Tools
Parts
Introduction
Use this guide to replace the I/O board to remedy a broken headphone jack, left USB port, or MagSafe DC-In socket.
-
Remove the following ten screws:
-
Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
-
Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
-
-
Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.
-
Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both short sides of the battery connector upward to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.
-
Bend the battery cable slightly away from the logic board so the connector will not accidentally contact its socket.
-
Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.
-
Use a spudger to help lift the free end of the SSD just enough to grab it with your other hand.
-
Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.
When you've completed all these steps to replace your SSD, don't despair if the MacBook Air shows a flashing folder with a question mark when you first power up the MacBook Air.
- Power off the machine, then keep the option key (= Alt key) pressed down, power on the machine again, and keep the option key pressed down until a prompt appears.
- If you've set a firmware password, then type it in at the prompt
- You should now be prompted for a hard drive to boot from. Select "EFI Boot"
- The MacBook Air should now boot to a window showing "OS X Utilities"
- Click on the at the top left, then select "Startup Disk..."
- Select your SDD/Hard drive, and restart.
-
Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable up from its socket on the I/O board.
-
Peel the I/O board cable up from the adhesive securing it to the fan.
-
Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the I/O board connector up and out of its socket on the logic board
-
Remove the I/O board cable.
-
Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the fan cable ZIF socket.
-
Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the upper case:
-
Two 5.2 mm T5 Torx screws
-
One 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw
-
-
Lift the fan out of the upper case and carefully pull the fan ribbon cable out of its socket as you remove it from the Air.
The replacement fan's ribbon cable is a few mm longer than the original. I t will loop upwards a bit after mounting. The rubber lip on top of the old fan needs to be transferred to the new fan.
-
Remove the following five screws securing the battery to the upper case:
-
Two 5.2 mm T5 Torx screws
-
One 6 mm T5 Torx screw
-
Two 2.6 mm T5 Torx screws
-
-
Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
-
Disconnect the I/O board by pulling the power cable away from its socket on the logic board.
-
Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the microphone cable ZIF socket.
-
Pull the microphone ribbon cable straight out of its socket.
-
Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the left speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the I/O board.
-
Pull the camera cable parallel to the face of the I/O board toward the rear edge of the Air to disconnect it from its socket.
-
Remove the small rubber gasket from the corner of the upper case nearest the I/O board.
-
Remove the single 3.6 mm T5 Torx screw securing the I/O board to the upper case.
-
Carefully lift the I/O board from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Cancel: I did not complete this guide.
21 other people completed this guide.
When you say:
Remove the following ten screws:
Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws
Do the 8mm & 2.5mm dimensions refer to the LENGTH of those screws, or the size of the pentalobe? That is, are there other sizes of pentalobe drivers like there are for hex, phillips and torx? When only one dimension is provided, it is usually the socket/driver size, not the screw length, maybe since the length cannot be seen when the screw is installed.
Can I suggest that you clarify your instructions so folks are confident they are only in need of _one_ pentalobe driver?
Nerdily yours,
Larry (whose iPhone 4S can now get through a day without 6 recharges thanks to ifixit.com ;-)
larryleveen - Reply
The 8mm and 2.5mm are the length of the screws. One pentalobe P5 screwdriver suffices for all the screws (P5 is implicitly the size of the pentalobe screw heads).
Michael Welham -
I sourced all the parts from ifixit, plus a magnetic project mat which I found to be very useful for organising the teardown and reassembly.
Allen - Reply