[Q] Got my phone wet. Everything still works but charging is unreliable - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey everyone,
I wish I wasn't here under these circumstances, but yesterday my phone got drenched by the faucet when I accidentally dropped it in the sink. I turned it off right away and tried to dry it by blowing out all the holes/buttons/etc. with canned air. then (maybe stupidly) I turned the phone back on and used it the rest of the day, not really noticing that it wasn't charging when I plugged it in until later when the battery got very low and I plugged it in again and noticed that the charging symbol didn't appear.
Ultimately, what I found DID work, (at least temporarily, sometimes it still stops charging) was turning the phone off, then plugging it in, then turning it back on . When I did this, usb (and wireless) charging work, as well as the USB connection for getting files off the phone on my computer.
It's a bit odd that this is what worked, but so far, it seems to. I'm just not quite sure if there's anything else I can do other than maybe send the phone to LG for repair, or find a local shop that might be cheaper...
Just looking for any suggestions or information anyone may have to help me fix this. thanks in advance!

shorty6049 said:
Hey everyone,
I wish I wasn't here under these circumstances, but yesterday my phone got drenched by the faucet when I accidentally dropped it in the sink. I turned it off right away and tried to dry it by blowing out all the holes/buttons/etc. with canned air. then (maybe stupidly) I turned the phone back on and used it the rest of the day, not really noticing that it wasn't charging when I plugged it in until later when the battery got very low and I plugged it in again and noticed that the charging symbol didn't appear.
Ultimately, what I found DID work, (at least temporarily, sometimes it still stops charging) was turning the phone off, then plugging it in, then turning it back on . When I did this, usb (and wireless) charging work, as well as the USB connection for getting files off the phone on my computer.
It's a bit odd that this is what worked, but so far, it seems to. I'm just not quite sure if there's anything else I can do other than maybe send the phone to LG for repair, or find a local shop that might be cheaper...
Just looking for any suggestions or information anyone may have to help me fix this. thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have not used the phone but put it turned off in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few days. Optional also removed the back and the battery if possible. You will have corrossion now and maybe worse electrical damage.

gee2012 said:
You should have not used the phone but put it turned off in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few days. Optional also removed the back and the battery if possible. You will have corrossion now and maybe worse electrical damage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I recognize that it was a bad idea... but there's not much I can do about that now. I'm just trying to figure out what my best course of action going forward is.

shorty6049 said:
Yeah, I recognize that it was a bad idea... but there's not much I can do about that now. I'm just trying to figure out what my best course of action going forward is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to remove the back and battery and place it in a bowl of uncooked rice asap for 2-3 days, this will limit the damage. Your warranty will also be voided i`am afraid as the moisture indicators are colored now.

gee2012 said:
Try to remove the back and battery and place it in a bowl of uncooked rice asap for 2-3 days, this will limit the damage. Your warranty will also be voided i`am afraid as the moisture indicators are colored now.
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Click to collapse
what do you think the chances of the moisture indicators NOT being colored would be?
I had the phone inside a bumper case which covers the sides of the phone and the back. Some water got inside the case, but maybe not enough to wet the indicators.. I'd hate to open the phone and then realize they weren't colored. I hate opening phones if possible, but that'd be the only way to know for sure , I guess...
I'm working on getting my hands on a back up phone to use currently , but I hate to see the condition of this one get worse... (my nexus 4 that I was going to use as a backup hasn't wanted to power on in a couple months after I botched Rom flashing attempt and subsequent failure to accept a charge)

shorty6049 said:
what do you think the chances of the moisture indicators NOT being colored would be?
I had the phone inside a bumper case which covers the sides of the phone and the back. Some water got inside the case, but maybe not enough to wet the indicators.. I'd hate to open the phone and then realize they weren't colored. I hate opening phones if possible, but that'd be the only way to know for sure , I guess...
I'm working on getting my hands on a back up phone to use currently , but I hate to see the condition of this one get worse... (my nexus 4 that I was going to use as a backup hasn't wanted to power on in a couple months after I botched Rom flashing attempt and subsequent failure to accept a charge)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Water goes through the tiniest cracks and openings so i guess the indicators are colored. Only one sure way to find out and that is looking inside the phone. Look on YouTube for a Nexus 5 iFixit dissasembly video.

