MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Mid 2012 Heat Sink Replacement

@Will, in my case I had the same result as you did. As a reminder to myself the next time I need to open the computer, I put a dot of white paint on those two screw's head and a very, very thin ring of white on the very edge of each hole, that way I'll know they go into those two holes.

Hey everyone, here's the very best way to PERFECTLY organize your screws AND keep track of the order of the procedure: Get a piece of plain corrugated cardboard and a pen (I like using a Sharpie). For EACH step of the disassembly, draw a simple diagram of the layout of the computer on the piece of cardboard, with dots or Xs where the screws are located. Right after you remove each screw from the computer, poke a hole in the cardboard in its corresponding diagram position with your screwdriver and place the screw in that hole. If there are other non-screw related parts to be removed, you can add notes below each step diagram to remind you of where they go or how they should be placed. This cardboard method is great not only because your screws will not go flying or get mixed up by accident if bumped, but each screw goes EXACTLY back where it came from and you can keep the cardboard as a template for future use if necessary!

- zerø K

for all the mac 2011 owner. we should pressure apple to accept their fault. they gave as a piece of junk while they took our $2000. -betrayed apple fanboy

a video of these steps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS9is40C...

These instructions worked great for me. I ordered a replacement battery from Key Power (on Amazon) for my 15" Macbook Pro (mid-2010). Cost was $74 shipped.

Battery came with 3 different screwdrivers to help with installation. I just needed the one size though, since my 2010 seemed to use all the same size screws.

Thanks!

During re-assembling (put the screws back in), it is important to note that the 3mm threaded holes are not completely vertical, but bent a little bit such that the hole direction is rectangular to the tapered surface. The force of the screwdriver must point towards the direction of the hole. Otherwise the screw gets jammed

Worked like a charm! Took less than 20 minutes.

It's Oct. 2015, and the fan cost me about $10. it was the same brand/model...

SUNON MG62090V1-Q020-S99 .

SOME TRICKS -

1- no T6 screwdriver- was careful using needle nose players to loosen 2 screws protruding up, then use a small phillips to push real hard into the T6 slots, SLOWLY turn , also used a small flat head screwdriver (for eye glass repair) was able to grab thread on T6's, made a small mark with screw driver across the top so I could see when it started to turn.

2- no spudger -made one; cut a little strip 1/2" x 1 1/2" of plastic. couldn't get it to slide under plug, there's an edge where plug fits. so lifted old fan out, pulled upward on the plug it popped right out with very little effort. I used my home made spudger to push the new plug into place.

3- download free "Macs Fan Control" This is how I was alerted to the fan not working in the first place. Program shows temperature of all key components in the computer.

cheers- Durango CO!

Watch the video first, read the entire tutorial and all the comments before you start, and spread a white towel on the floor so you can find screws when you drop them. Watch this first -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiBxhA29e...

Please be aware that you CAN do this replacement with MUCH LESS work. I successfully replaced a trackpad (TP) in this model WITHOUT removing a lot of what is described here. I think i mainly removed the logic board (LB) anchor screws along the TP side and was then able to lever up the LB just enough to get the cable unplugged and snaked out. Followed the reverse and done. Maybe not for all, but it worked for me. // Re screws: i print out the images here of the multi-screws locations and then tape the screws in place on the print-out.

Is it necessary to ground oneself to prevent static damage to logic board, etc. when replacing the speakers?

If so, what is the best way to do this?

Do you wear wrist strap designed for this purpose? To what metal object do you attach the clip and wire? I’m assuming the aluminum case isn’t going to work.

I will be buying a battery from you and using your instructions. I just installed a new CD/DVD using your instructions and 1) I feel like I owe you something and 2) Although more expensive, I have the confidence your battery will work. My current battery is the original with 1399 cycles in 7.2 yrs. A tech buddy had bought me a replacement and I installed it. I had just installed a new OS and the kernel_task went going nuts, using 90% of the CPU. Hours on the phone with Apple did not resolve the issue. On a whim, I put the old battery back in and Voila! But I cannot risk my battery swelling and going south on me. I am also going to buy your installation tools. Yeah, I already have them. But you can never have enough tools…or beer. And you don’t sell beer.

