Introducción
Screen have no backlight? Replace the inverter.
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Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.
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Lift the battery out of the computer.
I just replaced the battery as indicated (with a iFixit part), but the computer says there is no battery connected, even after letting the power plug in for more than one hour.
I think I found the way to have the new battery to charge!!!!!
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRYIMDQx....
Essentially, you have to follow a very precise order: 1/shut down the computer, 2/take off the magsafe connector, 3/remove the old battery, 4/put back the magsafe connector, 5/put the new battery, 6/power on, each time leaving a few seconds in between.
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Unscrew the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.
Lay the screws out in a ”timeline” like a circle, Then when you reassemble just start from the end of the “timeline”
The screws have to unscrewing positions, first they unscrew from the whole body BUT if you move the lid without entirely removing the screws, they will remain attached to the lid. This I find much more recomendable!
What size screwdriver
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Rotate the L-shaped memory cover so it clears the battery compartment opening and lift it up and out of the computer.
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Remove the following 3 screws:
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One 11 mm Phillips#00 in the middle of the case. (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00 (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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Cita de ryan64:
I couldn't get the top two 11mm screws to come out, even with a magnetized driver. When I tried to keep unscrewing them, they clicked like they were spring mounted, and I didn't have any trouble leaving them in and continuing on.
I use a strong magnet to pull the screws out of their socket.
You need to replace the shorter middle screw first, otherwise it won't tighten later since it won't quite reach the bottom.
for me this was the hardest part especially the two 14.5mm that dint want to come out. keep turning the screw and slightly pressing the case down, once the screw is a little use try using finger, screw and a non metallic point to try to push them out. they arent tight but they are very hard to unscrew i almost gave up, but believe me they come out with patience
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Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:
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One 3 mm Phillips #0. (Head: 2.75 mm. dia.)
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Two 4 mm Phillips #0 on the either side. (Head: 2.75mm dia.)
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On this step, I encountered a problem. The middle screw was screwed in very very tightly. As a result, I ended up stripping the screw despite being very careful. I tried to use a wire cutter to remove the screw, but that did not work. I actually ended up using the wirecutter to cut the bracket off, leaving the screw screwed in. This did not affect anything. I am typing off of my replace macbook top case right now.
The point is, BE CAREFUL! but if something does go wrong, don't fret. There are solutions.
On a Macbook I just tore down, I found that in this step, the 4mm screw was on the left, not the right. I thought maybe someone else had it apart before and accidentally switched them so in staying true to these instructions I tried to reassemble with the 4mm screw on the right. I found it would not go all the way in. I ended up putting it back together with the 2-3mm screws on the right and the 1-4mm screw on the left.
I didn't look closely at these screws when I took it apart, but when I went to put it back together (two weeks later) I found I had two longer (4mm?) screws, and one short one. So I put the longer ones in the two end spots, the short one in the middle; they all seemed to go in okay. (Maybe the screws got changed around the last time the cracked top case was replaced, when the MB was in the Apple shop under warranty last year.)
Me too. I had two longer 4mm screws here, and one 3mm screw. And I didn't pay attention to what holes each screw came out of. I put them back in a random order and it seems fine.
Thomas -
My early 2008 MacBook was the same. 2 x 4mm in the outer and 1 x 3mm in the centre.
Ernie K -
You need to replace the shorter middle screw first, otherwise it won't tighten later.
I needed a tweezers here. These screws are tiny!
If you lose one you may have to remove the RAM (by pulling the appropriate lever) and gently slide out the screw.
oh thanks I thought the screw was lost forever
To confirm what HandyMac and colmcostelloe found, some MacBooks have one 3mm and two 4mm screws in the rear wall of the battery compartment. On the one I worked on, the shorter 3mm screw came from the middle hole.
Cita de BeatJunkie:
To confirm what HandyMac and colmcostelloe found, some MacBooks have one 3mm and two 4mm screws in the rear wall of the battery compartment. On the one I worked on, the shorter 3mm screw came from the middle hole.