Opening up the phone doesn't really void the warranty. Breaking something while opening it does. You still had the headphone jack and the usb port open right? That means water got in and tripped the sensors. This is pretty much guaranteed. IMO, those sensors are too sensitive. Just using the phone in a humid place (bathroom while shower is running) trips them.

If everything works fine just try a wireless charger
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

The fact that your charging doesn't work reliably anymore probably means the moisture indicators would be coloured... I've had phones where the water didn't damage it at all and they still were
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Related

Possibly water damaged Captivate half-working

I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
jmusso said:
I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
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Click to collapse
well you want to put in rice, so that the moisture is gone
rice it for sure. but warranty WILL not cover it UNLESS the tabs on the battery and phone are white (It might not have gotten wet if it was in your pocket)
if they are still white, or if your phone is white and battery red (then buy another battery) and get to the store and tell them you don't know what is wrong with it. The only indication that it is water damaged is if it is red and those tags are notoriously faulty so you could always argue your way through it if you have an account in good standing.
best of luck.
I know someone who "claimed' that insurance was supposed to be added to the phone when he got it and noticed that the person didn't do it properly (the guy was new so it helped his cause) and the manager of the cor store told him that they'd do a courtesy replacement and charged him the 125$ for a new device.
you could go that route should you need too...
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
Take the phone apart and focus the strongest fan you have on it over night. It's probably best to not turn it on for awhile. Maybe if you focus a blow drier on it for perhaps several hours, air will find flow through the small openings within the case.
You may not be able to dry some parts of it unless you do a complete dismantle, but that may require special tools
Consider shipping it to get repaired only as a last resort, as I've read some bad reports about that.
Rice or some other dessicant is the way to go - it will pull moisture out. Also, turning it on (even putting the battery in) is bad - you are powering circuits and possibly creating shorts where water is present. You may have already done permanent damage.
If you get electronics wet, the best course of action is to remove the battery and put it in a bag of rice for a few days.
Now that You have the phone apart get an alcohol pad and gentley scrub the main board. Sometimes when liquid touches the main board you will get a white looking residue. If you see anything like that simply wipe it off. I dropped my phone into a trash can at a very popular teriyaki restaurant here in Las Vegas my phone was submerged into a deep bath of teriyaki sauce. I quickly pulled the phone from the can and wiped it down vigorously. I was excited to see that it was initially working unfortunately this was not the case by the time I got home. The phone would not turn on for a whole week, until I decided that I was going to open her up. I found a tutorial on line describing a complete break down of the captivate. Upon opening it I found I was able to see exactly where the teriyaki had interacted with the electronics due to the remnants of an oxidized white film that was present on various parts of the main board. I grabbed a alcohol pad out of my first aid kit and began wiping it down to remove all of the white stuff,put the phone back together and to my surprise it turned on. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
jmusso said:
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you are, because if there is water or moisture internal, it can short circuit, also rice will help dry up the phone completely
jmusso said:
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
So what do you guys think I should do if I'm still getting the battery error with the thermometer and yellow caution sign? Buy a new battery? Or do you think its the USB jack? Has anybody seen this before - the battery was working fine as long as it was not charging.
I'm trying to decide between a) buying a new battery, or b) buying a wall-mounted battery charger since the USB won't charge the phone.
Anybody have any experience?
Meguro2006 said:
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need to be careful about who you encourage to dissect their device. This guy asked how to get to the mainboard. Clearly, he hasn't opened a smart phone before. Telling him it's "actually really easy" is disingenuous at best. Performing smart phone repairs properly requires experience. I'm certainly not suggesting that noobs not try to fix their phones, only that they are made fully aware of the risks.
My Captivate was fully submerged in dirty water. I followed some instructions online and it's been working fine for over a month now. If your water-detection stickers are already red anyway, and rice isn't working, I recommend it:
1) Remove battery, SIM card, SD card
2) Submerge in a bowl of distilled water and gently agitate. This helps clean the insides. Distilled water (not spring water) does not conduct electricity.
3) Next, submerge in a bowl of high-quality rubbing alcohol (~95% pure) and gently agitate. Rubbing alcohol displaces water, removes corrosion, and evaporates quickly. (It's also flammable, so have good ventilation and no open flames nearby)
4) Leave it out to dry for two days or until it no longer smells of alcohol.
BTW I wouldn't dry it too close to a radiator, the heat may damage it.
jatkins09 said:
If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. Once the screws are removed..including the two hidden by the battery cover lock slider...you can carefully pry the cover apart using your fingernail to get to the the internals. I have done it several times and am no expert by any means. Just don't yank like you are opening a present on Christmas morning.
Although I am mystified by the op stating they have no access to rice?! That should always be the second thing one does after a moisture incident...right after pulling the battery and sim. I guess in this case a trip to the store with a couple bucks may have pushed that to step three though..
sent from my captivate disguised as an i9000 running cyanogen

