MacBook Core Duo Logic Board Replacement

  • Author: iRobot
  • Difficulty: Difficult
  • Add Note x
  • x 36

This motherboard includes all ports on the left side.

Sections
Tools
Relevant parts
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Battery  ¶ 

  • Use a coin to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

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Add Note Edit Step 2  ¶ 

  • Lift the battery out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 3 — Memory Cover  ¶ 

  • Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

  • The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 5 — Upper Case  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 3 screws:

    • One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.

    • Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.

  • If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.

  • The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

    • Two 3 mm Phillips #00.

    • One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side.

  • When reinstalling these screws, it may be helpful to push down on the lower case to line up the screw holes.

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Add Note Edit Step 7  ¶ 

  • Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 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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Add Note Edit Step 9  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

    • Two 7 mm Philips on the far sides.

    • Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center.

    • Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

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Add Note Edit Step 10  ¶ 

  • Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.

  • It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 11  ¶ 

  • Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.

  • Be careful when prying up the upper case. It's very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs.

  • There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet.

  • If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

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Add Note Edit Step 12  ¶ 

  • While holding up the upper case, use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.

  • If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

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Add Note Edit Step 13 — Left I/O Frame  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the MagSafe board cable from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 14  ¶ 

  • Remove the single Phillips screw securing the left speaker to the lower case.

  • Lift the left speaker out of its housing and set it to the side.

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Add Note Edit Step 15  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 3 screws:

    • Two 7.5 mm Phillips from either end of the left I/O frame.

    • One 9 mm Phillips from the middle of the left I/O frame.

  • Remove the small black plastic spacer at the bottom of the left I/O frame.

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Add Note Edit Step 16  ¶ 

  • Lift the left I/O frame up and out of the computer. Pay attention to the thin metal EMI fingers, as they may catch as you remove the left I/O frame.

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Add Note Edit Step 17 — Logic Board  ¶ 

  • Peel up the foil tape between the fan and the optical drive.

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Add Note Edit Step 18  ¶ 

  • Use a spudger to move the gray display data and black speaker cables to the right. This will reveal a silver screw securing the fan housing to the lower case.

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Add Note Edit Step 19  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the orange optical drive ribbon cable from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 20  ¶ 

  • Peel up the small black rubber cover from the right side of the heat sink.

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Add Note Edit Step 21  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the black fan connector and two white temperature sensor connectors from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 22  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 6 screws:

    • One 3 mm Phillips on the right side of the fan.

    • One 6 mm Phillips on the left side of the fan.

    • Four 9 mm Phillips securing the heat sink to the lower case.

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Add Note Edit Step 23  ¶ 

  • Hold the heat sink with one hand and the fan with your other hand, and lift the heat sink and fan assembly out of the computer. The fan is attached to the heat sink only with a strip of black felt tape, so be sure to remove both parts as a unit

  • If you need to mount the heat sink back into the laptop, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.

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Add Note Edit Step 24  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the two antenna cables from the Airport card, and the black inverter cable from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 25  ¶ 

  • Remove the following 2 screws from the Airport card:

    • One 3 mm Phillips from the left side.

    • One 8 mm Phillips from the right side.

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Add Note Edit Step 26  ¶ 

  • Grasp the Airport card at its top and slide it toward the screen and out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 27  ¶ 

  • Use a spudger to disconnect the left speaker connector from the logic board.

  • Lift the left speaker out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 28  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the display data cable by pulling up on the black plastic pull-tab. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector.

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Add Note Edit Step 29  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the newly-revealed hard drive cable from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 30  ¶ 

  • Use a spudger to disconnect the two speaker connectors from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 31  ¶ 

  • 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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Add Note Edit Step 32  ¶ 

  • Deroute the silver microphone cable from the silver metal clip just above the right RAM slot.

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Add Note Edit Step 33  ¶ 

  • Use a spudger to carefully pry the battery connector up and disconnect it from the logic board.

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Add Note Edit Step 34  ¶ 

  • Remove the three Phillips screws securing the logic board to the lower case.

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Add Note Edit Step 35  ¶ 

  • Lift the logic board up from the right side, and slide it up and out of the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 36 — Logic Board Replacement  ¶ 

  • Turn the logic board over.

  • Peel the PRAM battery up from its location on the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

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Add Note Edit Step 37  ¶ 

  • Disconnect the PRAM battery cable from the logic board and remove the PRAM battery from the computer.

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Add Note Edit Step 38  ¶ 

  • Pull back on the metal lever and slide the RAM chip out of the logic board.

  • Repeat this process for the other RAM chip if there are two RAM chips currently installed in your computer.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

For more information, check out the MacBook Core Duo device page.

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