Thanks Beat Junkie, this was the situation with my Mac 2.13ghz Mid 2009 that I was putting back together. Thanks for the confirmation! (For the 6th step)
For me (A1181), there were two shorter screws and one longer. The longer went on the left (a shorter screw wouldn't catch). (Not the middle that is currently in the instruction. But that could be model difference.) The middle screw started to strip the head but using a slightly larger phillips allowed me to get it out.
In my late 2006 macbook the central screw was longer than the side screws..
Mine was A1181 model, Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz. Of course I did not keep track of the screws and ended up with two shorter ones and one longer. Replaced them with the longer one to the right of the three. Got it done with a Wiha PH00 screwdriver. Had better hold than the bit from the precision screwdriver kit.
me too. Got it done with a iFixIt PH00 screwdriver.
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Remove the two Phillips screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).
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Two 6.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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The steps do not tell you what length screw that is needed to be here. What I can tell you that is the screw needs to be 5mm or 6mm, NOT 7.5 or 8mm or 9mm.
Screwdriver PH0
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Remove the four indicated Phillips screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.
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Four 3.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x 4mm thick)
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It's recommended to use a PH00 screwdriver instead of the PH000.
The PH000 is too small and you can damage the screwheads.
I used PH0 for this
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Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:
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The longer screws go on the inside, shorter screws on the outside.
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Two 11 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.2mm dia. x 2 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Two 7.25 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2mm dia. x 3.75 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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I cannot get the two outer screws out for the life of me- and afraid of stripping them. Already see I'm doing some damage. Help? What can I do?
Are you sure you have a proper screwdriver? From my experience you really need to use the correct size and not just something that seems to fit.
Olivia, you can screw back the longer screws that go on the inside. In the photo marked with orange. Then open and close the lid of the MacBook a few times. This will fit the 4 screws more properly in the steel inner-frame and they can come a little bit loose.
Close the lid again. Leave the inner screws untouched and begin with the outer screws (marked with red) with indeed a perfect matching screwdriver head (with a big and long grip for your hand). This worked for me perfectly without damage. Success!
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Remove the two Phillips screws from the optical drive side of the computer.
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Two 5.2 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.3mm dia. x 3.5 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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The screw farthest from the optical drive would not come out, all other screws came out fine with my screw driver and the screw looks ok, any tips on how to get the screw out?
With some of the screws that can happen. I had it too. This did it for the MacBook I was repairing: 1. Open the MacBook. Then press firm but gentle on the upper case with your hand or fingers while trying to loosen the screw with your screwdriver. 2. I used a different screwdriver from the same size diameter but with a much larger hand-grip. Success!
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Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. A plastic opening tool or a medium hard guitar pick may help you to do this.
As is reported above, there a 4 friction tabs that connect to the keyboard. If they do not stay in place and stick to the keyboard, the keyboard will not go back on. Just remove them and put them in the clips, with the solid clip wall to the outside of the unit, and put the keyboard back on. Do this before reconnecting the keyboard.
The front left had an annoying little metal strip between the outside of the case and the tab. It's very easily bent, so the tab was caught on it. I spent a good deal of time trying to push and pull various things (and even just yank the @$!^ thing off), but eventually I found that if you undo the two screws you are told not to in step 7, the battery connector can be pulled up and out, leaving enough horizontal room to pull out the metal strip (with a little bit of coercion). I left it out when I put everything back together.
Thanks for the tip. Saved me!
Joe -
Because this step requires some force, make sure to double check that you got all your screws out. I finally got my gumption up to apply the necessary force required to pull up the upper case, and after 5 minutes of pulling, I look and see that the reason it wasn't coming up because I missed one screw. Ugh.
Also, before you just shove your hands under the upper case, prying about, think twice: I cut my finger pretty bad on a sharp piece of metal.
When reassembling, take some care to align the tabs on the right hand side next to the optical drive. Rock and slide these tabs into position. Then work from right to left, as the rest of the case is quite easy to put back together.