[Q] Spilled water on phone. Now "Unable to start wifi" message

Guys, been hanging out here long time now. First incident with about 6 month old captivate. I dropped a glass of water on my captivate yesterday. I immediately removed and took out the battery and wiped it dry. Did not see much of seeped in water so did not do the rice method. Turned on Wi-fi this morning and it says "unable to start wifi". Same with bluetooth.
Call,sms, camera everything works fine. At work, so blew dry the phone and also have kept it next to a warm laptop exhaust. Should I dismantle the phone and try to dry the swb23 chip (wifi/bt) ?
Please help guys !
stock and unrooted captivate
thelastjedi said:
Guys, been hanging out here long time now. First incident with about 6 month old captivate. I dropped a glass of water on my captivate yesterday. I immediately removed and took out the battery and wiped it dry. Did not see much of seeped in water so did not do the rice method. Turned on Wi-fi this morning and it says "unable to start wifi". Same with bluetooth.
Call,sms, camera everything works fine. At work, so blew dry the phone and also have kept it next to a warm laptop exhaust. Should I dismantle the phone and try to dry the swb23 chip (wifi/bt) ?
Please help guys !
stock and unrooted captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't see the water that got inside. Would have been better to do the rice method before switching it back on but you should do it now nonetheless. Just be warned, you may have cooked the WiFi chip already.
Are the moisture indicators clear? If so, you should send it for warranty replacement. If not, then you can resort to opening it up, wiping the traces, etc.
ianwood said:
You can't see the water that got inside. Would have been better to do the rice method before switching it back on but you should do it now nonetheless. Just be warned, you may have cooked the WiFi chip already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, pretty much ^^
uggg...may be too late. If you get a significant amount of liquid on or in your phone the worst thing you can do is turn it on.
You should have:
1. immediately removed battery and placed on a paper towel.
2. immediately place phone in a bag of rice for a minimum 24 hours if not 48 before ever powering back on.
Still its worth a try....remove battery and leave in rice for 24 hours....try again....maybe it didn't fry anything when you powered it on...but you definitely need to finish getting the moisture out of the inside via the rice absorption.
I had my old tilt in a pocket submerged in a swimming pool for a good 15 minutes before realizing my blunder. When i realizing it i didn't try to turn it back on. Left it in rice for 48 hours and everything work fine (luckily the phone was powered of when i got in the pool so that probably helped avoid anything frying).
Haha, I once accidently dropped my old Samsung Epix in a bucket of water and it still booted up and worked but most of the features are dead but screen and all still works. It looked like it was wrecked. I got it replaced under my insurance which is a good thing.
Lol.....Captain Hindsight......i love South Park.......
Sent from my pocket.
swedishcancerboi said:
Lol.....Captain Hindsight......i love South Park.......
Sent from my pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
funny
but being aware that you shouldn't turn on an electronic device when it is wet hardly requires hindsight though does it? =)
Thanks guys, I have put my phone in a bowl of rice hoping it will get cured.
If not, will ATT not service my phone under warranty ? I read somewhere that replacing the wifi/bt chip costs $70 with ATT. Has anyone done this here ?
Thanks all for your quick replies ! Much appreciated. I will keep everyone updated on how this issue pans out so it will help someone in the future
Tesist the urge to take out Nd test.....leave at least 24 hours without touching
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
ianwood said:
Are the moisture indicators clear? If so, you should send it for warranty replacement. If not, then you can resort to opening it up, wiping the traces, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I check for the moisture indicator ? Any easy steps ?
It is the white (or not so white anymore) square in the battery compartment.
bames said:
funny
but being aware that you shouldn't turn on an electronic device when it is wet hardly requires hindsight though does it? =)
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Click to collapse
I just felt like being ornery. I think i read a "you should have....." and it just got me laughing thinking of that episode. No disrespect intended towards anyone.
swedishcancerboi said:
I just felt like being ornery. I think i read a "you should have....." and it just got me laughing thinking of that episode. No disrespect intended towards anyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know i thought it as funny haven't seen that episode in a long time...almost as good as towlie
i am just always surprised to see the posts where someone gets there phone wet (washed in laundry, dropped in toilet, spilled significant amount of liquid on it) and the first thing they did was tried to turn it back on almost immediately.
btw if your looking at the moisture indicators for warranty purposes its quite possible you have to completely open the shell. Usually they have one visible without taking the phone apart but its not uncommon to have a secondary marker inside the phone where it would be harder for someone to tamper with. Can anyone confirm where all the cappys markers are?
Been a while since I had mine apart but I don't recall seeing one inside.
newter55 said:
Been a while since I had mine apart but I don't recall seeing one inside.
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Click to collapse
wasn't sure....my Tilt2 had one in the battery compartment and one on the motherboard that could only be seen by opening the casing

