Introducción
Use this guide to replace the fan.
Don't forget to follow our thermal paste application guide before you reinstall your heat sink.
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Two 2.3 mm Pentalobe screws
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Eight 3.0 mm Pentalobe screws
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Wedge your fingers between the upper case and the lower case.
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Gently pull the lower case away from the upper case to remove it.
Agreed. A decent amount of force is required here.
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This was already mentioned at the start, it says 2x 2.3mm screws and those are coloured red instead of orange for the other ones in iFixit's image.
What is the black vinyl-y sticker on the inside of the case (some sort of shield?). I was forced to slightly puncture it in order to replace the feet on my laptop. Thanks in advance.
When I got the back off, I found this piece loose, any idea what it is? about 9mm long frosted plastic
I took my pointer and thumb (which are luckily long enough) to feel where the studs are on the back panel, and then as I put the back panel back on, I pushed in the spot I had marked with my fingers to ensure I was applying pressure only on this part.
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There is no point on going near the battery or logic board. I cut out these steps with no issue. It is precautionary but unnecessary.
I replaced both my L and R speakers on my MBP mid-2014 13” withOUT doing this step.
My new battery kit included a replacement for this part, so, no need to save the old one.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.
I have a friends MacBook Pro that has some water damage that caused the MacBook not to be able to use battery power, but still work when plugged into A/C. Upon further inspection I can see visible corrosion on a few of the 9 cables going from the battery connector to that small circuit board. Is it possible to just replace that circuit board?
I have the some problem. I was thinking to replace the whole battery but I am not it will solve the problem. Any suggestions?
Sometimes it can be enough to just clean the contacts without having to replace the entire board. Dosent work for complicated IC's like plcc type, where corrosion is underneath the chip. Here you will have to reheat and reapply the IC.
Hi,have you find the solution for your battery? I also have same problem, run with plugs but it battery not supporting… as soon the plug of it goes off
Have either of you replaced the battery and/or circuit board to fix the MacBooks with the water damage ? I have the same problem with the MacBook working fine when connected to power but dying immediately when the power cord is removed.
Hi, Steve. I had the same problem: Macbook Pro 15 retina with coffee damage. And it worked fine when connected to power. I made it working after replacing the whole battery. It seems that circuit connected to the battery becomes disabled to prevent short circuit.
When placing the battery connector back into the socket on the logic board, check that every part of connector is pressed down. You should hear a soft click when it's back in place.
Thanks for the comment. My MBP isn’t powering on after I walked through these steps, and I assume it is because the battery connector isn’t fully connected. (I can’t check yet since I borrowed the pentalobe screwdriver)
+1
I thought I made sure it was connected but when running the computer it only detected the battery but couldn’t power it. I had to run with power adapter. Also it didn’t charge. I guess some pins were connected but not all. To verify that all were connected I removed the plastic cover, placed it carefully completely flat, and then reattached the plastic cover. After that it worked!
If I only want to replace the trackpad cable, then which steps should I skip? This step seems unnecessary
I replaced both my L and R speakers on my MBP mid-2014 13” withOUT doing this step.
I have verified I have this battery, and I have a mid-2014 macbook retina. And I swear i do not see this battery connector. I didn’t take the cover off, per other comments that said it was an unnecessary risk. What the heck? will I not see the battery cable without taking of that cover?
ooops nevermind..I see it now! tks . But..there is SO much gunk/dust under there (old, hand me down, used by my teen daughter while eating in bed no doubt!) . Should I attempt to clean? Beyond just blowing on it? Is compressed air safe? Or should I just leave it be? Assuming I don’t break it while replacing this battery I’d like not to break it otherwise! tks
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If you miss or let this step for later like I did, the power left in the battery even though the computer is completely shut down, will screw up the I/O board cable like I did. I noticed this after I put all the pieces back, turn the computer on and surprise, no wifi hardware is detected. -.-
Not sure I understand: did leaving the battery plugged in permanently broke the I/O board (or anything else)?
That’s a great idea!
I replaced both my L and R speakers on my MBP mid-2014 13” withOUT doing this step.
I agree that inserting a small paper above between the socket and the connector was useful. I used post-it-note, but kept the adhesive away from the socket.
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Carefully remove the rubber fan bumper from the edge of the heat sink.
have lost the rubber fann bumper, what part do you have to buy to get this rubber? thank you
I changed out the noisy fan around 4-5 months ago. And lately it was back and I was super irritated about the poor quality of the replacement fan. Opening up the case and blowing on the ventilator some compressed air there was no noise whatsoever. I have this feeling that my “noisi fan” was actually the loose end of this rubber cover/bumper which could vibrate in the air flow channel. So verify that you insert rubber cover clips back to its slots on under the edge of the sink.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to peel the four foam stickers off of the heat sink screws.
