Game Boy Cart only works when wet?

Okay so i have a really odd problem with my copy of Pokemon Yellow. At first I couldn't get it to work at all. I relized on some of the solders there was this whitish residue that would disappear when i put alcohol on it. Sure enough when i did that the game worked fine and would let me play. However, I did this and dried the alcohol the first time I did this. Now the thing wont work at all UNLESS i leave it wet on all the contacts and once it dries it white screens all over again. Im really at a loss at trying to figure out whats wrong with this cart. Im trying to enjoy the game but i cant when i have to constantly feed it alcohol (and sometimes even that doesnt work.) Any ideas on what the issues could be?
Side Note: The white residue is still there btw. It comes back but when i clean it off it returns. I cant tell if this is because of the alcohol or the Q tips im using

 

Reflow the solder

 

I think when OP says "solders" they actually mean the cart connector.

EDIT: Scrub it with a weak solution of vinegar in water

 

@ Sonny_Jim Im talking about the MBC, MM134, SRAM, and ROM when im talking about the solders. Im still kind of new to the world of cartridges so i just called them "solders" at first. Also would Vinegar and water be safe? That wont corrode anything?
@LeHaM Ah, I was afraid it would come to that. So I would just have to put some solder on each contact point on the MBC, MM134, SRAM, and ROM chips or just one? I havent really cleaned one then tried it so I havent really isolated which one it would come to. I also have never soldered a thing in my life so I guess its time to learn xD

 

@Sonny_Jim: When I say "Solders" I mean the MBC, RAM, SRAM, and MM134 chips. Sorry Im still kind of new to this thing so Im kinda green on the terminology. So vinegar and water wouldnt corrode anything right? Just to be sure.

@LeHaM: Ah, I was afraid for it to come to this. Well im guessing i just put some solder on each contact point of each chip? Also I dont have a soldering iron and have never soldered before. Brb time to make a trip to harbor freight.

 

I mean the MBC and rom boards when i say Solders sorry xD
That wont corrode anything at all right?

 

Just bought a soldering iron and some solder when I saw this post. Kinda figured it might have to come to this. Im new to soldering so im confused on what reflowing means. Does it mean just re soldering the RAM, MBC, and other chips?

 

If you're new to this stuff it's better you ask someone else to do the job, because it's quite easy to overheat and damage traces or contacts. Start with alcohol and eraser to clean contacts (don't overdo it though), if it doesn't work then yeah, solder joints must be checked and reflowed if needed.

 

Ah wish I woulda saw this before I attempted it. Anyways Thanks guys the reflowing of the contacts worked perfectly. Game works like a charm

 

Never use an eraser to clean - it's meant for removing graphite from paper, and it smears plastic. Use the right tools - isopropyl alcohol, although more specifically, contact cleaner. You can use a lubricating one (switch cleaner) if you want, but most people stick to the plain stuff. You don't want to be using any kind of alcohol you drink or medical stuff. And you should be cleaning with a swab of some sorts (e.g. a cotton bud or Q-tip if you're American) to remove any dirt on the contacts.

If IPA doesn't remove it, you might have to try a fine abrasive, although proceed with caution.

 

The Isopropyl alcohol just made the white stuff disappear. It would eventually return even after a hard scrubbing to get it off the board. This is just my experience with it. The heat from the Soldering iron got rid of the stuff as it melted the solder so i guess thats a win.

 

is what I use for corroded cart edge pins. Just don't over do it and remember to clean with vodka afterwards.

 

Surely you mean drink the vodka afterwards?

 

I do not get what is going on there, You tinned the cart contacts?
It is like this thread talks about cleaning cart connector and reflowing solder at the same time.

Anyway, I like to use UltraFine steel wool on badly corroded contacts. It does not scratch the gold plating, it is made for polishing. It just makes it shine and it also removes the kind of white lime deposit you refer to.

 

Your cart is probably water damaged. First remove the battery, it's either dead of will be in the near future, mix some vinegar and salt then soak the board in it for about 30 seconds. Wash the board with soap and hot water then let it dry. Test the game, if it works put in a new battery and you are good, if not then proceed. Most of the time that isn't enough, on the board there are many tiny holes drilled and then lined with metal, coat all of them with flux and run some solder over the holes until they are filled with solder. Use at least a 30 watt soldering iron. This fault is common on Pokemon games because many of the carts have been abused and few people check them before selling, it doesn't help maters that these games have a batter that accelerates the damage and more holes that can be damaged. I have had at least 30 Pokemon games come in with this exact problem over the past year, about 5 responded to the vinegar cleaning and most of the others responded to the solder fill. 3 of them were dead due to IC failures and 3 remained unreliable even after the fix but were fixable with a bridge wire.

 

BTW yours works when alcohol is applied because that is completing the circuit, the damaged part of the circuit is likely small but easily fixable try applying the alcohol in small areas to identify the offending connections. then use the solder fill technique to fix it.

 

Eraser is ok to clean thick metal contacts (like cartridge contacts, not something inside mobile phone etc), not for glossy case parts of course (sometimes you have to scrub paint/dirt with eraser or toothpaste though).

 

Water and vinegar is pretty ghetto, if you want to try this save yourself the hassle and just buy some pcb cleaner, dries fast and actually works...