one s water damage. hope for repair?

ok so today a kid my mom babysits got ahold of my HOS and dunked it in the toilet... i caught him in the act and immediately grabbed it and dried it off best i could. it was in the water maybe for 1 second. when i pulled it out it was still on. lock button worked but screen was completely unresponsive. kept trying to unlock the screen but as i said it wasn't responding to me touching it. then it just turned off by itself and wouldn't turn back on at all. the notification light turned on (randomly, not from response to me trying to turn it off or on) and it was yellow and red. not completely one or the other. put it in a bowl of rice for a good 8 or 9 hours. pulled it out and now the notification light is off and still not responding to my attempts to turn it on. plugged it in to charger and no charging light. is there any hope for repairing it? or do i need to just buy a new phone...
not sure if it matters but details never hurt anyone.
s4
liquidsmooth jb rom
s-off
If you dont have any insurance or warranty that covers such damages, I would take it apart and clean/dry each part individually with some tissues and those things you use to clean your ears (no idea what theyre called in english lol).
The odds are the screen is busted though, and will need a replacement.
The first thing you should do is getting the battery unplugged, so the device is completely powerless and let it be powerless for a day or 2.
Obviously, unplugging the battery on the HOS means disassembling the whole device...
j tag is the solution for ur problem..
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA Premium HD app
Well, Listen to me, ive had experience.
If you have the know how to break everything apart and clean the corrosion, then you might be lucky. If not, repairmen could do it for you, but with each option you lose warranty. And it is not guaranteed it will work 100%. If it does, then you just have to live with no warranty, if not, the repair centre will change your motherboard, for me that cost 190€.
So you pick.
If i would have known better on my case, i would have let repairmen try and clean it all up for a mere 30€ (if they could have repaired it) and THEN sent the device to offical repair centre when their efforts would have been in vain, cause you know, nevertheless the repairs are not under warranty for water damage.
Goatshocker said:
clean/dry each part individually with some tissues and those things you use to clean your ears (no idea what theyre called in english lol).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will never work since you probably already have corrosion on the motherboard.
hunabku said:
This will never work since you probably already have corrosion on the motherboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive saved 3 laptops by doing that, so it does work. Corrosion doesnt appear THAT fast.
Although reading OPs post again I see it was quite a while ago it happened, so there might be some minor corrosion.
Running a hairdryer across the board can save some bad connections in some cases as well- obviously not heating the board to sh*t, just a quicky.

