Spilled Coffee - Computer Saveable? Can't shutdown laptop/Keys stuck

jurome

Registered
Hello,

This is my first post here, and I hope to get some great help from the community here. I spilled coffee on my Macbook Pro (13 inch aluminum unibody) earlier, which I know is completely terrible. However, since I've let it dry out overnight, the laptop is now able to boot up, albeit with its own bevy of problems: the shift key seems to be stuck, which forces the laptop to boot into safe mode, and when the shift key seems to be unstuck, all the of the keys come out to be special letters, such as letters with umlauts above them and everything. Furthermore, the most disheartening part of it is that every time I try and shut down the laptop (so I can prepare to take it to an apple store), it boots right back up.

I can only assume there are multiple keys that are stuck, and I wanted to know if it would be possible to fix this, or at least find a temporary fix to this issue. I loathe the thought of being unable to shutdown the computer, and having it boot right back up every time I try to shut it down only makes me more scared about the entire issue.

I'd like to hope I could save my beloved Macbook Pro. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Jeremy
 
Last edited:
For a complete shutdown, you should try holding the power button for 5 seconds. You should see the power shut off completely, and should stay off (unless there's a problem with the power button, too)
You can likely find out which various keys stay depressed, with the Keyboard Viewer, but there's probably not a "temporary fix" that does not involve replacing some major parts, along with spending a significant portion of the replacement cost of your laptop.
 
Not on a Unibody MacBook Pro.
the keyboard is integrated into the top case (which is the unibody), which is a major task to replace.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply! I'm able to get it shut down so I can get this thing to an Apple Store to see if it's even worth fixing, or if its time for an upgrade... I don't think it's just the keyboard, because the laptop itself seems to be running markedly slower at times, noticeably when I go to the expose/mission control. Hoping its just keyboard damage, but it might be more, as the keyboard viewer shows both shifts and both option keys as being constantly held down, even when I pry out the buttons and try to "clean" the areas that are accessible.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply! I'm able to get it shut down so I can get this thing to an Apple Store to see if it's even worth fixing, or if its time for an upgrade... I don't think it's just the keyboard, because the laptop itself seems to be running markedly slower at times, noticeably when I go to the expose/mission control. Hoping its just keyboard damage, but it might be more, as the keyboard viewer shows both shifts and both option keys as being constantly held down, even when I pry out the buttons and try to "clean" the areas that are accessible.

The Apple store is going to automatically quote it a tier 4 repair. Approximate cost of nearly $800. Doesn't matter if it only needs a top case or not. Whenever I do liquid spills. I do a complete tear down and can replace only parts that have been affected by the liquid.

Quick question: Was it a direct hit to the keyboard or did the coffee also or potentially seep through the back of the machine?
 
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