I took my mac apart yesterday to clean out the trackpad properly and after getting some 'help' from my grandfather (he lost 2 screws and snapped off a bit of the uppercase but i didn't have the heart to ask him to leave it alone) i tried putting the uppercase back on. it fits perfectly but the middle section closest to the screen appears slightly raised and when i go to screw in the four screws on the exterior of the laptop i can't because the hole is not at all aligned (and two of those four screws are very long). anyone know why this might be? can it be fixed/is it a common problem?
If the upper case sticks above the optical drive, don't pull straight up, but up and to the left at the same time.
Wow, pulling both up and to the left made all the difference for me, to unstick the keyboard around the optical drive.
On the right side above the optical drive there are little plastic braces that latch the upper case to the main body. This is the reason why the upper case might stick here. If the above step is not working, also try to gently push the upper case sideways away from the optical drive after freeing all other sides. When reassembling make sure the braces are in their slots of the main body and not attached to the upper case. If you cannot fit the upper case evenly over the optical drive, that's probably why. In this case carefully remove them and slide them back into their slots before lowering the upper case.
this guide was awesome. this step was easy for the broken macbook i salvaged and noticed because i got a factory replacement keyboard quite recently on my macbook in use, the 4 clips above the optical drive were TIGHT - it took quite a bit of pulling up before it came loose!
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While holding up the upper case, pull up the black tab of the silver cable away from its connector.
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While you have the upper case removed, you may want to take the opportunity to remove dust, hair, etc. It's best to use a can of compressed air, though if you use a brush, make sure that its bristles are made of a material (usually animal hair) that doesn't generate static electricity, which can destroy electronics.
I tried to remove the blacktab from the logic board, however, the black tab tore apart. The logic board is okay but the keyboard connector is torn. It has some silver wires passing through a whit plastic housing. It is the first generation of MacBook Core Duo. Do you think it can be repaired?
After a sucessful install of the keyboard, the select (mouse buttun equivalent) was found to not operate consistently. I called support and they are shipping a new one out to me. THIS is why I buy from ifixit - sure I can get a part for less elsewhere - but I would not get the service I get with ifixit - THANKS guys!!!
Note - I agree, this was VERY easy - great pictures, perfect explanations...
Cita de carlos:
not sure if this is the place to ask but my mac. doesn't start properly now it turns on and the little light on the right side turns on but keyboard leds don't and display doesn't either any ideas please?
Did you ever find an answer for this question? My computer is doing the same thing. Thanks.
Cita de E Chambliss:
Did you ever find an answer for this question? My computer is doing the same thing. Thanks.
no i never did couldn't get help it blows to hear someone else had the same problem...im using a windows(yuk) but im getting a new mac next paycheck. if you figure it out let me know so i can fix my other one and maybe give it to my parents
Cita de carlos:
no i never did couldn't get help it blows to hear someone else had the same problem...im using a windows(yuk) but im getting a new mac next paycheck. if you figure it out let me know so i can fix my other one and maybe give it to my parents
Hello, I'm following this procedure because my MacBook isn't turning on due to a failure in the MagSafe DC In board, it was not charging the battery and therefore no power going in. The case was broken duirng warranty and also the MagSafe power adapter was replaced. Now it is failing again. This is an old late 2006 MacBook. Does your Mac powers on, do you hear the chime sound? or you are stuck with a hardware failure?
Cita de Francisco:
Hello, I'm following this procedure because my MacBook isn't turning on due to a failure in the MagSafe DC In board, it was not charging the battery and therefore no power going in. The case was broken duirng warranty and also the MagSafe power adapter was replaced. Now it is failing again. This is an old late 2006 MacBook. Does your Mac powers on, do you hear the chime sound? or you are stuck with a hardware failure?
my MacBook charges the battery and powers on i dont hear a chime and it turns on but never starts
Cita de spi:
When changing the topcase remember to change the sticker with the serial also! This might be important when further service or bigger repairs by apples service are needed. The serial also helps you with identifying your MacBook!
How do you do it? I can't get it out
Superb guide thank you guys
This takes some nerves if there is no tab, but be confident and just prise the connector straight up.
Clips removal: its hard with finger to pull. It's better and easy off with a pry tool (I used a flat twiser) to pry from the bottom gently for each clips. It was so smooth and easy.