[Q] Water Damaged Nexus 5 Boot Loop Suggestions

Hi all,
First off I would like to thank anyone and everyone that reads this thread, it helps me out if you have any information that could help me out here.
About a week or so ago my girlfriend dropped her Nexus 5 in water, and removed it almost immediately then brought it to me. Sadly the damage was already done and the screen was black. I got the back off and got as much water out as I could shake gently, and the screen still had haptic feedback when I touched it, so I messaged it and it displayed the notification light. This led me to believe the battery was ok, so we left the back off and let it dry for a while, and over time the screen and sound came back. We placed the phone overnight in dry rice, and for the meantime we put her SIM in an old S2. The next morning there was obvious water damage on the screen but less than before, and everything seemed to be working fine, games ran, music played, messages came and went on Hangouts, and when we plugged it in to charge it worked like a charm, so we believed we had gotten lucky, put it back in the rice overnight again and the next day tried putting the SIM card back in the phone.
The Nexus at this point asked to restart and we obliged, but this is when the problem started. It would get to the Google boot screen, hang, then restart, over and over. I tried going into recovery and I could, but no further than that. I am not an expert so don't know what would cause this, but I am led to believe that the battery and everything else is all in working order otherwise it wouldn't have been working and charging while it was on. I wonder if maybe there is a separate part of the phone used for BIOS bootup and it got damaged? Any suggestions or ideas on how to fix the issue would be met with extreme gratitude. Thanks for reading all this.
TL;DR Phone was dropped in water, aired out and worked fine, restarted for SIM card and get stuck in endless boot loop.
QyuBurt said:
Hi all,
First off I would like to thank anyone and everyone that reads this thread, it helps me out if you have any information that could help me out here.
About a week or so ago my girlfriend dropped her Nexus 5 in water, and removed it almost immediately then brought it to me. Sadly the damage was already done and the screen was black. I got the back off and got as much water out as I could shake gently, and the screen still had haptic feedback when I touched it, so I messaged it and it displayed the notification light. This led me to believe the battery was ok, so we left the back off and let it dry for a while, and over time the screen and sound came back. We placed the phone overnight in dry rice, and for the meantime we put her SIM in an old S2. The next morning there was obvious water damage on the screen but less than before, and everything seemed to be working fine, games ran, music played, messages came and went on Hangouts, and when we plugged it in to charge it worked like a charm, so we believed we had gotten lucky, put it back in the rice overnight again and the next day tried putting the SIM card back in the phone.
The Nexus at this point asked to restart and we obliged, but this is when the problem started. It would get to the Google boot screen, hang, then restart, over and over. I tried going into recovery and I could, but no further than that. I am not an expert so don't know what would cause this, but I am led to believe that the battery and everything else is all in working order otherwise it wouldn't have been working and charging while it was on. I wonder if maybe there is a separate part of the phone used for BIOS bootup and it got damaged? Any suggestions or ideas on how to fix the issue would be met with extreme gratitude. Thanks for reading all this.
TL;DR Phone was dropped in water, aired out and worked fine, restarted for SIM card and get stuck in endless boot loop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take the device apart, remove the motherboard. Get some rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush.
Remove any shields that can be taken off to expose more components. Then start scrubbing!!! Continue until you get all of the green/white corrosion. If there are any black scorch marks on the connections, take a eraser and it will remove the burn mark, then continue to clean with alcohol. Also the flex cable connections would need to be cleaned also.
The next step is up to you, if you feel comfortable with it. Make sure all plastic and rubber pieces are off the motherboard. Then stick it in the oven on 400F for 30 min to reflow some of the solder that may have gotten damaged.
Put back together, you may have to factory reset if the software got corrupted.
It is still highly possible to recover the device.
Good luck!
oOflyeyesOo said:
Take the device apart, remove the motherboard. Get some rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush.
