Forums
New posts
Articles
Product Reviews
Policies
FAQ
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Notebook Hardware
Macbook Pro Survived Coffee Spill, Should I Disassemble and Clean?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="thematrixhasyou" data-source="post: 1177018" data-attributes="member: 189914"><p>Hi all,</p><p></p><p>On Thursday, Jan 27 around 1:30 pm a friend of mine spilled his coffee behind my late 2008 Macbook Pro, and the coffee entered the laptop via the vents in the back. I cleaned the coffee off the exterior of the laptop and I shut it off and put it in my backpack since I had to leave for class (stupid I know, I should have taken immediate action to counteract any possible spill damage).</p><p></p><p>Around 3pm after my class, I tried to turn the laptop on and it would not boot. So, I hurried home and I purchased a torx #6, small phillips head screw driver, and a blow dryer. I disassembled the mbp and cleaned the visible coffee stains off the battery region on the back of the laptop. With the topcase off I blow dried the laptop for about 20 minutes, and I left a lamp with a 40w bulb over it for a few hours. I left it disassembled on my desk over night.</p><p></p><p>Today, Jan 28, around 4:45 pm, against my better judgment I reassembled my mbp and it works. I booted up just fine and I backed up all my data. Very lucky.</p><p></p><p>Now, although my laptop appears to be functioning fine, I am worried that the coffee has stained the internal components and will shorten the life of my laptop, or that my mbp will only function normally for a few days and then will give out. (for the record it was black coffee, nothing added).</p><p></p><p>So, since my warranty is worthless anyway, would any of you recommend that I take apart my mbp completely (that is, according to the guide on ifixit) and clean the internal components to remove as much of the coffee as possible? Or, should I assume that, since my mbp is functioning fine, the coffee has entirely evaporated and I shouldn't even bother cleaning it? </p><p></p><p>I definitely have the time to clean the laptop (and let it dry for 2-3 days), but I prefer not to so I don't risk accidentally messing something up, etc.</p><p></p><p>But, if it makes sense to clean the laptop, how would I do that? Should I use isopropyl alcohol or water? Should I only clean up visible coffee stains, or should I clean each internal component eniterly even if my naked eye can't spot any coffee?</p><p></p><p>All in all I'm looking to keep my mbp as healthy as possible with as little risk as possible. </p><p></p><p>I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. </p><p></p><p>Also, as an aside, the exterior of my mbp doesn't feel hot at all, but iStat Pro is giving me these temperature readings (they vary of course, even to the extent that when I go back to the dashboard to check them to write them here they change):</p><p></p><p>HD: 86 degrees</p><p>CPU: 99 degrees</p><p>Airport Card: 92 degrees</p><p>Enclosure Base: 83 degrees</p><p>GPU Diode: 119 degrees</p><p>GPU Heatsink: 103 degrees</p><p>Heatsink A: 103 degrees</p><p>Heatsink B: 92 degrees</p><p>*all in Fahrenheit*</p><p>I've heard that liquid damage can mess up heat dissipation. Would these temperatures warrant cleaning my laptop? I know it might be hard to interpret without context (ie, I don't really keep track of what my temps usually are), but I'd appreciate an opinion regardless. </p><p></p><p>Thank you!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="thematrixhasyou, post: 1177018, member: 189914"] Hi all, On Thursday, Jan 27 around 1:30 pm a friend of mine spilled his coffee behind my late 2008 Macbook Pro, and the coffee entered the laptop via the vents in the back. I cleaned the coffee off the exterior of the laptop and I shut it off and put it in my backpack since I had to leave for class (stupid I know, I should have taken immediate action to counteract any possible spill damage). Around 3pm after my class, I tried to turn the laptop on and it would not boot. So, I hurried home and I purchased a torx #6, small phillips head screw driver, and a blow dryer. I disassembled the mbp and cleaned the visible coffee stains off the battery region on the back of the laptop. With the topcase off I blow dried the laptop for about 20 minutes, and I left a lamp with a 40w bulb over it for a few hours. I left it disassembled on my desk over night. Today, Jan 28, around 4:45 pm, against my better judgment I reassembled my mbp and it works. I booted up just fine and I backed up all my data. Very lucky. Now, although my laptop appears to be functioning fine, I am worried that the coffee has stained the internal components and will shorten the life of my laptop, or that my mbp will only function normally for a few days and then will give out. (for the record it was black coffee, nothing added). So, since my warranty is worthless anyway, would any of you recommend that I take apart my mbp completely (that is, according to the guide on ifixit) and clean the internal components to remove as much of the coffee as possible? Or, should I assume that, since my mbp is functioning fine, the coffee has entirely evaporated and I shouldn't even bother cleaning it? I definitely have the time to clean the laptop (and let it dry for 2-3 days), but I prefer not to so I don't risk accidentally messing something up, etc. But, if it makes sense to clean the laptop, how would I do that? Should I use isopropyl alcohol or water? Should I only clean up visible coffee stains, or should I clean each internal component eniterly even if my naked eye can't spot any coffee? All in all I'm looking to keep my mbp as healthy as possible with as little risk as possible. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. Also, as an aside, the exterior of my mbp doesn't feel hot at all, but iStat Pro is giving me these temperature readings (they vary of course, even to the extent that when I go back to the dashboard to check them to write them here they change): HD: 86 degrees CPU: 99 degrees Airport Card: 92 degrees Enclosure Base: 83 degrees GPU Diode: 119 degrees GPU Heatsink: 103 degrees Heatsink A: 103 degrees Heatsink B: 92 degrees *all in Fahrenheit* I've heard that liquid damage can mess up heat dissipation. Would these temperatures warrant cleaning my laptop? I know it might be hard to interpret without context (ie, I don't really keep track of what my temps usually are), but I'd appreciate an opinion regardless. Thank you! [/QUOTE]
Verification
Name this item. 🍎
Post reply
Forums
Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Notebook Hardware
Macbook Pro Survived Coffee Spill, Should I Disassemble and Clean?
Top
