Spilled coffee on PC. Seeking advice.

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dyrkane

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May 13, 2017
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I spilled a small amount of coffee on my PC and it instantly shut down. I quickly turned over the case. I then powered my PC not knowing that was the last thing I should do. The PC booted normally but after a few minutes it shut down. I inspected the components and found that the motherboard and GPU were the most exposed. Everything else in the case seemed isolated from the spill. I tried to boot a few times before learning that was a bad idea. The fans start but the MSI B150M motherboard CPU debug LED comes on and the system does not post. I have since disassembled the system, wiped down all components and left it all out to dry. I plan to wait at least a day before powering anything.

Given the events I described can anyone infer which components were effected? I highly doubt any liquid reached the CPU. I checked the fan, heat sink and processor thoroughly and found no liquid. Is it safe to assume the PSU is okay given that the system stays powered but doesn't post? If I disconnect the GPU, power the system and get the same error LED, is the motherboard likely the issue? Does the CPU error LED necessarily indicate a processor issue or could it indicate that the motherboard is unable to interface with the CPU? Thanks, and sorry for the barrage of nooby questions!
 
Solution
DSzymborski
Unfortunately, with a liquid splashed into mystery locations -- it's going to be tough to gauge exactly where little splashes landed -- you're likely going to be in trial-and-error mode if you still have issues, starting from the most likely problems to the least likely. I would also guess that your motherboard and GPU are the most likely to have been ruined; the motherboard is the likely place to start, especially given that you can test-run your PC without a GPU but not without a motherboard.
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

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Unfortunately, with a liquid splashed into mystery locations -- it's going to be tough to gauge exactly where little splashes landed -- you're likely going to be in trial-and-error mode if you still have issues, starting from the most likely problems to the least likely. I would also guess that your motherboard and GPU are the most likely to have been ruined; the motherboard is the likely place to start, especially given that you can test-run your PC without a GPU but not without a motherboard.
 
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Solution
adiec

adiec

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Dec 4, 2013
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oh dear. i know you have probably found out this information by now , but , if you had left the pc powered off you would have more chance of rectifying the situation when the components dried out.i saw someone actually put their motherboard in a sink full of water , dry it out for 2 days , then rebuilt the pc and it powered on.

edit: please anyone reading this do not try it with your components. i am not responsible for any damage.
 
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R

Rookie_MIB

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Jul 27, 2013
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I would say this:

Get a few gallons of DISTILLED water from your local store. Put it in a tub, and put the motherboard/cpu/ram in. Let it soak for a bit. Then drain it and rinse it AGAIN with distilled water. Then take a bottle of alcohol and rinse it off with that. Then some compressed air and blow it out. Let it dry in a warm place.

If you got coffee into the PSU, throw the PSU away and get a new one. Go from there and see what happens...
 
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