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Repair and disassembly information for the second-generation iPhone SE that was announced and released in April of 2020.

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Do I need a new screen?

So the dog peed on my daughter’s phone, and it wouldn’t charge. We cleaned out the charging port, but then the screen wouldn’t come on. I put the phone in DFU mode, and the Apple logo appeared. However, since then, the screen has been black. The Finder says that the phone needs updated or restored, but when I try to restore, eventually the phone will restart, and the restore will seem to fail. The screen is still black, so it’s possible there’s something I’m supposed to be responding to.

Is there something else I should try or check for before I try installing a new screen?

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Can you take the screen off the phone carefully and upload a picture of the motherboard? Adding images to an existing question

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Did you download the operating system?

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@barriphone It seems to have downloaded, yes.

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@andrewsawesome I opened the screen, and uploaded a picture. You can't really see the logic board, though; should I disassemble more?

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@Calion, In thinking more about this, the newer iPhones like yours are much better sealed from liquid than the older models. So in general, the only thing that's really exposed are the speakers and the lightning port. Of course, speakers won't cause the kind of problems you're seeing, so I'm leaning toward the idea that the exposure to liquid has caused damage to the port. That would explain the inability to charge, and could account for the other issues as well.

The fact that you saw the Apple logo at least once says to me that the display may well be functional and the problem is that it's not able to boot up far enough to get to the point of displaying.

You should consider replacing the Lighting port as your next step.

iPhone SE 2020 Lightning Connector Assembly Replacement

The part itself is pretty cheap; a fast search on Amazon showed a brand I've used before for only about $11 USD.

https://www.amazon.com/MMOBIEL-Connector...

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Hi Calion,

The problem is, water (liquid) damage is always a crapshoot. Ideally you'd want to open up the phone and clean everything you can with high purity isopropyl alcohol. That kind of repair needs to be done as soon as possible after the exposure to minimize corrosion and circuit damage.

I'm skeptical that replacing the screen will help. The fact that you saw the Apple logo indicates that the screen is still functional and that it's something else that's keeping it from booting.

If you're comfortable with doing your own repairs, take a look at these guides to liquid damage on iPhones.

Repairing iPhone Liquid Damage - iFixit Repair Guide

iPhone Liquid Damage Repair - iFixit Repair Guide

If this looks like more than you're comfortable with, then I'd suggest taking it to a repair facility that's experienced with liquid damage. But whatever you decide, you definitely want to do it sooner than later. The longer you wait the worse the damage can get.

Best of luck with it, and let us know how it goes.

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Guide

Repairing iPhone Liquid Damage

Difficulty:

Difficult

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1 - 2 hours
iPhone Image

Guide

iPhone Liquid Damage Repair

Difficulty:

Moderate

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1 hour

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The thing is, it *is* booting. At least, it will show up as connected to my Mac.

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By the way, is this sufficient instead of alcohol? https://www.walmart.com/ip/CRC-Electroni...

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Yes, that would work, although if I recall correctly it evaporates rather quickly so it might be a bit of a pain if you're trying to scrub off some corrosion, but in general it'll do a really good job of cleaning everything out without leaving any residue.

I can tell you it's got a very strong odor, so if you're like my wife who's sensitive to strong smells you might want to reconsider.

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liquid damage is always a crapshoot. the good news is it doesn't look like the pee penetrated too far into the phone. the LCI (Liquid Contact Indicator) - the white oval directly above the apple logo on the battery and below the black square near the top - is still white, if liquid had reached it, it would have turned red.

for submerged phones, i usually recommend disassembling and removing the major parts (motherboard, camera, taptic, speaker, battery, etc) and treating them to a soak in 99% IPA (isopropyl alcohol) - with the exception of the rear cam and battery, those should just be wiped down with IPA. very gently use a soft bristled toothbrush to scrub away debris that may have settled on the parts. then a rinse with fresh IPA and let the parts dry in a warm environment at least overnight.

the screen is a bit trickier. you an only remove the earpiece/front-camera assembly and the back shield, the rest of the display is pretty much sealed up but if liquid got in there, it could be a problem.

to address the phone booting/non-booting issues, i recommend downloading a copy of 3utools (it's a great utility and it's free). disconnect the display from the phone, connect the base to the pc via usb and power it up. if the phone boots, 3uTools should see it and give you an summary screen, or a popup that says the phone is in recovery or DFU mode.

you'll have the option to do a flash, which installs the latest IOS, but if it's via recovery or DFU, it will probably wipe the data from the phone (hope you have a current backup).

good luck

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