After pulling out the lower case and put it back on, the lower case doesn't stick well with the left clip. What should i do now?

I can’t get the back panel off !! Removed all 10 screws but the panel is still on. Not a quick easy lift like in the picture of videos on youtube what going on…are the hidden screws locking tabs?

Solved the tabs were hard to get off to the point I thought I was going to bend the back case off before it would let go.

nails work pretty well as well...

At first sight I was confused when I read the description at this step, 'cause it seemed that disconnecting the battery connector was optional, in order to eliminate static discharge. While it's a helpful advice in other circumstances (as mentioned as an example changing hard drives), when changing the battery it is not an option - you have to disconnect the battery connector.

It would have been better to mention the optional disconnecting recommendation in a side-note.

Other than that, an excellent guide!

the fact that this step is optional can not be stressed enough. i tried disconnecting the battery and in the process it short circuited which now leaves me with an even more expensive problem than i had before when i just wanted to change hard drives (at least the new hard drive works fine..)

the hard drive changing worked though.

Excellent guide, it was as easy as a breeze to replace my battery. I can't believe I nearly followed Apple in their saying that this part was not user replaceable. Great job for this description, and many thanks. iFixIt is THE reference for Mac owners.

Patrick.

My battery won't work after reconnecting it, I made sure everything was done as stated, what can I do to fix this?

My battery connector pulled off parallel to the board surface

I tried spudging the corner closer to the wires which was probably a bad idea. The corner broke off! I can't believe it was that brittle. So be careful. If it did it again, I'd aim for the corners AWAY from the wires or the sides themselves, though I seem to recall there not being much of a lip.

Move battery removal step to this point in upper case replacement guide.

My battery connect was like mid 2010 model

Mine had all three screws the same length (3.5 mm I believe)

Of course, this is not the right fan but the left in the picture.

Managed to break off a fan connector. Really poor mistake there, as it really is not too hard. Follow exactly like the picture and realize that it lifts up! But good news, I managed to break one of the least important parts and the computer still runs fine!

One can see how to remove the cable in this picture: https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/ig...

Better than pull is to push it with something like a screwdrive at the small angle left and right.

Am I the only one but my MacBook has black shielding on the CD-R drive, not some clear tape stuff to reveal the internals on the drive….

Mine had a little adhesive strip behind the connector. Pull gently

Be really, really careful detaching this connector - make sure it's lifted from the cable side. I managed to remove the whole lot from the logic board by accident. On mine it was disguised under a lump of rubber foam.

To replace it, I removed the socket, held it in place against the solder pads and ran a 750degF soldering iron across the pads. It's definitely reattached it, I'm not sure how good the electrical contacts are yet.

There is foam on the top of this connector. Do not pry up from under that. Instead, put your spudger underneath the red and black wires themselves and pry up. Very little resistance.

Be sure to use the right size screwdriwer, as these screws might be hard to remove. I ended up having to cut the metal cover and bend it away as the screws wouldn't come loose.

That works too however..

I ended up using a #000 phillips screwdriver instead of the #00. I was able to get this piece up without issue.

I bought ph#00 screwdriver and it doesn't work for all phillips screws. Just buy #000 phillips screwdrive for all phillips screws.

Can I get it work with PH#00?

I was able to skip this step, along with 16, 17, & 18, and complete the repair successfully. Instead of fully removing the logic board as described in step 22, I lifted the left edge and then wiggled it left until I could lift it from the hinge edge; this gave me plenty of room to see what I was doing while removing and replacing the DC-in board.

@Sarah Dunlap. Yes, I did the same, it entirely possible ( although fiddly ) to complete this repair without fully removing the Logic board and instead lifting it out of the way taking care not to put too much tension on the keyboard ribbon cable.

getting the cable back in was leaps and bounds more difficult than this entire replacement job! be very very careful and note that it goes alllll the way in. i bent the ribbon like crazy, but the keyboard still seems to work fine!