After I clean everything nice… put the cable back and DO NOT TURN ON. What the !&&* happens!? Ideias my friends? :(
Sorry my bad english!
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Grasp the white plastic tab attached to the hard drive and pull it to the left, removing the hard drive from the computer.
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Remove the two Phillips screws from the front edge of the optical drive.
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Two 3.25 mm Phillips #000, (Head: 4 mm. dia. x .3 mm thick)
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Disconnect the orange optical drive ribbon cable from the logic board. This cable can also be disconnected by prying straight up using a spudger.
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Disconnect the newly revealed display data cable. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector.
The display cable was difficult to disconnect for me. I had to pull firmly and use the spudger at the same time to finally pop it off.
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Disconnect the (once again) newly-revealed hard drive cable.
When reconnecting the Hard Drive Cable to the logic board (Step 17) I ran the HD cable on top of the microphone wire, and the other wire that runs parallel to it, when I should have run the HD cable underneath those two wires. This resulted in the hard drive not being connected on startup, and a lengthy troubleshooting session to figure this out. So save some time and install this underneath the two wires, just like you found it when taking it apart!
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Peel up the foil tape between the fan and the optical drive. Lift the foil tape from the fan side, leaving it attached to the optical drive.
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During reassembly, be sure to route the cables beneath the tape before reattaching it.
I was gently pulling up the tape with a spudger, but the tape snapped clean in half right at the edge of the optical drive. I'm really pretty surprised because I see no reason why it would have done that.
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Pull up the display data cable from along the edge of the optical drive to reveal a silver Phillips screw.
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Remove the 2 mm Phillips #00 screw securing the optical drive.
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The Bluetooth cable may be covering the screw. If so, carefully push it aside. You may need to unscrew the cable clip to free the cable enough.
STEP 20 - IMPORTANT= This screw secures a mounting bracket on the optical drive. This bracket's eyelets are slotted. The right side of the bracket has a tab inserted in the bottom case. After removing the screw, use the spudger to slide the bracket to the left. This disengages the tab from the right side of the case, thus allowing the optical drive to be lifted out in step 23.
As an addition to xtian's note, the bracket that you need to slide right (and a spudger is very useful here) it may be because the rear right (as in the picture) of the optical drive needs to be GENTLY pushed down as the bracket end needs to slot into a hole on the right hand side of the case.
Ernie K -
After removing the screw gently push the metal tong (which the screw was holding) towards the fan. This will unlock the drive mount.
I found it helpful to remove the screw sitting to the lower left of the speaker.
There is only one screw holding the optical drive down, the one circled in red. the one in orange is for the ground loop for the microphone and right speaker cable. Also, a spudger makes quick work of moving the cables out of the way to get to the screw for easy removal/replacement.
As I tried to refit the optical drive, the plastic mount for the brass threaded socket that receives the screw crumbled like an old tooth. Only thing for it was to ditch the plastic and superglue the brass socket into place on the case - seems to have worked. (People who design parts/fixings that involve strong materials held in place by weaker ones should be imprisoned). I also had to remove the sliding bracket on the drive and cut 2/3mm off the right hand end to get the screw hole to align with the brass socket, also seems not to have caused any harm. Never thought I would find myself lashing out with the superglue and wielding a hacksaw inside a laptop...empowered!
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Lift the Bluetooth antenna board from the right side of the optical drive.
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Deroute the hard drive cable from along the front of the optical drive.
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Lift the front edge of the optical drive and slide it up and out of the computer.
On the the optical drive there is a sliding-bar (secured by two screws, which fixes the drive in the right edge of the Alu-frame) that has to be shifted to the left when taking the drive off. Especially, before putting the optical drive back to the computer, make sure that the the sliding bar is in its leftward position in order not to block the insertion of the drive. Then shift the bar gently to the right thereby fixing the drive's position.
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Remove the following 3 screws:
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Two 3 mm Phillips near the right speaker.
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One 6 mm Phillips threaded through a hole in a plastic finger above the subwoofer.
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Lift the right speaker out of its housing and set it to the side.