Remove any shields that can be taken off to expose more components. Then start scrubbing!!! Continue until you get all of the green/white corrosion. If there are any black scorch marks on the connections, take a eraser and it will remove the burn mark, then continue to clean with alcohol. Also the flex cable connections would need to be cleaned also.
The next step is up to you, if you feel comfortable with it. Make sure all plastic and rubber pieces are off the motherboard. Then stick it in the oven on 400F for 30 min to reflow some of the solder that may have gotten damaged.
Put back together, you may have to factory reset if the software got corrupted.
It is still highly possible to recover the device.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't go so far as reflowing solder for a dry-out.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000BXOGNI?tag=adapas02-20
can be attained at your local auto supply, simply disassemble the boards and give them a once-over spray and wipe-down. Reassemble, and then troubleshoot the bootloop, which may require a full stock flash. Good luck!
wideasleep1 said:
I wouldn't go so far as reflowing solder for a dry-out.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000BXOGNI?tag=adapas02-20
can be attained at your local auto supply, simply disassemble the boards and give them a once-over spray and wipe-down. Reassemble, and then troubleshoot the bootloop, which may require a full stock flash. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not reflowing to dry it, sometimes solder on the connections/components need to be reflowed when they got WD or the device will not function correctly.I have seen it more time that I can count.
oOflyeyesOo said:
I am not reflowing to dry it, sometimes solder on the connections/components need to be reflowed when they got WD or the device will not function correctly.I have seen it more time that I can count.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There wouldn't be solder damage when OP acted almost immediately to dry it out. A cleaning, further drying should be all that's needed. One should NEVER turn on electronics until fully disassembled, cleaned and dried in any event.
wideasleep1 said:
There wouldn't be solder damage when OP acted almost immediately to dry it out. A cleaning, further drying should be all that's needed. One should NEVER turn on electronics until fully disassembled, cleaned and dried in any event.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The second the device hits air corrosion starts to build. Rice does nothing, it pulls a little bit of the water from the charge port and headset jack, basically what drips out. There is possibility that there is still water inside the device. He needs to open it up to scrub it down with a tooth brush and alcohol at least.The connections may break in time even after cleaning, that is why I suggest a reflow.
oOflyeyesOo said:
The second the device hits air corrosion starts to build. Rice does nothing, it pulls a little bit of the water from the charge port and headset jack, basically what drips out. There is possibility that there is still water inside the device. He needs to open it up to scrub it down with a tooth brush and alcohol at least.The connections may break in time even after cleaning, that is why I suggest a reflow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't disagree most of this up to the point of reflow, which should be an absolute, last-ditch exercise. If corrosion is a major concern, after cleaning with solvent, a Caig deoxit treatment would be my next advice, but I think reflow is best left to the experienced.
wideasleep1 said:
I don't disagree most of this up to the point of reflow, which should be an absolute, last-ditch exercise. If corrosion is a major concern, after cleaning with solvent, a Caig deoxit treatment would be my next advice, but I think reflow is best left to the experienced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to both of you for your advice on this. I will go and get some of the cleaning spray you suggested and give all the components a good clean, and will look for any scorch marks that may have occured when it was damaged. I would try flashing the OS as well but I'm not entirely sure how to do that when the phone has not been set up for USB Debugging. I attempted to flash it after unlocking the bootloader, but that didn't seem to work either. I will report back when I have performed the steps and let you know if there has been any progress.
Thanks =)
QyuBurt said:
Thanks to both of you for your advice on this. I will go and get some of the cleaning spray you suggested and give all the components a good clean, and will look for any scorch marks that may have occured when it was damaged. I would try flashing the OS as well but I'm not entirely sure how to do that when the phone has not been set up for USB Debugging. I attempted to flash it after unlocking the bootloader, but that didn't seem to work either. I will report back when I have performed the steps and let you know if there has been any progress.
Thanks =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513701
And to the guy above, sorry if it seemed I was arguing. A few too many drinks at that point.