REINSERTING THIS CABLE WAS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST DIFFICULT STEP IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS!

Key points:

•Make sure that it's inserted evenly. It's tempting to get one edge in, and then the other, but that approach will prevent it from seating properly.

•The cable goes all the way in. There is maybe 1/16" of the little grooves showing, but not much more.

•Once the cable is properly seated, use a piece of tape to pull it all the way in, and keep the tension on the tape as you use a sprudger to flip down the retaining flap.

•It's a fragile connection, and if you break the cable it's a top-case or keyboard replacement, which is either expensive or a PITA, so patience is key.

It's very easy to do this step incorrectly. Make sure to use your fingernail and pry gently. This was the only step I felt didn't have a great explanation and damaging the part could easily happen.

Thank you to everyone who commented about this step. I did not have any trouble doing this but I could have. Also for all the excellent clarification especially the tips on reinserting the ribbon cable which I have yet to do after I hopefully fix the logic board

When they say "pull" the cable, they mean to "slide" it. Do not lift and pull.

Attaching a small piece of tape and pulling parallel to motherboard did the trick.

I had trouble getting the cable out (let alone back in!) In the end, sliding a toothpick in behind the ribbon and gently pulling from both sides of the toothpick did the trick.

On reassembly, I realise why it was so hard to get out—I had not lifted the retaining flap, thinking they just meant the flap of tape. Not well illustrated in the photo. The retaining flap is the long bit of plastic opposite the ribbon (closer to the fans).

I acquired a macbook pro with a cut trackpad wire and no battery. In looking at this layout my concern is… what if the connection is pulled from the hinge and the hinge to hold it into place is completely missing?

The most difficult part was putting it back in. I read the comments and I used a piece of tape to help push it back in. Make sure it’s all the way in or else you wont be able to turn your mac on. About a hairline of the grooves were

The comment Kal left about lifting the retaining flap is key during reassembly!

I, too, totally missed that there is a plastic “bar” covering the end of the pins. Without that lifted up, it’s %#*@ near impossible to push the connector in since the flap/bar is putting pressure downwards.

With the retaining flap down, it comes out without too much effort. But putting it back in is a whole different story. Be sure to lift it up!

The metallic flap controlled by the plastic handle looks like it could easily break... a safer route is to grab the shielded cable after rotating the metal flap out of socket and gently pry it out of the socket by applying force parallel to the logic board. It will probably take a few minutes but you could save yourself some gray hairs.

This is the hardest step IMO

Indeed this s the hardest step.its not clear from the instruction that there are two elements to this component. The connector and also a metal retaining clip that needs to be rotated off the connector first.

this was the hardest part of the dismantling for me. it's not super obvious in the pictures that there is a hinge and the metal piece, attached with tape, swings over and towards the DC-in.

I found it easiest to grab the connector where the hinged metal piece connected to the body.

Replacing this connector was a bit fiddly, as you have to make sure it's lined up exactly before pushing it in, and because pushing it in requires a bit of force.

"Pull the cable straight" means to slide the connector out, do not lift and pull. Also, check for a square locking clip attached to the plug, if it won't come out.

I really advise you to remove the cable retainer (one 8.6 phillips, you can see a photo in the display replacement tutorial) BEFORE unplugging the cable, to have more freedom of movement (to plug it in back it's even more important). Those are REALLY flimsy (i just broke one without being brutal and believe me you don't want to change it).

I found it helpful to remove the bracket for the display cable to allow more movement of the cable when attempting to reassemble

Really great site!! replaced a LB in an mid 2010 MBP with kernal panic crash. Fixed! No issues with detailed procedure and comments. So I'll add one for this step. This was the simplest step really. Additional clues. (Wish I could post a pix). Look at the gold conn in the pix above. Note that the cable mates with the conn with the 2 tabs each side showing full insertion. The silver retainer pops up, bar away from the cable. Using my custom tool, a small screw driver, filed really small as I don't have a #000 Phillips, release the retainer, then carefully wedge open the tab on each side, inserting your "tool" in the slot. Neatly and slowly, the conn comes apart. Putting it back together, once the conn is alligned, just push alternately on each tab. Doesn't take much effort, better that pushing on the cable. I also appreciate the comment that removing the clamp, both clamps with one screw actually, makes this easier.

