LG Grace Motherboard Replacement

Introduction

If your LG Grace smartphone, model # LGL59BL, is borked and you can't figure out why, it may be your motherboard. The motherboard is responsible for essentially everything the phone does. It is the neurons of your phone's brain, and this means that when it goes wrong, diagnosing it can be much less specific than in the case of a camera or speaker.

Consulting this guide will give you some guidance, but really this is a diagnosis by exclusion.

Please note that this guide requires the removal of the phone's battery, and while this is a trivial task with this particular model, if your battery is swollen and stuck then prying at it could potentially cause it to rupture and explode. Please power off your device and take it to a repair professional or someone else trained in safely disposing of the malfunctioning battery. As a general rule of thumb, always turn off any device you are working on.

All in all this is a relatively simple replacement and requires no special skills, so don't be intimidated. A replacement part may be a little expensive considering the price of a new phone with similar specs, but it's still understandable that you would want to replace your motherboard if your intent is keeping as much out of the land fill as possible.

What you need

Step 1 Phone Assembly

LG Grace Motherboard Replacement, Phone Assembly: step 1, image 1 of 1

Find the indentation along the edge of the phone's back and pry open with your nail. A pry tool may help if you have short nails but shouldn't be necessary.

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Step 2

Pull the battery out of the back of the phone. A small indent is present to allow you to pry it out but you may also just flip the phone over and strike it gently against your palm.

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Step 3

Unscrew all of the screws now visible on the back panel of the phone--11 in total. A #00 Phillips screwdriver works here.
The screws are M1.3 and 3 mm long.

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Step 4

Insert the Jimmy into the small gap between the edge of the phone screen and body. Gently pry until it pops loose then remove jimmy and use your hands to slowly pry the body away from the screen

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Step 5 Rear Camera

LG Grace Motherboard Replacement, Rear Camera: step 5, image 1 of 1

Locate the pin connection for the camera, noted by red box in the guide photo.
Gently lift the camera up while pulling away from connection; it should detach with minimal effort.

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Step 6 Motherboard

LG Grace Motherboard Replacement, Motherboard: step 6, image 1 of 1

Next we remove the front speaker from the motherboard, with the goal of removing all connections that hold the board in place.
The location of the speaker is highlighted in the guide photo.
Just like with the camera, gently pull the ribbon wire away from the connector and it should release easily.

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Step 7

There is also a ribbon cable connected to the board by the charging port, as highlighted in the photo.
Pull it away in the same fashion as the others, and now the motherboard should be free.

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Step 8

From here, you should be able to gently pull the motherboard away from the screen assembly and remove it. I recommend grabbing the edge by the port and lifting with one hand while holding the phone down with the other.

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