[Q] Found a phone with massive corrosion inside, what to do?

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espionage724

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2010
2,937
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wiki.realmofespionage.xyz
OnePlus 6
Basically, I found a phone on the side of a road (a Galaxy S2) that has a cracked screen, obvious drop damage (there was a case near it too that I assume took some of the impact), and a bit of water damage. No idea how long it was there, but I'd estimate between a few hours or a day.

I'm somewhat hoping I could get it powered up and use it, but I imagine there isn't much hope at all for it.

I read some guides online, and noticed a few that mentioned vinegar could remove corrosion. I disassembled the S2 as far as I could, and then just dropped it in a small container of ACV, and plan to leave it overnight. There was a good bit of bubble activity when I left, so I assume the vinegar is doing it's work on the corrosion quite nicely.

I'm not really expecting the phone to work at all, but who knows. As long as there isn't any physical motherboard damage and no short-circuiting occured, I would think it would be fine.

As for what happened to the phone, I assume it was dropped, but it's possible it was ran over as well. Ideally, I'd hope the phone was just dropped and the battery came out instantly to reduce the chance of short circuiting.

My plan for now is to just let it sit in the vinegar for about 8 hours, and then check on it in the morning. Depending on how much corrosion is left, i'll either just try to clean up the rest with a tiny brush, or just let it soak some more in fresh vinegar. I'm hoping the vinegar itself doesn't damage anything crucial though.
 
Last edited:

Mike_RC

New member
Jun 29, 2012
4
0
Toronto
Potential Water Damage Fix

Basically, I found a phone on the side of a road (a Galaxy S2) that has a cracked screen, obvious drop damage (there was a case near it too that I assume took some of the impact), and a bit of water damage. No idea how long it was there, but I'd estimate between a few hours or a day.

I'm somewhat hoping I could get it powered up and use it, but I imagine there isn't much hope at all for it.

I read some guides online, and noticed a few that mentioned vinegar could remove corrosion. I disassembled the S2 as far as I could, and then just dropped it in a small container of ACV, and plan to leave it overnight. There was a good bit of bubble activity when I left, so I assume the vinegar is doing it's work on the corrosion quite nicely.

I'm not really expecting the phone to work at all, but who knows. As long as there isn't any physical motherboard damage and no short-circuiting occured, I would think it would be fine.

As for what happened to the phone, I assume it was dropped, but it's possible it was ran over as well. Ideally, I'd hope the phone was just dropped and the battery came out instantly to reduce the chance of short circuiting.

My plan for now is to just let it sit in the vinegar for about 8 hours, and then check on it in the morning. Depending on how much corrosion is left, i'll either just try to clean up the rest with a tiny brush, or just let it soak some more in fresh vinegar. I'm hoping the vinegar itself doesn't damage anything crucial though.

I'd love to know how this turned out. I was planning on trying something like this myself. I have a mildly water damaged s2 lte that still works except for 3 issues:
1. Needs external power to turn on
2. Crashes whenever I use Gallery and occasionally if i switch apps fast.
3. Battery meter always reads 1.

I think this is because there's some mild corrosion somewhere causing a short circuit in certain areas.

Some things I've found through research(but untested):
1. Soak in salt+vinegar solution for < 10min
2. Rinse out with water/baking soda solution
3. Repeat a couple times if necessary.
4. Soak in isopropyl alcohol(99% rubbing alcohol) overnight
5. Dry off in air for 24hours

Scrub lightly with a toothbrush any visible corrosion during steps 1-2.

Optional attach one of those suction cup speakers that vibrates(turning anything into a speaker) to the soaking basin and play some high frequency sounds. Vibrations are supposed to help, but i don't know exact frequency.