3 
2 Strange issue with keyboard/topcase.
I recently replaced the logic board on my liquid damaged Macbook with one from another Macbook of the same model. The Macbook that the logic board was pulled from had a damaged keyboard and trackpad but still powered up and ran fine with an external keyboard and mouse.
When the ribbon cable from the keyboard is connected to the logic board, I cannot charge or power up the computer. It works fine when it's not connected, though. There are also no issues with the trackpad. Leaving the keyboard unplugged obviously isn't a great solution because I have to turn on the Mac by shorting two connectors on the logic board.
I realise that I will probably need a new top case, but I thought I should ask for help before doing so. I have never heard of this problem before and have only been able to find one site that mentions something like this. I am hoping there is nothing wrong with the logic board because there were no problems turning it on when it was connected to the old keyboard. What do you think?
Thanks in advance!
crwdns2934109:0crwdne2934109:0
crwdns2944067:05crwdne2944067:0
I forgot to say that I think there might be damage to the cable connector. On both sides it looks like the second pin across is missing. I don't know if that is normal.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 james289 crwdne2934271:0
What was the path the liquid took to get to the logic board?
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 mayer crwdne2934271:0
Well, I didn't spill the liquid (tea) myself but I'm pretty sure it all went through the keyboard.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 james289 crwdne2934271:0
It works with an external keyboard and doesn't work with the keyboard that the tea went through, is that correct? Consider testing with a known good keyboard.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 mayer crwdne2934271:0
Yes, that's correct. To me it seems that the keyboard needs replacing but I've never heard of the keyboard stopping the laptop from charging and turning on. I will try to find someone that has a working keyboard I can test. If I can't find someone, I will just buy a new top case. If I can get it working properly, I'll post back on here with the solution. Thanks.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 james289 crwdne2934271:0