I don't think you are too late to soak him. Just be gentle, and calm and he should be ok. Soaking does help some snakes defecate, I know when I used to have a corn he used to LOVE LOVE LOVE defecating all up in his water dish so I could clean it up.
If nothing else, the soak will help rehydrate him and also help his shed. Whenever I deal w/ a difficult shed I put the snake in a tub w/ air holes, fill up the tub w/ water NO MORE THAN 1/2 WAY up the snakes' body (any more can cause them to stress out and they could drown) and then set the tub in a room undisturbed for about 30-45 mins w/ a heating pad underneath it to keep the water warm.
Afterwards, if it's an incomplete shed (he partially shed), take him out and using a wet/damp towel let him crawl through it, and it usually works really well. Again, only do this last part if he's already started shedding himself.
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