Ok, might be a dumb question, but where can I get the foam stickers, and are they absolutely necessary after reassembling the heat sink?
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Remove the following screws securing the heat sink to the logic board:
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One 2.7 mm T5 screw (silver)
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Four T5 screws (black)
Please be very very careful when reassembling. The four black screws seem to be poor quality and the top snapped off two of them when trying to tighten them. Does anyone know the size of these or compatibility from other models as finding a replacement for them is proving to be almost impossible without shipping them in for a ridiculous price…
The single screw on the left hand side on the image above, what type of screw is it? The one on my Macbook is a phillips head one. And for some reason, I couldn’t put it back. Any advise?
These should all be T5 Torx screws. There could be variations in the construction of the laptop compared to this guide, but I’d check out our ID Your MacBook tool to be sure you’re following the correct guide! If you are following the correct guide, be sure all the elements under the screw are properly seated, if they’re not well aligned the screw may not get a good anchor. Best of luck!
I can confirm that on my 2015 13” Macbook Pro, the single screw on the left hand side is a #000 phillips screw.
Mine is also a philips head
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Use the tip of a spudger to push on either side of the the iSight camera cable connector to walk it out of its socket on the logic board.
Very helpful tip from Tony.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip the tab on the fan's ZIF connector.
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Carefully pull the fan cable straight out of its socket.
my cable was glued, had to be pryed up first.
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Lift the end of the fan closest to the display hinge and remove the fan from the upper case.
Um, this guide should include steps for applying thermal paste, including instructions to clean the mating surfaces, and pictures showing how much thermal paste to use.
Hi @theirongiant, there are generic thermal paste application instructions linked in the introduction “Don't forget to follow our thermal paste application guide before you reinstall your heat sink.”
Make sure to put the end furthest away from the hinge under the ribbon cable first.
Then place the hinge side. The screw furthest away from the hinge is partially obscured by the ribbon cable.
If not placed correctly, ribbon cable damage may result.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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10 comentarios
Very good instructions, just completed the fan replacement, no issues -
Fantastic instructions, brilliant depictions for assistance. Thank you!
I completed this guide and it was brilliant, so thank you Andrew Optimus Goldberg and your contributors! I have a question about the Macbook's heat post-installation of a new fan.
I replaced the fan last night, and put everything back together. Today, the new fan is responding well under activities that would previously make the fan extremely loud and cause intense heat to build up on the bottom right of the Macbook: so far so good.
However, it seems heat is now being distributed to the keys and directly below the screen, and I can even feel it underneath the trackpad, and this is from simply turning the Macbook on with no applications straining the CPU.
Is this something to worry about? Have I possibly made a mistake in my installation, or is this normal for an ordinary working fan?
Thanks for any help that may be given. Appreciated
Is the fan you replaced the original one with the exact same model? While im no expert on this stuff my guess would be that it distributes air differently. I hope it works out for you though.
Nikolay -
Just completed the fan replacement. Great clear instructions. No issues. Thank you so much.
pube toast 2 too short
Completed the fan replacement the instructions were great, no troubles at all. The fan was an exact fit and fast shipping !
This was an excellent tutorial. After buying a Macbook repair kit ~$10 with the screwdrivers and spudger, I was able to I was able to replace my fan in about 30 minutes without any problems. Thanks very much for this.
My son told me about a system breakdown while streaming video at his Macbook. He also told me about strange fan noise at that time.
I checked the MBP 13” 2015 Retina, Apple diagnostic showed nothing and system seems to run normal when I was at the machine afterwards.
I installed “Macs fan control” and this showed me that the fan ran with zero rpm under light load. The temperature was about 70 degree (all in Celsius) and stayed there while browsing news-sites.
CAN THIS BE?
I was able to set any rotation speed manually. The 5th-generation Intel core U-Line CPU has a 105 degree T-junction (->IntelARK).
Now I am frightend about using the machine because I don’t want it to get overheated.
What do you think? Is this really the normal behavior for the MbP 13” Retina 2015 fan? Should it not run with a little rotation speed all the time?
Thanx for any experiences shared!
For all the screws you use the P5 pentalobe screwdriver?
Carlos - Contestar
Pentalobe is only for the screws on the bottom cover. The Torx screw driver is for the remainder.
Fredrik -
Is the Pentalobe screwdriver mentioned in the tools list? I did not have one so I used a filed down flat blade screwdriver. Not a fantastic idea, but it works.
