Comments on: How I fixed trackpad, keyboard after water spill on Macbook Air

By: Vipul

Vipul — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:47:02 +0000

Hi. Thanks a lot for these useful tutorials. Much appreciated. I do have a question if you don’t mind. Coffee was dropped on a 2015 mac book air a couple of years ago. We assumed the laptop was dead and replaced it. We decided just to turn it on a couple of years later and it switched on but battery was dead and worked through the cable. However also noticed the track pad and keyboard weren’t working but by using an external Bluetooth keyboard and mouse we had full control. I decided to replace the battery and then the trackpad and keyboard started working… for 2-3 mins and then stopped. Left the laptop for a day and then again the trackpad and keyboard worked for 2-3 mins. So it appears that they only work for a few minutes and die. Would you have any incline why both work intermittently and then die at the same time? Any help appreciated. Thanks

By: IML Tech

IML Tech — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 17:17:05 +0000

In reply to Shad. I prefer to use regular water for cleaning liquids with sugars in it. Alcohol doesn't work well in these cases. Just make sure it's dry completely before connecting power. Disconnect the battery from the motherboard. The laptop should turn on by itself when you plug in the AC adapter (models 2012/2013 and up). The the laptop with an external USB keyboard. If it works properly, most likely there is a damage to the trackpad/keyboard. Cannot tell you more without looking at the laptop.

By: Shad

Shad — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:28:54 +0000

Man this is awesome write up very clear pics and detailed instructions. My issue is as follows for Macbook Air 2013 – 13.3″. I opened the laptop and cleaned the trackpad area with Lysol wipes due to mild Juice spill on trackpad. After cleaning and put it togather the laptop would not turn on. I opened it again used a blow dryer gently thinking may be it will dry the water which then it turned on right after connecting the magsafe but was peridoical. Then I realised the keyboard is not responding so attached the external keyboard which help me log in atleast. So now…
– My track works fine.
– Cant turn on the Mac as the power button is not working and do not know how to turn it on with Windows keyboard.
– I disconnected the Keyboard cable from trackpad can’t see much (probably need some magnifying glasses)
– cant clean anything as I have 91% alcohol.
– There is no lag
My question is what do u think the issue here is? I was told it might be logic board but its $270+labor to fix it and don’t think its the cause and I don’t wanna spend $300+ for a 2013 laptop. There was no spill on the Keyboard so I am not sure if that the issue. But I am assuming the Lysol wipes I used was the issue n may be the liquid from wipes must have cause the issues. If you can please guide me here I would really appreciate. Thanks

By: C

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 01:57:49 +0000

Hey there,
So I had water damage, and I’m having a problem that isn’t quite expressed above. So my keyboard works fine and the trackpad will click fine, but does NOT move the cursor at all. External mouse works fine. I’m assuming this means just a new trackpad, but I’m wondering if it would be worth trying to just replace the cable first. I suspect the fact that the keyboard works indicates that the touchpad cable is fine and that the trackpad itself needs to be replaced, but I figured I’d ask in case I have a chance to save myself some money. Thanks so much for the tutorial, very helpful.

By: IML Tech

IML Tech — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 22:57:47 +0000

In reply to Miguel. Miguel, you can buy a pre-owned top case assembly with the keyboard and touchpad for about $25 here: https://ebay.to/3buSDKR Step-by-step top case replacement instructions for a 13" MacBook Air 2015 laptop are here: https://bit.ly/38nBsJd Most likely your keyboard/trackpad/cables are damaged and have to be replaced. I cannot give you a better advise without looking at the laptop. Hope it helps.

By: Miguel

Miguel — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 22:10:55 +0000

Hi, very detailed tutorial, looks great.

Perhaps you could help me with a problem?
I recently spilled liquid on my MBP 13inch 2015 model, I stupidly turned it on the next day instead of drying it for longer. Both the keyboard and trackpad stopped working and there was a beeping noise. Laptop works fine with usb mouse also, not even power button on keyboard works. Repair shop is charging me loads for a whole top case replacement.

Is there any chance to repair without replacing the top case?

Thank you very much

By: Jan

Jan — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 08:42:39 +0000

In reply to IML Tech. Thx for reply, I will try the procedure above.

By: IML Tech

IML Tech — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 21:01:23 +0000

In reply to IML Tech. If the laptop boots properly and it's laggy only while you are using the internal keyboard/trackpad but at the same time everything works properly with the external keyboard/mouse, I think the damage is somewhere on the internal keyboard/ trackpad side, not the motherboard. Even though it's hard to tell without disassembly. Liquid spills are very unpredictable and sometimes you can get very weird failures.

By: IML Tech

IML Tech — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 20:53:22 +0000

In reply to Jan. Jan, here's what you can try to figure out if your problem is related to the keyboard/trackpad or motherboard. I'm not sure how technical you are but that's what I do in cases like that. 1. Disconnect the trackpad cable. On my picture 5 from the top it's color-coded in yellow. Unplugging this cable will disconnect your internal keyboard and trackpad. You can unplug this cable without removing the battery. 2. Plug in your external keyboard and mouse into the laptop. 3. Connect the MagSafe adapter. The laptop should turn on automatically by itself without you using the power button. The power button will not work because it's located on the keyboard which you disconnected in the step 1. 4. Login to your account with the external keyboard connected (while internal disconnected). 5. Test everything. If the lag is still there, this is logic board related issue. If the lag is gone, most likely you'll need new top case with the keyboard and trackpad for your Mac. Also, make sure to take a look inside the trackpad connector and look for any liquid damage.

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 20:41:37 +0000

In reply to IML Tech. Laptop works perfectly, with external USB keyboard and mouse there is no problem. Lags concern only typing on the keyboard or touching the trackapad and only after logging (disk encrypted). Before that, even the keyboard and trackpad are perfectly fine...