GPS not recording and time date will not maintain

Hi @dempster

The impurities in the water causes corrosion and provides circuit paths for the electricity which were not in the camera’s operating design and could damage the components. The corrosion starts immediately and is ongoing until it is completely cleaned away

First do not turn on your camera and then remove the battery as soon as possible from the camera to minimize any further damage.

Then you need to dis-assemble the camera and clean all the affected parts using Isopropyl Alcohol 99%+ (available at electronics parts stores) to remove all traces of corrosion and water. If possible do not use "rubbing alcohol" as in some cases this is only 70% IPA or less, can contain additives and is not as effective. If you do have to use it check the label to verify the amount of IPA. The higher the percentage of IPA the better

Here is a link that describes the process. Electronics Water Damage

As always with electronics, especially surface mounted pcb be gentle when handling and especially when brushing away the corrosion. You do not want to remove any components from the board. Remove the shields that may be covering some components as the water may have got in under there. The ends of any flex cables and their connectors need to be cleaned as well

Hopefully after you have done all this the camera might possibly work correctly again.

Here is a link to the service manual for the camera and the ifixit Sony HDR-AS30V guide which may help.

A reason why the settings may reset to default when the camera is switched off is because the secondary Lithium coin cell battery Sony part #1-853-130-11 (supplier example only) is either faulty or is not being charged. This battery maintains the settings when the camera is off. There should be a battery type number printed on the battery itself as well - see p.4-2 in the manual to find the location of the battery where it is soldered onto the VC-1021 board (side B). Note the polarity of the battery before removing/replacing if the battery is faulty.

If this process seems too daunting, take your camera to a reputable, professional camera repair service, experienced in liquid damage repair and ask for a quote for a repair. If you decide to do this, do it sooner than later.