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MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement

What you need

  1. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Battery: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

  2. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the battery out of the computer.

  3. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Memory Cover: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Unscrew the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

    • The screws are captive to the metal memory cover so you cannot lose them.

    • Using The Flexible Extension sold by iFixit will help with this step.

  4. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Grasp the right end of the L-shaped memory cover, then pull it towards you so it clears the battery compartment opening.

    • Lift the memory cover up and out of the computer.

  5. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Upper Case: step 5, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 3 screws:

    • One 11 mm Phillips#00 in the middle of the lower case. (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)

    • Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00 (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)

    • If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.

    • The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle of the lower case.

  6. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Take extra caution with these screws as they can strip easily!

    • You could use a flexible extension to minimize stripping.

    • Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

    • One 3 mm Phillips #0. (Head: 2.75 mm. dia.)

    • Two 4 mm Phillips #0 on the either side. (Head: 2.75mm dia.)

  7. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two Phillips screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

    • Two 6.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)

  8. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the four indicated Phillips screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screws.

    • Four 3.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x 4mm thick)

  9. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

    • Two 11 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.2mm dia. x 2 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)

    • Two 7.25 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2mm dia. x 3.75 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)

    • During reassembly, the two longer screws go on the inside, and the two shorter screws go on the outside.

  10. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the two Phillips screws from the optical drive (right) side of the computer:

    • Two 5.2 mm Phillips #00, with shank (2.3mm dia. x 3.25 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)

    • It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the ports (left) side of the computer.

  11. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
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    • There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet.

    • Use a plastic opening tool, an expired plastic credit, or a similarly-thick card to pry up on the upper case, starting in the upper-left corner and working around to the front of the computer.

    • The upper case is likely to stick at its connection above the front edge of the optical drive. If this happens, first free all other sides, then proceed to pull upward on the upper case from either side of the optical drive opening. Here again, inserting a plastic card, guitar pick, etc. can be useful.

    • If you stand the base of the MacBook on one end to get a better look, you may displace the four grey plastic clips that hold the right side of the upper case in place. Don't panic. They slide into slots at the top rightmost edge of the lower frame, above the front edge of the optical drive.

    • During reassembly, make sure the clips on the right side, above the optical drive, click firmly into place. They're different from the clips on the left side, and so normally they require a little firmer pressure to click into place.

  12. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 12, image 2 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 12, image 3 of 3
    • While holding up the upper case, pull up the black tab on the connector end of the silver ribbon cable away from the connector's socket on the logic board.

    • If there is no black tab, you can also use a spudger to gently pry the connector out of its socket on the logic board. This connector is tall, so be sure to pry straight up.

    • If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

    • While you have the upper case removed, it's a good time to remove dust, hair, etc. It's best to use a can of compressed air, though if you use a brush, make sure that its bristles are made of a material (usually animal hair) that doesn't generate static electricity, which can destroy electronics.

    • Upon reassembly, there are 4 grey plastic clips installed in slots running along the top of the frame in front of the optical drive (refer to second and third pictures). These clips must be installed in their slots for their mating tabs on the underside of the right side of the upper case to snap into them.

  13. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Left I/O Frame: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the MagSafe board cable from the logic board by pulling the snap-in connector out (to the right).

  14. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the single 9 mm Phillips screw securing the left speaker to the lower case.

    • Lift the left speaker out of its housing and set it to the side.

  15. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 3 screws:

    • Two 7.5 mm Phillips from either end of the left I/O frame.

    • One 9 mm Phillips from the middle of the left I/O frame.

    • In some models, all three of these screws may be 7.5 mm.

    • Remove the small black plastic spacer at the bottom of the left I/O frame.

    • Some models such as the Early 2008 may not have a removable spacer at this location.

  16. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the left I/O frame up and out of the computer. Pay attention to the thin metal EMI fingers, as they may catch as you remove the left I/O frame.

    • The speaker wire may be hooked onto the I/O frame. Lift it out of the catch and don't forget to put it back when you are reversing the procedure.

    • The part of the shield you are removing is attached to other part by little hooks underneath that are hard to see until you have it apart. They're located over the headphone jack and the firewire port.

  17. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Logic Board: step 17, image 1 of 1
    • Peel up the foil tape between the fan and the optical drive.

  18. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to move the gray display data and black speaker cables to the right. This will reveal a silver screw securing the fan housing to the lower case.

  19. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 19, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the orange optical drive ribbon cable from the logic board.

  20. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1
    • Peel up the small black rubber cover from the right side of the heat sink.

  21. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 2 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 21, image 2 of 2
    • Disconnect the black fan connector and two temperature sensor connectors from the logic board by pulling/prying them directly up.

    • Don't try to slide the connector plugs out of their sockets, in the same plane as the logic board, since that may break them.

    • If you have a MacBook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn/Early 2009, there is only one temperature sensor.

    • The heat sink in early 2009 MacBooks may look slightly different.

