Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

7

Time Required

                          2 hours

Sections

1

  • How to Correctly clean corrosion from a MacBook Pro logic board.
  • 7 steps

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2

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Introduction

However in some cases this process will pave the way for a complete MacBook restoration.

What you need

Step 1

              Remove your MacBooks Main Logic Board
  • Your first step is to remove your MacBooks main Logic Board, this process will very from model to model and the guides are readily available on iFixit. For this example we will be disassembling an A1502 MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch.

Your first step is to remove your MacBooks main Logic Board, this process will very from model to model and the guides are readily available on iFixit. For this example we will be disassembling an A1502 MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch.

1024

Step 2

              Remove the heat sink and thermal paste.
  • Next, we are going to remove the heat sink and thermal paste. Again this step will very slightly from model to model but is important to ensure proper cleaning.

Next, we are going to remove the heat sink and thermal paste. Again this step will very slightly from model to model but is important to ensure proper cleaning.

Step 3

              Clean the obvious corrosion.
  • Place the MLB on a lint free towel and begin to carefully remove any visible corrosion with a tooth brush and 99% Isopropyl alcohol. AT this point I would take pictures of the affected areas before cleaning so you have an idea of where to start diagnostics once the board has been cleaned.

Place the MLB on a lint free towel and begin to carefully remove any visible corrosion with a tooth brush and 99% Isopropyl alcohol. AT this point I would take pictures of the affected areas before cleaning so you have an idea of where to start diagnostics once the board has been cleaned.

Step 4

              Ultrasonic bath - NOT OPTIONAL - Turn your volume down
  • Placing the board in an ultrasonic bath for 15 minutes at 40c with some type of electronics safe detergent will ensure that corrosion that is not visible to the naked eye will be removed. Electricity is the catalyst for corrosion, even a small amount left untreated can come back to bite you. In my opinion a toothbrush and alcohol alone is risky.

Placing the board in an ultrasonic bath for 15 minutes at 40c with some type of electronics safe detergent will ensure that corrosion that is not visible to the naked eye will be removed. Electricity is the catalyst for corrosion, even a small amount left untreated can come back to bite you. In my opinion a toothbrush and alcohol alone is risky.

Step 5

              Rinse and allow to dry.
  • Place the logic board in a shallow bath of 99% alcohol for a few minutes to displace the water from the ultrasonic bath. Use canned air or and electric air gun to blow the board dry.

Place the logic board in a shallow bath of 99% alcohol for a few minutes to displace the water from the ultrasonic bath. Use canned air or and electric air gun to blow the board dry.

Step 6

              Inspection, Inspection and more Inspection.
  • If you have a stereo microscope you should go over the board to look for damaged components or broken solder joints. If no microscope is available this would be a good time to loosely reassemble the unit and see if you have a good result. If the unit has visible issues board level you may want to consider finding a professional repair option.

If you have a stereo microscope you should go over the board to look for damaged components or broken solder joints. If no microscope is available this would be a good time to loosely reassemble the unit and see if you have a good result. If the unit has visible issues board level you may want to consider finding a professional repair option.

Step 7

              Test and keep testing until you get the result you want.
  • Like we said in the beginning, getting the MLB up and running is likely one of several steps required to restore a MacBook after a liquid spill. We hope this guide was helpful, Good Luck.

Like we said in the beginning, getting the MLB up and running is likely one of several steps required to restore a MacBook after a liquid spill. We hope this guide was helpful, Good Luck.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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Calvin Chong - Nov 3, 2017

Reply

The new mbpro has the logic board completely attached to the case along with the battery. Would it be possible to put submerge the entire thing in ultrasonic bath? or is that just going to destroy it?

nick - Jul 1, 2019

Reply

I have read on a Mac repair company web page that logic boards from 2015 MacBook Pros onwards should not be put through ultrasonic baths as it damages the CPU. Is there any truth/logic to this?