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MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Lower Case: step 1, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
    P5 Pentalobe Screwdriver Retina MacBook Pro and Air
    $5.99
    Buy
    • Before proceeding, close your computer and lay it on a soft surface top-side down.

    • Remove the following ten screws:

    • Two 8 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    • Eight 2.5 mm 5-point Pentalobe screws

    • The special screwdriver needed to remove the eight 5-point Pentalobe screws can be found here.

  2. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

  3. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Battery: step 3, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Battery: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • In this step you will disconnect the battery to help avoid shorting out any components during service.

    • 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.

  4. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Solid-State Drive: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single 2.9 mm T5 Torx screw securing the SSD to the logic board.

  5. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 2
    • Use a spudger to help lift the free end of the SSD just enough to grab it with your other hand.

    • Do not lift the end of the SSD excessively.

    • Pull the drive straight out of its socket and remove it from the logic board.

    • When reinstalling the SSD, be sure it is properly seated before reinstalling its retaining screw.

  6. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, I/O Board Cable: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector upward out of its socket on the I/O board.

  7. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • The following connector has an especially deep socket. Use care when disconnecting it.

    • While gently pulling the I/O board cable upward near its connection to the logic board, use the tip of a spudger to pry upward on alternating sides of the connector to help "walk" it out of its socket.

    • Remove the I/O board cable.

  8. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Fan: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the fan cable ZIF socket.

    • Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

  9. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • 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

  10. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • 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.

  11. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Battery: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • 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

  12. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Do not touch or squeeze the six lithium polymer cells when handling the battery.

    • Lift the battery from its edge nearest the logic board and remove it from the upper case.

  13. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Logic Board: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the I/O board by pulling the power cable away from its socket on the logic board.

    • Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board toward the front edge of the Air.

  14. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 14, image 2 of 2
    • Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the trackpad ribbon cable ZIF socket.

    • Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

    • Pull the trackpad ribbon cable straight out of its socket toward the front edge of the Air.

  15. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 1
    • Use the tip of a spudger to de-route the right speaker cable from the slot cut into the logic board.

  16. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the right speaker cable connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Pry up from beneath the cables.

  17. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 17, image 2 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 17, image 3 of 3
    • Gently push the tip of a spudger under the black plastic flap stuck to the display data cable lock to make the lock pop upward and away from the socket.

    • While holding the lock away from the socket, use the tip of a spudger and your fingers to gently remove the display data cable from its socket.

    • Do not pull upward on the display data cable as you disconnect it, as its socket may break off the logic board.

  18. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the small rubber gasket from the corner of the upper case near the display data cable.

  19. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 19, image 2 of 2
    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both antenna cable connectors up and off their sockets on the AirPort/Bluetooth card.

  20. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1
    • Gently de-route the antenna cables from the slot cut into the logic board.

  21. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the three 3.6 mm T5 Torx screws securing the logic board to the upper case.

  22. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 22, image 1 of 1
    • Gently lift the logic board assembly out of the upper case, minding the fragile heat sink and any cables that may get caught.

  23. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement, Display Assembly: step 23, image 1 of 1
    • 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.

    • Do not lift upward on this cable as you disconnect it, as its socket may break off the logic board.

  24. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 24, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the small rubber gasket from the corner of the upper case nearest the I/O board.

  25. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 25, image 1 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 25, image 2 of 3 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 25, image 3 of 3
    • Peel up the six cable loops securing the antenna cables to the upper case.

    • Gently pull the cable loops slightly out of the channel cut into the upper case one at a time.

    • Use your spudger to open up the plastic loops as you de-route the antenna cables through them.

    • Repeat this for all five retaining loops.

  26. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 26, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 26, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the outer 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw securing each display hinge to the upper case (two screws total).

  27. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 27, image 1 of 1
    • Open the display until it is perpendicular to the upper case and place it on a table as shown.

    • While holding the Air steady, remove the remaining 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

  28. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 28, image 1 of 1
    • Before removing the last display screw, be sure to hold the display and upper case steady with your other hand. Failure to do so may allow the components to fall onto the table, causing potentially expensive damage.

    • Remove the last 4.9 mm T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

  29. MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 29, image 1 of 2 MacBook Air 11" Late 2010 Display Assembly Replacement: step 29, image 2 of 2
    • Push the upper case slightly toward the display assembly, then rotate it away from the front of the display assembly.

    • Once the two display hinges have cleared the upper case, remove the display and set it aside.

    • Keep track of the shims under each of the two display brackets. When installing the display, be sure a shim is installed under each display bracket (against the upper case) as shown in the third picture.

Conclusion

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

44 other people completed this guide.

3 Comments

Can I change the flex cable... the display cable in a macbook air? Or I have to change all the display? thank

eltecnicodenotebook - Reply

You can change it, but you have to buy the cable with the hinge and change both because it goes together.

Alvaro B.B. -

One of the antenna cables got stuck in one of the loops, so I pulled it and the antenna connector got off. Now I can’t connect to the Internet. And there is no easy or cheap fix for this problem. So, people, be careful. Better to cut open some of the loops around antenna cables than make my mistake.

Igor Zaytsev - Reply

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