This is indeed a tricky step. First time, after following all the steps and reassembling I had no screen, which freaked me out. Luckily, another go at the connector did the trick and now I’m a happy owner of a macbook with a new trackpad. Thanks!

This step is really unclear! After grabbing what I thought was the “plastic pull tab” and having it come off in my hand, I was clueless about how to proceed. After puzzling over it for about 15 minutes, I saw the actual “plastic pull tab”, which was against the mother board near the fan. Pulling this upward unlocked the metal hinge and everything else was obvious after that.

I agree, this step was unclear. Part of the problem may be variations between logic boards. Mine did not look like the one pictured here. Mine has a tab lying flat against the logic board, as also described by xtophr. If this describes yours, check out [|this video] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IE3WNOsrZ... (around 40 seconds in) to see exactly how it comes out. You lift the locking clip up by the plastic tab, then (with a little bit of downward pressure on the cable) slide it out towards the nearest corner of the machine.

Connector slides out, do not lift and pull.

any replacement parts available for this? I pulled up instead of sliding cable :(

This step would benefit from a macro view of hinged retaining flap and clarification. The instruction about flipping up the hinged retaining flap is misleading people into trying to flip out the ribbon.

Remove T6 (smaller) screws first, that was the last screwdriver that you used (for smooth workflow).

I had a little difficulty pulling the motherboard before the battery. I'm not sure why you would want to do it in the order listed here, but doing steps 23 and 24 first helped the board come out easier.

The thing that caught me on this step was that, at least on mine, the speaker box was glued/taped to the case, and so I got rather nervous trying to remove the logic board as it wouldn't move until said adhesive was pried apart. Thank goodness I knew the difference between the sounds of "board breaking" and "adhesive separating", but this step was still rather harrowing for me.

When I did this step the microphone was REALLY STUCK to the upper case, it actually stayed stuck to it and disconnect "itself" from the mother board while I was lifting up everything.

Finally, there was no damage : I separated the microphone from the upper case while reassembling, then connected it back to the mother board and put it on its housing.

Count the number of connectors as you remove the board, so that when you put it back one does not get lost under the board and you can't figure out why it won't go in. You should do this.

If you laptop was getting hot when charging then be extra careful in this step because the foam pad under the logic board my have started to fuse to the casing. If the pad seems stuck then use a knife to gently pry it up.

I wish I'd read the comment on the items being stuck to the surface below

I have the same case with Joseph Sikorski - it's hard to pull out the mother board because the speaker is glued that I thought their are remaining screws that hook in to it. Better use flat spudger to pry the right side that is stuck when you pull the left upward first.

Repairing a friend’s laptop… I wonder if the “glue” between the speaker and case is actually juice or soda, lol

This part was highly stressful. The microphone/left speaker assembly are fused to the underside of the logic board. As you are facing the project according to the layout in these photos, the mike assembly is on the right side of the logic board, towards the top end. It is fused to the logic board but it also has adhesive sticking it to the upper case. As you lift, you have to insert a long spudger flat end down into that corner and move it back and forth between the mike assembly and the upper case, and it will release. Be very patient, focused, and slow. The spare part I bought from iFixIt had an extra speaker there in case I messed up, but I did not need it.

Hallelujah! There is a God!…Been sitting here for the past 2 hours, eyeballing the rubber whatever it is ”My New Moto”..When I’m stuck…”READ THE COMMENTS!…Thanks to all of you!!!!

My MacBook Pro (Mid 2012, 15") comes without the heat sink of the CPU :/

Are 3,5 grams of thermal paste enough for both CPU and GPU? ('m an owner of a MacBook Pro Early 2011, with the AMD Radeon)

1 gram should be enough for both

Strictly speaking, there’s no absolute need to remove the heat sink, unless you need to clean and re-apply some cooling past. The steps concerning the left speaker and the microphone following this step in this guide, can be done without it.

Should i use a heat gun?