iFixit

Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

Use the tip of a spudger to pull the keyboard ribbon cable out of its socket.

Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery indicator connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.

Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable ZIF socket.

Be sure you are flipping up the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

Pull the keyboard backlight ribbon cable out of its socket.

Remove the following nine screws:

• Seven 3.4 mm ( 3.1 mm) T6 Torx screws on the logic board
• Two 8 mm T6 Torx screws on the DC-In board

Carefully lift the logic board assembly from its left side and work it out of the upper case, minding the optical drive cable and the I/O ports that may get caught during removal.

If necessary, use the flat end of a spudger to separate the microphone from the upper case.

Pull the I/O port side of the logic board away from the side of the upper case and remove the logic board assembly.

Lay the logic board down on a soft flat surface with the heat sink facing up.

Remove the six #1 Phillips screws securing the heat sink to the logic board.

Keep track of the small springs housed under each screw.

Remove the heat sink from the logic board.

If the heat sink appears to be stuck to the logic board after removing all six screws, it may be helpful to use a spudger to separate the two components.

If you need to mount the heat sink back onto the logic board, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.