Alex Birkett - Contestar
Yes, it's mentioned on the top of this page. P5 Pentalobe to be precise. I didn't have one either, so I bought one from iFixit and that works fantastic. An absolutely precise fit, which is important especially when you might open your MacBook a couple of times during the years you own it. Not using the correct tool might do more harm to the screws than you want! I once had this with a Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, which has Torx screws (T4 I think) and I used cheap Chinese quality tools, with the result that both the tool and one of the screws are damaged.
addvariety -
the macbook in the picture is 2012. does it has the same structure as 2013？
Edison - Contestar
I never, ever, ever considered using anything but the correct tool on the Pentalobe screws. Too easy to strip and void your warranty (if still in effect), as well as make it almost impossible to get inside later for another upgrade or repair. The Wiha P5 Pentalobe screwdriver fits like a glove and costs only about $11 (a fraction of your drive's price)at Amazon.com. Get it!
marketing - Contestar
is P5 supposed to be for all 10 screws? it works on the 2x 2.3mm at the top, but not for the 8x others for me. what size screwdriver for the 3mm? thanks
monsieurescargot - Contestar
Yes, the p5 works for all 10 pentalobe screw heads for bottom cover. The the different size mm reference only refers to the difference in length of the screws, but again both heads are p5.
Antoine Thornton - Contestar
I followed this exactly and was able to replace my broken trackpad. I did not have to replace the ribbon OR the battery. However I would suggest getting the ribbon since it’s fairly cheap, as for the batteries I was able to do it with a card only. I didn’t use any heat or the liquid but it takes some time. You really have to work the card in there to release the glue. Also you must be very careful not to bend the batteries or damage them, if you do you must replace with new. This took me about 1.5hrs and my computer works like new. Apple cost for this job was around $450, I did it for $120. Big ups to ifixit for this awesome tutorial, tool set and parts!
On a side note, only use quality tools, the cheap ones will break or strip the screws.
Dustin Steward - Contestar
Note that the eight 3mm screws have a shoulder under the head, while the two 2.3mm screws are “full thread”, i.e., there is no shoulder under their heads. It’s important to put the two screws with no shoulder at the hinge of the cover.
All ten screws require a P5 Pentalobe screwdriver, preferably with a magnetized tip to help hold and position the screw.
All of the screws have blue “Loctite” thread locker compound on their threads. This is to help prevent the screws from working loose and falling out. Don’t attempt to clean the Loctite from the screws — leave it in place, and it will continue to help prevent the re-inserted screws from working loose.
When replacing the bottom cover, it is a good technique to insert and BEGIN tightening all ten screws BEFORE fully tightening any one screw. After all the screws have been started, then go around and finish tightening all of them. By doing this, you make it easier to feel that each screw has been started properly, and is not “cross-threaded”.
doubleclutch - Contestar
This is what I found on my MBP mid-2014 13” Retina. All 10 used the same screwdriver. I didn’t see the blue “loctite” but I also got my computer refurbished.
Evan Shulman -
A good technique for starting to thread the screws when replacing them is to position and align the screw, and with the driver, gently turn the screw in the REMOVAL direction until you feel and hear a slight click. This click happens when the leading thread of the screw drops off of the leading edge of the thread in the hole — this is the point at which the threads are properly positioned for engagement. You can now turn the driver and screw in the TIGHTENING direction. This technique will help prevent accidental “cross-threading” of the screw, which will damage the threads permanently.
Note that this is a useful technique when installing ANY threaded fastener.
doubleclutch - Contestar
Just finished replacing my battery (MacBook Pro 13” early 2015), glad I did, the old ones were noticeably swollen. I was surprised to find the battery at 57% upon completion and charging the new battery. No problems with replacement however, kit arrived without the Pentalobe driver. I got a nice complete kit from Amazon for 20 euro in 2 days. iFixit offered a coupon on any future purchase but right now, I have no plans on needing anything. Nice gesture but would have preferred the driver in the kit in the first place.
Suggest having a small can of compressed air on hand to clean out the interior, after 4 years, mine was quite dirty. Ear buds and alcohol were the best I could do. And a magnetized driver is mandatory I think.
D M - Contestar
REQUIRED PARTS (SCREWS) TO DO THIS JOB UNAVAILABLE HERE:
If your keyboard is riveted to the chassis as mine is, Late 2013 MBP 13” retina, you need about 100 screws to reattach the new keyboard.
ifixit does not have them. I did just now find them at Beetstech for $4.50 along with a back light $13 for the keyboard in case you want one. It looks like Beetstech is a big competitor of ifixit with an excellent reputation (like ifixit has) too. I just ordered these parts and will not happily be moving forward with my keyboard replacement.
Timothy Hardman - Contestar