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Repair information and guides for the iPhone 6 that was released on September 19, 2014. Model Numbers: A1549, A1586, and A1589

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power after water damage

My iPhone fell in water. Although it was only in for a second it still suffered water damage. However, the phone has worked just fine. There’s only one problem. It will shut off randomly. It appears to shut off more if I'm using it versus if its just left alone. Obviously this is a short somewhere? I've taken the iPhone apart and tested the battery in another iPhone. The battery works fine, takes a charge and holds a charge. Is it possible that the short is in the charging port area of the iPhone? I know that whole piece comes out and I have one I could switch it with.

Thanks for the info people!

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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With water damage, you have to decontaminate the logic board before doing anything else, otherwise there will be latent issues down the road.

The water is inside the phone, on the logic board and under the shields, even under the IC's. The real problem is the mineral deposits that can cause short circuits or the corrosion that is taking place as the water evaporates. Leaving the power on the device accelerates the process. The water needs to be displaced, not evaporated.

I would try the following:

  • Open your phone and remove the logic board (follow this guide)
  • Inspect the logic board, especially around the connectors and look for corrosion.
  • Inspect both sides of the board. Unfortunately, most of the board is covered in shields. That's usually where the damage is occurring.
  • Put your board in a container with >90% isopropyl alcohol and let it sit for a while.
  • Use a soft brush, like a toothbrush and lightly brush away any corrosion you see.
  • Rinse in alcohol and repeat.
  • Let it air dry for a day.
  • Re-assemble and hope for the best.

You should also replace the battery if it has swollen. Resist the temptation to pop it to let the gas out. A compromised Li-ion battery is a fire hazard. If the device appears to power up but behaves erratically, then use a tool like 3uTools to flash the firmware as it may be corrupted.

A professional repair shop that does water damage repair may be able to recover your phone or the data because they have access to pro-level ultrasonic baths and specialized cleaners as well as the skills to troubleshoot your board. Many shops have a no fix/no fee policy so you don't have to spend money to find out if the phone is fixable or not.

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3 Comments:

the phone acts perfectly. it only restarts randomly. everything else works fine. if its plugged in it will restart more often. this leads me to believe that the more power the short acts up.

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Have you tried another battery?

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i tried my battery in another iphone and where are no problems with battery. im convinced its the part on the logic board that the battery plugs into it. i think its bad

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@refectio Has given the perfect answer to your question .As for the random restarts. Random will become common place as the minerals cause corrosion. Cleaning the Phone is the best thing you can do for the it. I myself have moved to using distilled water in cycles in an ultrasonic bath . This way I don't need to remove the shields which can be a chore. I usually do 3 baths with clean distilled water in each bath. Then a final soak in ip alcohol and then 30 minutes in the oven at 250 to evaporate the excess moisture. Clean all connectors and trash the battery if the phone was wet its only a time bomb waiting to go off . Wet batteries will swell and make a mess of your phone . Maybe not today but it will happen Hope this helps

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1 Comment:

I'm convinced its either battery or short. i'm test another battery soon.

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