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Using a spudger, gently pry up the white plastic slot and slide the metal c-channel to the right and away from the display.
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Use a spudger to carefully disconnect the microphone cable from the logic board. You'll want to work from side to side, and slowly wiggle the connector out of its socket.
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Lift up on the black right speaker cable with one hand, and deroute the microphone cable from the silver metal clip just above the right RAM slot.
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If you didn't remove the ground loop screw in step 20 above, remove it now. It's a 7 mm (may be 4.2 mm in Santa Rosa/Penryn models) Phillips screw securing the ground loop in the right speaker cable and microphone cable to the metal framework.
Put close attention to how the cables are laid out to get the same staking order, when reassembling I did not care about the order and as a result they were not as "Flat" as before and made the DVD drive insertion a bit more hard as it did not sit as deep as it should, so I had to re arrange the cables and once they were right the DVD drive sat perfectly. I would suggest taking a photo before re-routing them.
For the second time that I changed an inverter I skipped to disconnect the microphone cable (steps 27 to 30) because it's really hard to wiggle the connector out of its socket and it looks very fragile.
By doing this you can not move the display assembly far from the case BUT it's not a problem for the next steps (front bezel and clutch cover).
I won time and did not have to replace display and microphone cables what is not easy because of the lack of place and if the SuperDrive is compressed it can block CDs.
Not sure if that will help...
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Deroute the microphone cable and the black display data cable from the tabs at the bottom of the subwoofer.
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Remove the single 3 mm Phillips screw securing the ground loop in the display data cable located just above the Bluetooth board.
The ground screw also holds down a ground loop that is part of the speaker cable. The two loops may be stuck together so you need to carefully separate them.
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Disconnect the three antenna cables from the Airport card. There may be a square foam piece over the logic board connector.
For the MacBook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn: the inverter cable is a bit tricky. I was fooled into thinking that there were pins which went INTO the inverter cable. Because of this, I was afraid of lifting up on the cable (off the board), but this is what you actually must do to separate them.
For clarification, here's a pic (low-res, sorry) of the inverter cable disconnected from it's on-board plug: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_l0f6yKkaxDU/S0FOHS...
Can I get a replacement connecter that the inverter cable connects to and solder it on? I broke mine taking to of how it says in the guide
i also broke mine off the motherboard on accident. it appears to be a fairly clean break. is there anyone who has had luck soldering them back on?
michael -
About disconnecting the inverter cable. I had more luck wedging the pointed end of spludger between the PCB near the cables and the shoulder of the connector nearest the display. I then pushed the pointed end of the spludger away from the display and the connector popped up off the socket. when trying to use the spludger on the sides of the socket, i deformed the plastic edges of the socket.
This worked well for me too.
The inverter cable was fine if a little fiddly, but I can't get the antenna cables back on at all - anyone got any ideas? Even with bright lights and magnifiers I can't see why they won't go back in. (And I don't know why ifixit thinks I'm called facebook -- Sam)
... and of course as soon as I ask for help I find the answer. Don't try to push the plug vertically into the socket on the Airport board, start it at an angle with the cable running up and away from you towards the screen, then rock it back horizontal and it just clicks into place. -- Sam
facebook -
A method to remove the inverter cable connector that just worked great for me: I hooked a dental pick underneath the connector at the cable side (display side) and picked in right up out of the socket. I wiggled it a little first to make sure that I only had the connector hooked.
After destroying a similar connector on a fan replacement with a dental pick, I've decided to withdraw my recommendation to use one. Best to use the flat end of the smaller spudger and pry the connector out from under the wire (screen) side, very slowly, working from side to side.
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Remove the following 2 screws from the right hinge mount:
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One 6 mm Phillips on the left side of the hinge mount.
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One 10 mm Phillips on the right side of the hinge mount.
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For Santa Rosa/Penryn models, see second picture and remove:
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One 3 mm smalller diameter Phillips on the far left.
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One 5.2 mm larger diameter 4.2 mm head Phillips in the middle.
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One 10 mm Phillips from the far right.
