend you use something a little stronger than denatured alcohol because you already have some hard core corrosion started. I would suggest going to the hard ware store and getting some acetone and then using a very soft tooth brush. with the logic board in the sink (get your tooth brush dipped in the acetone and then gently scrub the board where you see corrosion. after you do that pour some and let it run under areas you can't get to like the main processor on the logic board.

After that is done pour denatured alcohol all over it... and finally using distilled water rinse the whole thing (but it must be distilled water)... now use a blow dryer to dry it and after it looks dry set it in a warm dry place and let it dry another 24 hours or keep blow drying it for an hour after you think it is dry.

To clean up the keyboard you will need to wash it. You can start with just running it under distilled water put it in a sink filled with it and soak it for a while.. then take it out and rinse it off with denatured alcohol... now blow dry. test the keys to see if they still stick if they do poor more alcohol on it and try again...

Good luck

By the way, acetone can damage the finish on some sinks, depending on what they are made of. Make sure the sink is porcelain, or stainless steel, not fiberglass.

Electrical contact cleaner worked for me. Just sprayed it liberally like the tech said, let it dry 4 hrs. Booted & runs fine.

Thanks a lot, I'll talk to my friend and see if we can try that.

Got nothing to, but don't rush it.... be as finnicky as possible, and allow as much time as possible, and who knows... could be a success