Laptop Dead Due To Spillage, Thinkpad T580, Where To Start With Fix

sare^baw's · 5 Jun 2020 at 21:46

Hi guys.

Once again i have had a spillage of alcohol on my laptop, i dont think the home insurance will cover it as im no longer staying at the registered address, im living in a temporary accommodation.

I am capable of changing whatever parts is needed however where would one start with diagnosing the problem. I dont have any specialist tools or testing equipment. The laptop does not even light up the small light, no power, nothing tries to start when i press the power button.

Is there anything i can do or should i take it to the laptop repair shop?

Lokken86 · 6 Jun 2020 at 05:24

Try submerging the whole thing in rice for a day. It quite often works.

OldKitMan · 6 Jun 2020 at 07:28

if something other than water is spilled into an electrical device then it will need a clean. find the manual for it and tear it down and clean it. you'll possibly see marks where the booze has dried up but the chances are some of the contacts will need cleaned. If that doesn't work then you can always run it under clean water and give it time to dry out completely. I've done that with stuff before that wasn't economically viable to repair but a rinse under a tap has yielded good results when there's nothing to lose by trying. Just make sure any batteries are removed.

d_brennen · 6 Jun 2020 at 07:52

The answer might be... More alcohol! Isopropyl alcohol that is. Take the board out, give is a good rub with a soft brush anywhere that looks like it's been touched by liquid, and anywhere that doesn't, allow to dry and test. Keyboard might be a lost cause, they are usually cheap enough on eBay. See if it boots first before ordering though

Give it a go, nothing to lose now.

sare^baw's · 6 Jun 2020 at 22:29

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Lokken86 said:
Try submerging the whole thing in rice for a day. It quite often works.

Many thanks for your reply, i today bought 4 x 1 kg bags of rice, 2 bags below the base and 2 bags over the keyboard. I know this is not ideal but its about all i could manage with whats in my flat. Fingers crossed

sare^baw's · 6 Jun 2020 at 22:36

OldKitMan said:
if something other than water is spilled into an electrical device then it will need a clean. find the manual for it and tear it down and clean it. you'll possibly see marks where the booze has dried up but the chances are some of the contacts will need cleaned. If that doesn't work then you can always run it under clean water and give it time to dry out completely. I've done that with stuff before that wasn't economically viable to repair but a rinse under a tap has yielded good results when there's nothing to lose by trying. Just make sure any batteries are removed.

Hi mate many thanks for your reply. If the rice is not successful then i will give this a shot. Ill have a look online for any relevant info i can get on tearing it down. Ill try and clean it and inspect it like you have suggested, many thanks.

d_brennen said:
The answer might be... More alcohol! Isopropyl alcohol that is. Take the board out, give is a good rub with a soft brush anywhere that looks like it's been touched by liquid, and anywhere that doesn't, allow to dry and test. Keyboard might be a lost cause, they are usually cheap enough on eBay. See if it boots first before ordering though

Give it a go, nothing to lose now.

Hi mate many thanks for your reply. If the rice is not successful then i will give this a shot. I can try and take it all apart and inspect it and clean it like you have suggested, like you said there is nothing to lose

sare^baw's · 9 Jun 2020 at 00:02

Guys just to give you an update with the good news. After 2 days in the bag of rice my laptop is working again which is brilliant news however the keyboard only has about half of the keys working. Im assuming this wont be fixable so it looks like i need to buy a replacement keyboard. I will probable remove as many parts as i can and give things a clean for good measure.

Many thanks guys for your great help and big thanks to Lokken for suggesting the rice trick, i never thought it would work but now im a believer

Lokken86 · 9 Jun 2020 at 04:41

sare^baw's said:
Guys just to give you an update with the good news. After 2 days in the bag of rice my laptop is working again which is brilliant news however the keyboard only has about half of the keys working. Im assuming this wont be fixable so it looks like i need to buy a replacement keyboard. I will probable remove as many parts as i can and give things a clean for good measure.