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Lift the right hinge mount with the small plastic piece out of the computer.
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Hold the display with one hand while removing the screws from the left hinge mount.
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Remove the following 3 screws from the left hinge mount:
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One 7.2 mm smaller diameter Phillips from the right side.
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One 5.2 mm larger diameter Phillips from the middle.
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One 10 mm Phillips from the left side.
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Lift the left hinge mount with plastic piece out of the computer.
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Check that the cables on the right are not trapped under other cables.
I tried this last night and the screen fell backward, cracking the components of the hinge. Be careful and support the screen here once you unscrew the hinges!
What is that plastic hinge thingie called in step 34. The piece broke and I'd like to replace that.
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Grasp the display assembly on either side, and lift it up and out of the computer.
For those wishing to go further into the LCD, the steps are identical to the MB CD, see this repair guide for more:
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Use a thin plastic card to release the tabs holding the front display bezel to the display assembly. There are five tabs along the left side of the display bezel.
When you go to replace the bezel, look at the back side and disconnect any of the little snap-on tabs that may not have stayed in the metal bracket around the LCD. On a white MacBook they were grey, about 4mm x 8mm. They work best if you put them into the metal frame separate from the bezel and then snap the bezel into them.
The best way to remove them seemed to be by placing my thumb over one edge (so they didn’t fly off) and prying with a thin, flat screwdriver flat against the bezel tab.
Hello I've seen a video on Youtube where the guy skipped all the previous steps and got to the inverter without taking the screen off. Seems like it saves a lot of time and potential problems, since I have never done anything like this. Does anyone recommend doing it? I see it's more accessible to just try to get to the inverter without taking the screen off first.
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Continue to free the tabs along the the top edge of the display assembly.
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Next, free the five tabs securing the display bezel on the right side.
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Lift up the front display bezel from the top and use your plastic card to free the tabs along the bottom edge of the display bezel.
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After freeing all holding tabs, lift the front display bezel away from the display assembly.
A note for anyone panicking because they can't get their front bezel back on:
It is common for the grey clips holding the bezel to the display to come up along with the bezel. If you have ANY grey clips attached to the back of your bezel, in order to replace the bezel you need to first remove the clips from the bezel and reinsert them into the holes in the display panel manually first! Once all of these clips are back in place, the bezel can be reattached.
These clips are very fragile and if you are having this problem odds are you have already severely bent some of them. Check the tiny plastic clasps and if they are squashed down, gently pry them back up with your fingernail. Again these grey clips are very fragile, so use care in reattaching them.
This was a very helpful tip. I made the mistake at first when reading your note, thinking that the gray clips were supposed to be on the bezel, not the display, but quickly corrected that.
For anyone confused, the bezel is the thin plastic part surrounded the display, and the display of course houses the LCD.
Another note:
The easiest way to remove the clips from the bezel is from the side and pry up. To reattach them to the display, put one end of the clip in first, and then use tweezers to poke in the other end of the clip.
Quote from WillyDavidK:
A note for anyone panicking because they can't get their front bezel back on:
It is common for the grey clips holding the bezel to the display to come up along with the bezel. If you have ANY grey clips attached to the back of your bezel, in order to replace the bezel you need to first remove the clips from the bezel and reinsert them into the holes in the display panel manually first! Once all of these clips are back in place, the bezel can be reattached.
These clips are very fragile and if you are having this problem odds are you have already severely bent some of them. Check the tiny plastic clasps and if they are squashed down, gently pry them back up with your fingernail. Again these grey clips are very fragile, so use care in reattaching them.
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Use a metal spudger or another thin tool to carefully pry the gray plastic clips off the tabs molded into the front display bezel. A 0.8mm flat screwdriver may be useful for this step.
I found that an easy way to remove the clips from the bezel is to use a plastic knife (knife as in the utensil). Sliding the knife under one of the clip's long sides and prying upwards worked well for me. Thanks MC25 and WillyDavidK for the tips, they worked great!
The plastic clips deform easily, making it difficult to reuse them. The tabs on the back of the bezel that fit into the clips also break off easily.
