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Early 2011 Model: A1278 / 2.3 GHz i5 or 2.7 GHz i7 processor

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What to do if one of the small screws on the keyboard are stripped?

Hello, I am replacing the keyboard on an old MacBook Pro due to liquid damage and I've run into a problem. Three of the tiny screws on the keyboard back panel has gotten rusted from the liquid damage and are stripped.

Could I simply rip it out with the three screws left in there and order a new set of screws? Or will that damage the body of the MacBook? If it does damage it, then how would I go at safely removing them?

I have tried the rubber band trick and used an upsized screwdriver but it didn't work. I do not have a Dremel tool.

Here are pictures, screws are circled in red. Don't mind the grime.

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https://imgur.com/a/iyuStHr

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With a Dremel tool you might have been able to cut a slot into the head so you could get a screw driver to bite into it.

In any case you’ll need some means to drill out the head of the screw so you can then take the rest of the keyboard out. Once you do you can then carefully drill out the rest of the screw with a left hand drill bit. Keep in mind not to drill to deep as you don’t want to poke a hole into the outside face.

I wouldn’t pull off the sheet metal frame as you’ll likely bend the uppercase its self.

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Okay, I did it! I just drilled them out with the smallest bit I have (a 1/18th drill bit) and carefully drilled them out. I put it all back to together and the replacement keyboard is functional!

But I've run into another problem. Since I only drilled the head of the screw I couldn't put in new ones, so when I put it back together and tested all the keys, the keys in the areas that had the stripped screws doesn't work. (F6, Y, H, N, and Spacebar). So I assume that the conductive layer under the keyboard needs the pressure from those screws.

How should I go about this? should I open it back up and drill it until the screws are completely gone then put in new ones?

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Yes, you'll need to get the rest of the screw out. There's a few different directions here.

I would first try grabbing the shaft with a pair of good fitting pliers. If you don't have a good pair don't try as you'll likely make it harder for the next method.

Here we need a jewelers screwhead file then carefully creating a slot in the shaft so a flat screwdriver can fit. Before turning the shaft I would take a soldering iron and heat the screw shaft so you can soften the thread lock thats holding thing from moving.

The last method is to use a lefthand drill don't forget you need to use the reverse in your power drill or better yet get a jewelers pin vise so you can hand drill the shaft. Often the remaining screw will ease-out as your drill (if not carefully pick out the pieces). The trick here is to use a drill which is smaller than the screw and take note the depth is not very deep and if you don't take it slow you can punch through the top which looks nasty.

The last step is to find a replacement screw or move one of the screws over so the area is better supported.

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First are you sure this is a 2011?

There are so many screws in one of these that three aren’t going to make that much difference, IMHO. I’d clip off the heads and just use some glue on the remaining posts.

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