Spilled diet coke into my Macbook Pro

[wdfifteen]

Pickup up a glass of Diet Coke and bumped the edge of the screen. Splashed liquid into the keyboard. The computer instantly went black and won't restart.
I keep a Passport running Time Machine connect to the computer at all times. This morning I migrated the latest Time Machine backup to my desktop Mac, so I'm up and running, but I want to fix the Macbook. I ordered the special screwdrivers but is there anything I can or should be doing in the mean time?

[Scott Douglas]

IF this had been me, I think I would have turned the computer off and removed the battery (don't know if that's possible on a MacbookPro). Then I would have flushed the keyboard with bottled water, shaken out what I could and put it in a plastic bag, open, then inside a bag of rice for a couple of days or so. Let the rice absorb the water, then given it a try.
Good luck with fixing it.

[Seahawk]

We have all done it...I actually use a BT Logitech keyboard to save my MBP from me.

Quick search, lots of ideas:

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=cleaning+a+coke+spill+on+a+macbook+pro&atb=v72-1&ia=videos

[wdfifteen]

Those videos gave me some ideas, Paul. Thanks. They say let it sit for 48 hours to dry out (and rice doesn't help). I put it in a plastic bag with a package of Damp Rid. The screwdrivers should be here in a couple of days. I'll let it sit until then and then open it up and take a look.

[group911@aol.co]

I heard intense sunlight and Lysol injected through the usb port will fix it.
Sarcasm

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Those videos gave me some ideas, Paul. Thanks. They say let it sit for 48 hours to dry out (and rice doesn't help). I put it in a plastic bag with a package of Damp Rid. The screwdrivers should be here in a couple of days. I'll let it sit until then and then open it up and take a look.

The battery is also very easy to remove with the right video co-pilot!

[Scott R]

Depending on the year 2015 > liquids spilled on the keyboard pool right below the "5" key and slightly aft causing the CPU and GPU to fry. You will need a new main board.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Depending on the year 2015 > liquids spilled on the keyboard pool right below the "5" key and slightly aft causing the CPU and GPU to fry. You will need a new main board.

Ouch.

I'd leave it upside down to drain, maybe it'll resurrect itself.

rjp

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

Ouch.

I'd leave it upside down to drain, maybe it'll resurrect itself.

rjp

I'd give it three days...

[island911]

I had a flip phone go thru the wash - while it was turned on.

I took it a part, rinsed it thoroughly, scrapped the green oxide off from between the traces, let it dry for a day, and then used it for a few weeks, before it started glitching the screen.

The trick is in eliminating any shorting/bridging traces. Residue will short things. Power will drive those shorting traces. (remove all power, including the BIOS battery, clean with favorite solvent. )

[stomachmonkey]

You will need to wash it clean with water and let it air dry for a few days.

Diet Coke is corrosive.

You need to clean it well.

Check the moisture intrusion indicators to get a sense of how far the liquid traveled.

[stomachmonkey]

DO you have jewelers screw drivers and small Torx?

MacBooks don't use pentalobes like the phones.

Just standard phillips and Torx but tiny.

All the screws will use blue loctite.

If you've never crakked them before make sure you get a nice tight fit with the screw driver and gentle steady pressure to break them lose or you'll strip the heads.

Those boxes also go back together better when you spin the screw counter clockwise to get the threads to line up before tightening, they cross thread easily other wise.

[Scott R]

You can try Rossmann, they specialize in liquid damage and Apple products, but we're having a 10% success rate these days with water repairs. If it was on the caps blew.

https://www.rossmanngroup.com

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I'd give it three days...

I’ll be checking local caves.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

DO you have jewelers screw drivers and small Torx?

MacBooks don't use pentalobes like the phones.

Just standard phillips and Torx but tiny.

All the screws will use blue loctite.

If you've never crakked them before make sure you get a nice tight fit with the screw driver and gentle steady pressure to break them lose or you'll strip the heads.

Those boxes also go back together better when you spin the screw counter clockwise to get the threads to line up before tightening, they cross thread easily other wise.

They are torx and I don’t have a torx that tiny. Ordered one this morning. Thanks for the tips.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

MacBook Pro definitely does use pentalobe. I just upgraded the SSD in mine. Late 2015.

[wdfifteen]

So I left it in the bag with the dessicant and forgot about it until today. It's been in there a week. The fans were still running! It would not fire up though. I took the back off of it and noticed that the batteries looked like pillows, but assumed they were made that way to conform to the shape of the case.
I took it to the nearest Mac place and the guy got nervous when he saw the batteries. He unplugged them immediately. Apparently when Lithium batteries swell up it's a prelude to exploding! Who knew? After some futsing around he declared the screen is dead and the batteries are dangerous but for $125 he can clean it up and see if it will work with a new screen and new batteries. Or I can recycle it. I said recycle it.
When it stopped working I made a partition on my desktop Mac and migrated the MacBook to the partition. My computer now has multiple personalities. Some days it thinks it's a MacBook, some days it's a 27" Imac. Life goes on....

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

MacBook Pro definitely does use pentalobe. I just upgraded the SSD in mine. Late 2015.

Mine is a 2015 - don't know about early or late - and it definitely has torx.

[Scott Douglas]

Well look on the bright side. At least the batteries didn't blow up and burn your house down.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I'd give it three days...

wait..isn't that the time-frame you allow to elapse before calling the person after a first date?

oh, maybe its the time you live without water. i get so confused.