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Hi I just opened up my mid-2011 Macbook Air to clean the track pad area due to an old coke spill which I’ve been meaning to clean. After the cleaning and reassembly, I am getting a blinking question mark screen. I tried safe mode which did not work due to no boot disk, same thing with disk utitily and some internet option, all no go. Wondering what else could have gone wrong during my repair. One thing I did not do was not open one of the flaps before I pulled the connector. Could that have damaged the cable? I didn’t touch the ssd, so it should still be fine. Wondering what else could have gone wrong. Thanks
The hard drive/IR cable is notoriously defective on this model. Go with the 2012 13" cable. UPDATE Sorry, I missed the fact that it was an Air. You can use an OWC Envoy enclosure to check the stick. I’d try it with another Mac. OWC Envoy Be careful to get the correct one. https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MAU3… Exactly which cable did you possibly damage? See if will boot from an external USB source.
What process did you use to clean the spill? I would approach this more analytically, first there is rarely such a thing as a “minor” spill, first you should do a thorough diagnostic – Any MacBook that is exposed to liquid requires a thorough inspection, even a small amount of corrosion untreated can cause a system failure further down the road. Inspect Keyboard and Track Pad for ANY corrosion or sticky residue – If found a keyboard or track pad replacement is recommended. Inspect Main LogicBord for any sign of liquid exposure. This should be done with a high powered stereo microscope, each SMD component should be checked for any signs of damage. If damage is found logic board should be cleaned ultrasonically and damaged SMD components replaced. Here is a video of the SMD repair process. All display connections and wiring should be throughly inspected, any sign of liquid exposure and the display replacement recommended. Data Integrity – Data integrity should be checked and re checked. In the vast majority of cases data is not effected. If corrosion is present on SSD or HD replacement is recommended.