Many thanks guys for your great help and big thanks to Lokken for suggesting the rice trick, i never thought it would work but now im a believer

That's great news man glad to hear it. You should be able to get it working but worst case scenario a new keyboard isn't expensive. Sounds like it just needs a little more time maybe re orientate it. You could even take the back off at this point and take the hair drier to it then put it back in the rice.

sare^baw's · 9 Jun 2020 at 14:06

Lokken86 said:
That's great news man glad to hear it. You should be able to get it working but worst case scenario a new keyboard isn't expensive. Sounds like it just needs a little more time maybe re orientate it. You could even take the back off at this point and take the hair drier to it then put it back in the rice.

Good idea mate i will remove the keyboard and see if i can dry it out on its own. I dont have a hair dryer though as im living in temporary accommodation at the moment. I do have an oven though but im not sure if that will work.

sare^baw's · 9 Jun 2020 at 17:55

Hi guys. I removed the keyboard and put it in the bag of rice however there is so many keys that are not working that i dont hold much hope for it returning to full functionality. I read about putting it in a dishwasher but i dont have one. I can buy a UK backlit keyboard on ebay for 45 quid so i might have to buy one.

Another problem i have is my laptop is not shutting down. Restart always restarts, shut down causes a restart, sleep just wakes it up again, holding down the power button for 4 seconds causes a restart too. Can this be related to the power button as it on the far right and not really near the spill area.

Lokken86 · 9 Jun 2020 at 18:18

sare^baw's said:
Hi guys. I removed the keyboard and put it in the bag of rice however there is so many keys that are not working that i dont hold much hope for it returning to full functionality. I read about putting it in a dishwasher but i dont have one. I can buy a UK backlit keyboard on ebay for 45 quid so i might have to buy one.

Another problem i have is my laptop is not shutting down. Restart always restarts, shut down causes a restart, sleep just wakes it up again, holding down the power button for 4 seconds causes a restart too. Can this be related to the power button as it on the far right and not really near the spill area.

There's still a tiny bit of moisture causing some of the connections to cross over. It really has to be 100% dried out before full functionality can be possible.

d_brennen · 9 Jun 2020 at 18:45

Honestly I'd just give the keyboard a good soak in hot soapy water and a dry for a couple of days, nothing to lose. New UK layout keyboards are on the auction site for £35 though... If the liquid is sticky enough you may never get all the keys working again.

R.E. the power issue, could be some residue in the connector where the power button connects to the board. Have a look and see if their is any residue in there. If so give this a sloosth and brush with isopropyl, allow to air dry and try again

https://content.etilize.com/User-Manual/1045932969.pdf Page 94 if you haven't already had this apart

sare^baw's · 9 Jun 2020 at 22:47

Lokken86 said:
There's still a tiny bit of moisture causing some of the connections to cross over. It really has to be 100% dried out before full functionality can be possible.

Many thanks for your reply. I will try putting the laptop in rice again to see if it helps..... thanks again ;

d_brennen said:
Honestly I'd just give the keyboard a good soak in hot soapy water and a dry for a couple of days, nothing to lose. New UK layout keyboards are on the auction site for £35 though... If the liquid is sticky enough you may never get all the keys working again.

R.E. the power issue, could be some residue in the connector where the power button connects to the board. Have a look and see if their is any residue in there. If so give this a sloosth and brush with isopropyl, allow to air dry and try again

https://content.etilize.com/User-Manual/1045932969.pdf Page 94 if you haven't already had this apart

Many thanks for your reply. I did see the keyboard at 35 quid but i thought i may as well buy a backlit keyboard if thats the route im taking. I have put the keyboard in hot soapy water to soak. Is natural drying likely to be good enough or can i put it in the oven at a low temperature?

regarding the power issue ill get some isopropyl alcohol and clean that area of the main board, thanks for posting the link to the service manual, very much appreciated