If any of the tabs or clips are omitted, the bezel will not lie flush nor will it hold the cables that run beneath it in place.
Wear gloves while wrangling with the white bezel—like the white topcase, the matte-finish plastic is very porous and quickly gets grubby.
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Insert the longer end of the retaining clip beneath the edge of its recess cut into the LCD bracket.
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Use the edge of a metal spudger to push the shorter tab on the other side of the retaining clip into the recess cut into the LCD bracket.
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Remove the three 4.2 mm Phillips screws securing the clutch cover.
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While holding the display down with one hand, use your other hand to lift the clutch cover off the clutch hinges.
There are little clips at each end of the clutch cover, and I found it helpful first to lift the clutch cover off the metal rod first, and after that squeeze the cables at each end between the clips, so you can lift the cover off.
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Lift up the right side of the clutch cover and guide the display data and iSight cables through the gap in the clutch cover.
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Lift the clutch cover out of the display assembly.
Pay attention here. I missed the part about pinching the cable and that's exactly what I did. It helps to pull the video and mic cables tight to fit the clutch cover on. I also had to make sure the pink/white cables were up and out of the way. When I did it correctly, it slid in pretty easily. It would help to really look at how things are arranged when you are taking it apart, too. There's some tabs that interconnect with the plastic sliding things you removed in steps 46-47.
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Slightly lift the newly-revealed inverter board out of its housing and disconnect the black inverter cable from the left end of the board.
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Disconnect the white inverter cable from the right end of the inverter board.
Quote from pdofoto:
The white connector will stop once before it goes all the way in.... so feel for one "soft stop", and then another push and you should feel a positive snap.
If this is not connected properly the backlight will not work.
that happen to me even after I read it
I recommend to second guess yourself on this part because you don't want to take it apart again
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Remove the inverter board from the display.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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Awesome site and awesome guide. This exteneded the life of my MacBook. I can't thank you enough!!!!
For about 3 years I had been dealing with my screen backlight shuting off. I would then dim the screen up and down until I could get it to stay. Sometimes it would work the first time other times I would be doing it for 10 minutes and other times I would give up for a few hours and come back and the screen would be on again. It would also do this sometimes when I opened the laptop at a certain angle or bumped the computer.
Well after these years very annoying behavior, my screen wont turn back on. I can see my desktop when I shine a light on the screen and hear the fan running so I know the computer works fine.
I've tried unpluging the inverter board to see if it was a loose connection, but that didn't work. I tried wiggling it around until the screen turned on and nothing.... Please help!
Is this a problem with my inverter or the inverter cable? Or the backlight cable?
What parts should I buy?
Hi, I've had the same trouble. Today I solved with a spray electronic cleaner :)
19fra71 -
Hi everybody! Last year bought a new inverter, new cable and other stuff and replaced. Problem not solved, screen still turning black. Thinking to get a new display, but today bought spray electronic cleaner, sprayed over the display data cable (https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/ig...). Problem &&^&^$^ solved! :) Time: 15 mins, money: 5$. Good tutorial tho! :P
These are a very comprehensive set of instructions and give a really good grand tour of the innards of a MacBook 8. They are also useful for replacing the hard drive or the optical drive.
Couple of hints:
1. Have on hand some canned compressed air - the inside of a laptop is generally quite full of dust and fluff.
2. Also have on hand some contact cleaner spray (do NOT use degreasers/lubricants/anti rust sprays such as RP 7 or WD 50). Contact cleaner sprays generally only contact isopropyl alchohol. It's good to give exposed contacts a bit of a clean - even grease from fingertips can affect conductivity and hence performance. (If possible, use powder free surgical gloves).
3. Make sure you have the right tools (don't skimp - buy the tools set from iFixit). Not using the right spudger on a plug could be the cause of irreparable damage to the circuit board.
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4. When prying the bezel clips off the bezel (Step 40), shield the bezel clip with your hand. Sometimes the bezel clips can flick off without warning and if they're a bit loaded up they can travel across the workshop at speed (generally never to be seen again).
