FillG Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I know you've all heard it before but darn these Legacys and their stupid cup holders!!! I went to the drive-thru at McDonalds and got a regular sized (20oz?) drink and put it in the cupholder for the trip back to the office. The first time I hit the brakes the cup tipped forward in the oversized cup holder hole and allowed Coke to spill out of the straw hole and into the heater controls where it worked it's way down into my stereo and apparently blew it up. It made a loud pop and then a bunch of static. No radio and no cd. Even when I turn it off, it still makes static. Looks like I've now got an excuse to replace the stereo. I've been looking for a legitimate reason ever since I got the car. (You may remember my thread from a while back about not having a clock) Maybe I should sue McDonalds for filling my cup all the way to the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejlain Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Yeah, looks like you're getting a new stereo..The problem with Coke (or any other soda) getting spilled on closed electronic equipment is it's "permanent"! lol No matter how much of it you clean up, there's still enough that dries up. Once the components warm up the stuff gets liquid again, wreaks havoc, then dries up again. Sorry to hear about your Mc-Mis-Hap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksoob Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Well, the manual DOES say "Do not employ cupholder when car is in motion." Uh....yeah....nice design there. Must be the same designers who made the Krusty the Klown Alarm Klock. "Oh yeah, that gets really hot if you leave it plugged in." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ru4x4ever Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I would say........take top cover of of head unit, use rubbing alcahol and Q-tips and clean all the soda out and return as defective item......Shhhhhhh :-p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hklaine Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Definitely a good excuse to pick up a new head unit. I used the clock as mine when I got the car. And the free tuner with head unit and antenna purchase sucked me into Sirius while I was at it. Haven't used the tuner yet, used the CD player twice... Drinks spilling on the HVAC controls and stereo, one of my daily morning fears.... -Heikki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Heh...my mom did the same thing. The radio was all weird. Wouldnt keep the set stations and the time. I was thinking of putting my new CD player in the slot below so I can see it better when the cup holder is open...I dunno if I feel like taking it out or not. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EOppegaard Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 The coke is not on there forever. Unless you have fried a component within it, you can definitely clean this out. Pick up some electrical component cleaner...not contact cleaner, two entirely different things, and spray down the inside of the radio with it. THis will get rid of the gunk enough for you to wipe it up. ohh...a side note...take the radio out and remove power to do this...I know that may be insulting however still needs to be said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FillG Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Well I just drove the car again and just for the heck of it, I tried the stereo and everything is working great so I guess it all dried up and there's probably no damage to anything. Money's kinda tight right now so instead of replacing it, I'll probably try the component cleaner thing just to make sure it doesn't melt onto anything that might be damaged. Thanks for the advice, you guys and girls are great. Well, the manual DOES say "Do not employ cupholder when car is in motion." Really??? I thought I read the whole manual and I didn't see that. I probably glossed over that part because who would think you're not supposed to use the cupholder when you're actually using the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 electornic circuit boards are often washed at the end before installation. I was at a factory and watched them. This made me bold enough to try to save my wife's light meter when she actually washed it in the clothes washer. I washed it out with soap free water and dried it carefully, that was several years ago and it still works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EOppegaard Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Originally posted by cookie electornic circuit boards are often washed Electronic circuit boards are always washed if it is any sort of cleanroom production...and most all others are. You can also speed up the drying process by placing it in an over and setting it for very low heat...and yes, it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FillG Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 Well, we're supposed to have a couple days of no rain or snow so I'll drive the Miata and be able to leave the Subaru torn apart and give everything a chance to thoroughly dry out. I disassembled the dash and took the heater controls, cupholder, stereo, and the little pocket thing below the stereo in the house and started trying to take it all apart. My idea was to take everything completely apart and clean and dry it before I put it back together. That way I'd know everything was dry. After about 5 minutes of trying to get more than just the top off of the stereo, I just turned the water on and gave the whole thing a nice warm rinse for several minutes. Did the same to the heater controls since the buttons were all sticky and the temp slider didn't want to slide right. I think I'm gonna just leave it all in the house for a couple days with a fan blowing on it. Maybe try the oven trick for an hour or two on warm just to make sure before I put it back in the car. While I was messing with the stereo, I had a good laugh when I noticed the sticker says it was manufactured August 2002... the car is a 1998 model, so either the previous owner spilled in the original one and killed it or it just went bad. The car originally came with this model stereo in it so that rules out an upgrade from a cassette or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Maybe you need a coke proof military spec stereo for those cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99obw Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Electical assemblies aren't washed as much as they used to be. Environmental regulations have encouraged manufacturers to move to no-clean flux. The company I work for used to wash boards in freon, now nothing is washed. Contrary to popular belief water does not conduct electricity. The minerals in the water conduct electricity. Washing with deionized water could be very effective if the unit was never powered up with the contaminates on the PCB. If the soda was spilt on the unit with the car's battery connected it is possible that temporary shorts were created that permanently damaged the solid state circuitry. No amount of washing will help if this was the case. Washing with tap water will leave minerals on the PCB that will lower the impedance between component pins/pads on the board. This may or may not have significant effects depending on the impedance of the circuits involved and the water used. Yes, the cupholder design stinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FillG Posted March 11, 2004 Author Share Posted March 11, 2004 Originally posted by 99obw Washing with tap water will leave minerals on the PCB that will lower the impedance between component pins/pads on the board. This may or may not have significant effects depending on the impedance of the circuits involved and the water used. Well, they were calling for snow today so I cut my drying time short and reinstalled everything last night. It all worked just fine so apparently the circuits were hardy enough to handle a Coke wash while powered on, a tap water wash while completely removed from the car, and then baking in the oven on warm (my lowest setting) for about an hour and a half. Yes, the cupholder design stinks. Truer words have never been spoken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 baked it with spices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FillG Posted March 11, 2004 Author Share Posted March 11, 2004 :D Place the stereo in the oven on the center rack for an hour and a half or until completely dry. Remove from oven, garnish with cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger, and serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I was driving a 5 speed Toyota truck (not mine). Of course the drink didn't fit in the cup holder securely so I held it most of the way, which is interesting when you also have to shift gears. Anyway, on the LAST turn, I thought what the heck it should hold. I let go, and this being a left turn the cup did a nice 90 degree tilt to the right and splashed all over the passenger floor mat. I'm glad to say I'm off soft drinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Clark Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 It's best to douch everything with isopropyl alcohol (90 sum odd percent) instead of rubbing alcohol. A mil spec coke proof radio wouldn't fit into the interior of your vehicle. You would need something at least the size of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle to fit that kind of radio in. Of course, one benefit from this would be the reduction of the chance that you'll be the victim of a road-rage incident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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