Dell XPS 13: After water incursion, only runs when plugged in

mayache

Honorable
Apr 28, 2013
2
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10,510
I have the 2015 Dell XPS 13. A few days ago, I spilled some water on the keyboard (laptop was not plugged in at the time). Nothing seemed to happen immediately at the time of the spill, so I turned it off. The battery is not accessible from the outside, and I didn't have a Torx screwdriver necessary to open the case, so I drained water water I could from the keyboard and left the computer upside down.

A couple hours later, I opened the case, removed the battery and other components, and left the open computer to dry for a few days in front of a fan. There was some water visible on the battery, nowhere else.

Today I reassembled the computer. It would only turn on with the AC adapter plugged in, and turned off as soon as I removed it. The battery indicator says "19%, plugged in, not charging". The BIOS setup says I need to replace the battery, but in similar situations for other computers, it is usually suggested that the charging circuitry is damaged (and that makes more sense to me, a short across battery terminals would be more likely to fry the wire than the battery). Is there a way I can test either the battery or the charging circuitry? I am comfortable with a multimeter and basic electronics. Can the charging circuitry be replaced or would I have to replace the entire mainboard? I don't want to spend the money to replace the the battery then find out that didn't make a difference.

Thanks!
 
Solution
You could try the battery in another laptop and see if it works fine. Or try another battery in yours. See if someone you know has a similar device. Then you don't have to purchase anything to do the test.

Here is a video on how to test the charging circuitry. I didn't watch it through, but it may help you on how to test yours. https://youtu.be/qcWowCgOFOw

Or you could take it to a local tech shop and see if they can test it for you either for free, or for a small fee (which is less than replacing either part)

Here is another video, this one on replacing the charging circuitry... https://youtu.be/kFCejg_LRog

Now these obviously aren't to your specific device, however they should give you a better idea of what would be involved to...
You could try the battery in another laptop and see if it works fine. Or try another battery in yours. See if someone you know has a similar device. Then you don't have to purchase anything to do the test.

Here is a video on how to test the charging circuitry. I didn't watch it through, but it may help you on how to test yours. https://youtu.be/qcWowCgOFOw

Or you could take it to a local tech shop and see if they can test it for you either for free, or for a small fee (which is less than replacing either part)

Here is another video, this one on replacing the charging circuitry... https://youtu.be/kFCejg_LRog

Now these obviously aren't to your specific device, however they should give you a better idea of what would be involved to attempt the testing/replacements.
 
Solution