5. During reassembly, when replacing the screen (Step 35), prop the screen up with something (block of wood, nearby wall etc.) so that it is at right angles to the keyboard - it's much easier to fit.
6. Be meticulous about derouting and rerouting any wires and be careful not to pinch or snag anything - tracing a pinched wire after an unsuccessful repair can be a nightmare.
7. Sometimes the screen will still flicker and there'll be a high pitched buzzing on initial start up. This is a dry contact on the hinge clutch assembly. Wiggling it back and forth a few times generally solves this.
Doing this sort of repair is good value - not many shops repair these macs anymore.
Cheers!
Karl
My Intel Core 2 Duo has a 2 screws in the clutch cover and there is no inverter inside.
Didn't buy a new one to yet because only half of my backlight is gone (left).
Any ideas?
I used this guide plus the Thermal Paste guide to resolve my MacBook RRS (Random Restart Syndrome) issue. My MacBook would randomly restart after the fan kicked into high speed. When I removed the heatsink I discovered an an irregular patch completely free of thermal compound of about 15-20% of the area on one of the processors. I removed and re-applied the thermal paste. I ran a memory test utility overnight that previously caused a restart after a couple of hours, and the probelm seems to be solved. TIme will tell.
ServiceDocs - Contestar
This guide was seriously helpful, so thanks for putting this together. I found a thick ribbon of dust/muck whatever between the fan outlet and the exhaust port that was almost as dense as felt. My fan must have been fighting like crazy trying to pass air through that blockage, which explains the high temps and excessive fan noise. Wish I'd done this sooner...
Thanks again!
skraggle - Contestar
Just R&R'ed the fan in my black MacBook Core 2 Duo tonight. Took me 30 minutes tops and I was taking my time. These instructions are SPOT ON! Great job ifixit.com! Two thumbs up!
Follow the instructions exactly as you see and have a piece of paper taped to the table next to you that you can outline all the screws you took out so you know where they go back in. I expected this to be a LOT harder, but it was one of the simplest repairs I've ever done to ANY computer!
mikeutter - Contestar
Piece of cake--or should I say gum. If you don't have a magnetized screwdriver, load up a stick of gum and chomp on it until it's needed then use a bit to retain screw on the driver. And if you should tear the black tape, or if the silver tape won't stick any more, just bubblegum it together. The instructions were clear and correct, which made for a very simple repair.
Mike Woodruff - Contestar
My battery does not pop out when after step 1. Any idea why, and how do fix it?
Calvin - Contestar
Will not drop out even if you turn it upside down?
skraggle - Contestar
Somehow, now my isight camera doesn't work and the light is always on. Cannot figure out what I did wrong.
josefsalyer - Contestar
Somehow the plastic disc with the slot for a coin got dislodged from the case, and I can't seem to get it open now. Any tips/links on how to open this without the aid of the plastic disc?
Peter Wood - Contestar
i broke my disc off as well. I used two toothpicks to rotate the thing. hi tech.
howard bederman -
Outstanding guide - thank you!
owen bullock - Contestar
My computer will not charge when plugged in. It will stay on as ling as the plug is in the wall however if the power source gets disconnected it will shut down immediately. I removed the battery and put it back in that did not help. It worked and charged fine 2 days ago. I have a backpack with a laptop storage area. I went to hang the backpack up and it fell and ever since the battery is not functioning. Is there some fix I can try or is my only solution to replace it? I would have thought that dropping it would affect more than the battery?
Beth Tomasek - Contestar
Better leave the back pack where it cannot fall. Hindsight is so much better than foresight . I learned the hard way too!
Loy Lum - Contestar
Many of the tiny screws in this project were quite sticky. I found some blue Loctite residue that must have been when the Apple repair shop worked on the laptop years ago. I have found that it is important to hold the correct driver firmly down in the screw and then just tweak the driver in short bursts to loosen it before unscrewing it with a smooth turn.
Patrick Langvardt - Contestar
Be really careful while doing this to not use too much force while doing this step, because the plastic disc can break off and it can be a cosmetic issue along with functionality issue. This happened to me first hand so please take my word for it…
Aaron Cooke - Contestar