  22. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 22, image 1 of 2 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 22, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the following 6 screws:

    • One 3 mm Phillips on the right side of the fan.

    • One 6 mm Phillips on the left side of the fan.

    • Four 9 mm Phillips securing the heat sink to the lower case.

  23. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 23, image 1 of 1
    • Hold the heat sink with one hand and the fan with your other hand, and lift the heat sink and fan assembly out of the computer. The fan is attached to the heat sink only with a strip of black felt tape, so be sure to remove both parts as a unit.

    • If you need to mount the heat sink back into the laptop, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.

  24. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 24, image 1 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 24, image 2 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 24, image 3 of 3
    • Disconnect the three antenna cables from the Airport card, and the black inverter cable from the logic board.

    • If you have a MacBook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn/Early 2009, there are only two antenna cables and the black inverter cable's connector is closer to the upper end of the Airport card.

  25. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 25, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following 2 screws from the Airport card:

    • One 3 mm Phillips from the left side.

    • One 8 mm (with a large 2 mm head) Phillips from the right side.

  26. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 26, image 1 of 1
    • Grasp the Airport card at its top and slide it toward the screen and out of the computer.

  27. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 27, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to disconnect the left speaker connector from the logic board.

    • Lift the left speaker out of the computer.

  28. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 28, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the display data cable by pulling up on the black plastic pull-tab. If there is no pull-tab on the top of the connector, it may be helpful to use a spudger to disconnect this connector.

  29. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 29, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the newly-revealed hard drive cable from the logic board.

  30. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 30, image 1 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 30, image 2 of 3 MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 30, image 3 of 3
    • Use a spudger to disconnect the speaker connector and bluetooth connector from the logic board.

    • If you have a MacBook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn, disconnect the PRAM battery cable.

  31. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 31, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to carefully disconnect the microphone cable from the logic board. You'll want to work from side to side, and slowly wiggle the connector out of its socket.

  32. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 32, image 1 of 1
    • Deroute the microphone cable from the silver metal clip just above the right RAM slot.

    • This metal clip may not be present on some Santa Rosa/Penryn models.

  33. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 33, image 1 of 1
    • Use a spudger to carefully pry the battery connector up and disconnect it from the logic board.

  34. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 34, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the three 3 mm Phillips screws securing the logic board to the lower case.

  35. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 35, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the logic board up from the right side, and slide it up and out of the computer.

    • If you removed the shield from the ports, make sure to reinstall the shield before reinstalling the logic board, since the port shield can't be reinstalled once the logic board is installed into the bottom housing.

  36. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement, Logic Board: step 36, image 1 of 1
    • Turn the logic board over.

    • Peel the PRAM battery up from its location on the logic board, removing tape as necessary.

    • If you have a Macbook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn, the PRAM battery is not located on the logic board. Please skip this step.

  37. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 37, image 1 of 1
    • Disconnect the PRAM battery cable from the logic board and remove the PRAM battery from the computer.

    • If you have a Macbook Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa/Penryn, the PRAM battery is not located on the logic board. Please skip this step.

  38. MacBook Core 2 Duo Logic Board Replacement: step 38, image 1 of 1
    • Pull back on the metal lever and slide the RAM chip out of the logic board.

    • Repeat this process for the other RAM chip if there are two RAM chips currently installed in your computer.

Conclusion

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

170 other people completed this guide.

iRobot

Member since: 09/24/09

1 Reputation

636 Guides authored

12 Comments

Thanks so much for this guide! My mac wouldn't turn on after spilling some wine on it a few days before. After I followed these steps and let the parts lay out to dry overnight (after cleaning everything with rubbing alcohol), I put it back together and it turned on!! Thank you a million times!

tracy - Reply

Double-sides sticky tape is very useful (to keep the screws together) on top of numbered post-it notes for the steps.

Joe - Reply

The shop wanted over $700 ($600 for parts, $90+ for labor) to fix it, which I definitely wasn't going to pay, so I decided to fix it myself. I spent right at $150 for a new logic board, magsafe board, and RAM upgrades and delved into the depths of the Macbook. I followed every step of the guide closely and she started right up after reassembly. Great guide, thanks!

Landen - Reply

Great Guide - i used zip-lock bags for screws and wrote the step numbers on each.

I've managed to replace a macbook 1,1 logic board with a macbook 2,1 (2GHz) one, and replaced a 4,1 on another machine (which looks interchangeable with older ones)

It is NOT possible to replace these older boards with a newer macbook 5.2 board because ALL the connectors are different, and the screw-holes are in different places.

jonathan ansell - Reply

Managed to revive my years old dead Macbook! Glad I found this guide and helped me diagnose and fix the problem. (Only wish I would have found this BEFORE I started disassembling my Macbook. Half the beginning screws don't have a home now. Whoops) Overall great guide. The alternate pictures were great since they were more in-line with mine. Easy to follow, and everything turned out great. Thanks!

Nathan Linerode - Reply

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