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Lid will not shut completely. Hinge too tight?

I have a 2012 MacBook Air, obviously out of warrantee, that suddenly will not close all the way. It was a problem on one side only at first, but it’s getting worse with a half inch between the lid and the body of the machine. I opened it up and removed the screen. I’ve found that one hinge is moveable with my fingers alone. The other is so tight it needs a wrench to move. I can’t tell which is “normal” or if either is the problem. I can say that when the machine is assembled the tighter hinge will not move past a certain point when closing and that may be the reason the screen bounces back open. My only idea is to wd40 it a bit to see if it loosens up, but I’m loathe to do such a thing without checking here first. I wouldn’t want a screen so loose it can’t stay open.

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I've never had to use anything like WD40 on hinges. Use this guide to reseat the hinges correctly. Something else may be going on here and posting a couple of pictures might help us figure out your exact issue. MacBook Air 13" Mid 2012 Display Assembly Replacement

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Added pictures to the initial post. Hope they help. The tighter hinge is the one with the iSight/airport cables. The looser one has the display cable. You can see how big the gap is when closed.

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Well I see a lot of crud in the hinge. I's use a q-tip dripped in alcohol to try to clean the hinges out.

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Ok, I dripped some alcohol into the hinge and moved it while picking grime out with a toothpick. That loosened it to moving again without needing a wrench. The lid is closing, though I don’t know how thorough a job of cleaning I managed. At least I know the problem now and in the future! Thanks!

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Taking the whole display apart is going pretty far. I would try cleaning the hinges with isopropyl first. It did the trick for me. If cleaning doesn't do it, then it may be time to escalate. :)

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I have the same problem with Macbook pro retina 2013. are steps the same?

Thanks,

Marina

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