Hazardous Liquid - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

S Car Go · #1 05-28-2002, 12:52 PM

Hi everybody,
Who would have thought it?...coffee has become a hazardous liquid, and not because it spilled in my lap! Was driving along in the wee hours of the morning on my paper route, trying to stuff papers in boxes, avoid deer and jackrabbits (who seem to prefer the shoulders of the road to the expansive meadows beyond), and catch a swig of Conoco coffee before it got cold. Well, you guessed it, the ill-fitting lid tilted and most of the contents of the cup - which included cream and sugar - spilled onto the dash and INTO MY CD PLAYER!! Auuuggggggghhhhhhhhhhh.... my question is, does anyone know what the next best move is? I was afraid to put any CD I cared about into the player, and I didn't want the stuff to congeal in there, so I put in a crummy CD hoping the playing of it would somehow "clean" the coffee out! It skipped around pretty nastily for the first 4 or 5 songs, then seemed to play normally. Does anybody know what's happened inside there?

I am NOT a handy guy, and I don't have the $$ to take the car to a pro for a once-over. I don't even have a Benz (...YET...). Does anyone have a suggestion, or is my CD player DEAD?

thanks a lot.

Sticky S Car Go

Ashman · #2 05-28-2002, 03:33 PM

I would look to get some pc board cleaner, or some kind of electrical component cleaner from radioshack type places.

Pull the cd player, open it, and clean it througouhly. Be careful not to damage the lens.

That should hopefully give you piece of mind, and should hopefully work.

Someone will chime in if I am wrong about this, but I have used pc board/exlectrical component cleaner on home stereos before and it has worked.

Alon

Lebenz · #3 05-28-2002, 10:21 PM

Actually if you are willing to disassemble it you can clean it with water. But you must thoroughly dry it afterward. Dab it with a towel to get rid of the water droplets and then aim a fan blowing a large volume of air to finish it. It should be fine afterward. Note that you don’t want to have power to the unit while doing this.... and be sure it is completely dry before powering it up. Of course disassembling a new piece of electronics almost precludes ever getting it back together again, but it is always possible. You could also send it back to the manufacturer and they’ll do it for you.

That said, the less you goof with solid state the better. As long as it works, unless it smells bad I wouldn’t bother...

#4 05-28-2002, 11:59 PM

My dads friend did the same thing to his 1980 300sd's factory tape player. He had to buy a new one because no one could repair the old Becker. Who makes your deck? Some companys will refurbish for very little $$$$$$$$$$$$.

S Car Go · #5 05-29-2002, 11:41 AM

You guys are terrific; thanks for all the positive reinforcement and varied ideas.
Thankfully, another test run of a crummy CD proved that the player has -- at least in the short term -- recovered from its scalding. I dared to play Dave Matthews in his fabulous entirety this morning without a hitch. Suspect that, as Lebenz has said, I will leave it alone as long as it works.
I am curious to hear your opinions of the electrical component cleaner, as suggested by Ashman, from those of you in the electronic know. Also, has anyone else ever tried the plain water and dab-dry method? I would think the item used for drying might be important (dust, lint, etc coming from something absorbent like a towel or diaper, vs. some other specialized thing?) How about a blow dryer set on cool?
Appreciate all your input.

S Car Go (with tunes) Rock on!

dpetryk · #6 05-29-2002, 12:27 PM

How much coffee do you think actually got into the unit? Was it just a small sip or more like a full mouthfull? The cleaning method would probably depend on how much coffee actually got into the unit.

I have heard that the caffene in drinks can cause the electronics to operate with more speed and vigor. Do you hear any abnormal "buzzing" or do the songs play faster than normal ? It might be best to let the unit enjoy the buzz for a while. Surely it will wear off in time. If not, try giving it a shot of whiskey to counteract the caffene.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

S Car Go · #7 05-29-2002, 12:51 PM

Dave,
You're the "electrons can do anything" guy; what about the electonic component cleaner?
Based on your response, this apparently is not a serious matter. Phew.
Additionally, I think you may have had a bit of whiskey in YOUR coffee this morning! Maybe I, instead of my CD player, should follow suit. Here's to you...
S Car Go

dpetryk · #8 05-29-2002, 02:49 PM

Sorry for the smarty response. I was just feeling a little sassy or not sure what exactly.

OK on a serious note. I would advise that any cleaning is done with pure water. And yes the water must be completely removed before applying power to the radio. Water is used as a flux cleaner for the water based fluxes used in the soldering process. Water will not actually hurt any of the electronic components, except for things that might trap water inside such as motors and some switches and relays that are not sealed.

So the unit must de dissasembled and flushed with water and then completely dried. I would not recommend solvent type cleaners since they dont do a good job of disolving sugar and milk etc. Water is best in this case.

To make up for my sassyness, I would be willing to service your radio if you send it to me, free of charge of course.. I once had a career repairing consumer electronics. So I have resurected many radios that suffered the same fate.

I wish you luck.

S Car Go · #9 05-29-2002, 03:06 PM

Dave,
I appreciate the techhy answer. I've never disassembled a radio or any other electronic device entirely before, so if anything further goes wrong, I just may take you up on your generous offer.
What if I just leave it alone and don't try cleaning it at all? What kind of damage will I be doing to the player, and how long before it will start chewing on my CDs? I know that's gotta be a relative sort of answer, but I can tell you that I think a pretty good GULP of coffee got into the system, not just a sip.
If you think it would be most wise, I'll bundle up the thing and send it well-padded straight to your workshop! Thanks a million.

By the way, I liked your first response; no offense taken, believe me. You sound like a fun party guy. Only 1,000 miles between CO and TX; shine up your benz and take a road trip!

Cheers!
S Car Go

dpetryk · #10 05-29-2002, 04:01 PM

Its hard to say what the long term effects might be. It would depend if the liguid pooled and where. Most of it might have just drained out the nearest escape path. If it aint broke dont fix it. It wont damage your CD's since there is no physical contact other than the spindle. There might be some long term corrosive activity that might take place and the worst is that it quits working sometime in the future.

Its your call.