Moisture on port?

This damn phone keeps telling me it has moisture and won't charge. Hasn't gotten wet in weeks. Really annoying having to keep cleaning the port had this happen on my s7 toward the end before i traded it in. Any one else having constant issues with this?
You don't live in a cold or humid place do you? Could be picking up moisture from condensation. Have you gotten the port wet previously?
Also you mention cleaning the port, what are you using to clean it and how well of a job are you doing? I mean are we talking about a couple minutes making sure its thoroughly clean/dust and debris free or are we talking about a 2 second blow on the charge port and you're done?
flipq88 said:
This damn phone keeps telling me it has moisture and won't charge. Hasn't gotten wet in weeks. Really annoying having to keep cleaning the port had this happen on my s7 toward the end before i traded it in. Any one else having constant issues with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the same issue and only a factory reset solved the problem. I used a blow dryer and it didn't help.
Best to clean your port with alcohol swabs. Gets the dirt out really well and dries up water stuck in there.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
xeathpk said:
You don't live in a cold or humid place do you? Could be picking up moisture from condensation. Have you gotten the port wet previously?
Also you mention cleaning the port, what are you using to clean it and how well of a job are you doing? I mean are we talking about a couple minutes making sure its thoroughly clean/dust and debris free or are we talking about a 2 second blow on the charge port and you're done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had issues with other phones, so i doubt it's where I live. And I've been cleaning them with some cotton and even a blow dryer. Works fine for a bit but then goes back to messing up.
You say in your opening post that your phone hasnt got wet "in weeks" which leads me to believe that you did get it wet at some point? The phone is supposed to be water resistant (not waterproof) so its possible some water HAS affected your device. If not water then it might be a false positive from something else in your charge port.
Forget the dryer, try using a toothpick or some compressed (canned) air to get the port nice and cleaned out of any dust or debris.
Id say if you're still having the issue even after a good cleaning then your phone might be cooked buddy. Might be worth a shot to factory reset and see if the problems persist but other than that you might not have a choice but to get it repaired or replaced if possible.
This is defiantly a software issue, my device has never been near water and in the last week it's throwing moisture in port, a quick dey with a dryer and then rebooting and then plugging the sub lead in once it's booted works fine.
If guess the moisture sensitivity thing is either way to sensitive or does not clear after the slotted time anymore.
My port is now spotless after a good Hoover out and compressed air and a q tip soaked with IPA and around 15 mins of re drying, unplugging and re plugging a few times throws the error every single time and simply holding the device with a finger near the port can trigger the notification after a few mins.
I have been able to replicate this 2 times now and will continue to I'm also trying to find out what service throws this and if there are any tweekable variables for it if any.
Make sure your charger isn't wet. I once spilled water on my old charger connection. Luckily it was unplugged. Soaked it in alcohol and let it dry for a few days and now it works fine. Worse comes to worse, use wireless charging until you find a solution
flipq88 said:
This damn phone keeps telling me it has moisture and won't charge. Hasn't gotten wet in weeks. Really annoying having to keep cleaning the port had this happen on my s7 toward the end before i traded it in. Any one else having constant issues with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this after my phone has been in my running arm-band for an hour.
Don't worry 'bout it.....I dodn't do anything and after 10 mins after taking it out of running arm-band, message goes away.
Matt
My phone started doing this over last few days also. Never been near water, always kept dry. Got to be a software issue, quite common issue if you search the web.
It's really annoying!
Possible solution found in my thread - https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...ence-error-t3650910/post73271139#post73271139
matthew33 said:
I have this after my phone has been in my running arm-band for an hour.
Don't worry 'bout it.....I dodn't do anything and after 10 mins after taking it out of running arm-band, message goes away.
Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guessing you missed the part where I said it hasn't gotten wet in weeks. Ended up exchanging the phone because problem wouldn't go away
leave it under a sun lamp
I've noticed something with mine doing it and I finally connected the dots. I'll put my pinky under my phone as a support for when I am holding it and I've noticed that sensor is sensitive enough to detect the moisture from my body even though there is barely anything there. My pinky would essentially rest on the charging port covering it and I did it without thinking.
When I changed my habit all is my moisture messages went away that I thought were "random".
flipq88 said:
Guessing you missed the part where I said it hasn't gotten wet in weeks. Ended up exchanging the phone because problem wouldn't go away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where'd you exchange it and did they give you a new or refub?
Sailor Gerry said:
Where'd you exchange it and did they give you a new or refub?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With tmobile. Warranty exchanges are $5. And probably a refurbed. Don't know, don't really care as long as it works
I got the same issue after exosing it to salt water, basically all I did was got some splash on the phone. I used wireless charging most of the time anyway but it's a bit annoying. Read something about salt water moisture is different so I used a syringe with tap water, sprayed on the port about 3-4x and 5 hrs laters the message disappeared. It might not work for all but at least for me this did the trick. Haven't seen the message for about a week now.
Yeah I second this... it's the dissolved salt on the interior. I cleaned it with fresh water and message went away
Sent from my SM-G955F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Had this yesterday for a few hours without the phone getting wet at all. Rebooted and message still there, switched off the phone and plugged in the charger and it charged left it like that for a few min and switched the phone back on. The moisture message didn't come back anymore.
flipq88 said:
With tmobile. Warranty exchanges are $5. And probably a refurbed. Don't know, don't really care as long as it works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you are nuts accepting a refurb.
I got in touch with Samsung via the phone and they told me themselves, I have a 2 year warranty with Samsung as standard in the UK.....they arranged a courier to pick up my phone from my house and sent me a BRAND new one.
Warranty dude....Warranty!
Matt.

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