Rain + amp = fried amp

thewubwub · 01-12-2017, 02:23 AM

So it's been pouring over in the Bay Area, and I guess mother nature decided that it wanted to mess with me a little bit....

Long story short, while I was at work it was pouring non-stop, and my 1er was exposed in the rain the whole time. On my drive home I noticed lots of LOUD crackles and pops coming from the speakers (even when I had the radio off) and I had a feeling something wasn't right.

I get home, disconnect the battery to stop the noise from the speakers, and I notice lots of condensation in my drivers side Blackline taillight, and proceed to take apart the trunk lining to take it out. Upon removing the taillight, I look inside and I can see tons of water inside sloshing around the taillight!!

Then I pulled apart the trunk lining all the way and there is a huge puddle where the amp sits.

(that's the puddle of water that you see in the picture where the amp used to sit)

So now I'm letting the car sit in my garage for a few days to let it air out and dry anything that I may have missed... I'm also amp-less.

I saw a couple amps on Ebay, they look the same as the one I pulled out but they say E88 on them, would that also work for E82's??? Also, is there anything else that I should look out for in this event? Thanks!

TheFox · 01-23-2017, 11:06 PM

Hey, I had a leaking rear taillight and had the same issue right before the holidays. The good news is that the majority of the PCB is conformally coated so if you take it apart to where you can see the board and clean off any residue you see near the connector side of the board (AKA the side without a glossy finish). You should see some white powdery residue between components and traces that can easily be cleaned off with some alcohol and a toothbrush and as long as you didn't blow an op amp package you should be good to go.

01-12-2017, 02:23 AM	#1
thewubwub Private First Class 76 Rep 177 Posts Drives: like a slowpoke Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Pending iTrader: (0)	Rain + amp = fried amp So it's been pouring over in the Bay Area, and I guess mother nature decided that it wanted to mess with me a little bit.... Long story short, while I was at work it was pouring non-stop, and my 1er was exposed in the rain the whole time. On my drive home I noticed lots of LOUD crackles and pops coming from the speakers (even when I had the radio off) and I had a feeling something wasn't right. I get home, disconnect the battery to stop the noise from the speakers, and I notice lots of condensation in my drivers side Blackline taillight, and proceed to take apart the trunk lining to take it out. Upon removing the taillight, I look inside and I can see tons of water inside sloshing around the taillight!! Then I pulled apart the trunk lining all the way and there is a huge puddle where the amp sits. (that's the puddle of water that you see in the picture where the amp used to sit) So now I'm letting the car sit in my garage for a few days to let it air out and dry anything that I may have missed... I'm also amp-less. I saw a couple amps on Ebay, they look the same as the one I pulled out but they say E88 on them, would that also work for E82's??? Also, is there anything else that I should look out for in this event? Thanks! Attached Images __________________
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01-23-2017, 11:06 PM	#2
TheFox Private 25 Rep 79 Posts Drives: M3NTAL 135I Auto, On3 ST Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Albuquerque, NM iTrader: (0)	Hey, I had a leaking rear taillight and had the same issue right before the holidays. The good news is that the majority of the PCB is conformally coated so if you take it apart to where you can see the board and clean off any residue you see near the connector side of the board (AKA the side without a glossy finish). You should see some white powdery residue between components and traces that can easily be cleaned off with some alcohol and a toothbrush and as long as you didn't blow an op amp package you should be good to go.
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