MacBook Core 2 Duo Upper Case Cable Replacement
Replace a broken upper case cable on your MacBook Core 2 Duo.
- Author: Andrew Bookholt
- Difficulty: Moderate
Use this guide to replace a broken upper case cable.
Tools (continued)
Relevant Parts
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Unscrew the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.
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The screws are captive to the metal memory cover so you cannot lose them.
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Rotate the L-shaped memory cover so it clears the battery compartment opening and lift it up and out of the computer.
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Remove the following 3 screws:
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One 11 mm Phillips#00 in the middle of the case. (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00 (Head: 5mm dia. x .75mm thick)
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If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.
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The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.
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Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:
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One 3 mm Phillips #0. (Head: 2.75 mm. dia.)
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Two 4 mm Phillips #0 on the either side. (Head: 2.75mm dia.)
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Take extra caution with these screws as they can strip easily.
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Remove the two Phillips screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).
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Two 6.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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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 screw.
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Four 3.25 mm Phillips #000. (Head: 4 mm. dia. x 4mm thick)
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Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:
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The longer screws go on the inside, shorter screws on the outside.
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Two 11 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.2mm dia. x 2 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Two 7.25 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2mm dia. x 3.75 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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Remove the two Phillips screws from the optical drive side of the computer.
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Two 5.2 mm Phillips #00, with Shank (2.3mm dia. x 3.5 mm len.) (Head: 3.2 mm. dia. x .5mm thick)
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It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.
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There's a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don't pull the upper case off entirely just yet.
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Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. A plastic opening tool or a medium hard guitar pick may help you to do this.
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The upper case is likely to stick at the connection above the optical drive. If this is the case, first free all other sides, then proceed to pull upward on the upper case from either side of the optical drive opening.
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If you stand the base on end to get a better look you may displace the total of 4 grey plastic clips that hold the keyboard in place. Don't panic. They slide into slots at the top right-most edge near the CD drive.
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While holding up the upper case, pull up the black tab of the silver cable away from its connector.
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If there is no black tab, you can also use a spudger to gently pry the connector from its housing. This connector is tall, so be sure to pry straight up.
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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.
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While you have the upper case removed, you may want to take the opportunity 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.
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Upon reassembly, there are 4 grey plastic clips on the optical drive side of the keyboard (refer to second picture). They must be installed in their slots for the keyboard to snap in properly.
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If you have a silver upper case cable, skip to Step 22.
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If you have a brown upper case cable, follow this and the following steps to replace your upper case cable.
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Carefully peel the upper case cable off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully peel up the adhesive around the perimeter of the plastic panel stuck to the underside of the trackpad.
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Remove the panel from the upper case.
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the upper case cable ZIF socket near the keyboard cable.
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Be sure you are prying up on the retaining flap, not the socket itself.
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Gently peel up the section of the upper case cable stuck to the keyboard ribbon cable, being careful not to disturb the keyboard ribbon cable in the process.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the mouse button ribbon cable socket.
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Be sure you are prying up on the retaining flap, not the socket itself.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to help peel the last portion of the upper case ribbon cable off the adhesive securing it to the underside of the trackpad.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully peel up the adhesive around the perimeter of the plastic panel stuck to the underside of the trackpad.
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Remove the panel from the upper case.
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Carefully peel the upper case cable and the piece of clear tape off the bottom of the upper case.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the upper case cable ZIF socket.
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Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
Comments Comments are onturn off
This guide was seriously helpful, so thanks for putting this together. I found a thick ribbon of dust/muck whatever between the fan outlet and the exhaust port that was almost as dense as felt. My fan must have been fighting like crazy trying to pass air through that blockage, which explains the high temps and excessive fan noise. Wish I'd done this sooner...
Thanks again!
Just R&R'ed the fan in my black MacBook Core 2 Duo tonight. Took me 30 minutes tops and I was taking my time. These instructions are SPOT ON! Great job ifixit.com! Two thumbs up!
Follow the instructions exactly as you see and have a piece of paper taped to the table next to you that you can outline all the screws you took out so you know where they go back in. I expected this to be a LOT harder, but it was one of the simplest repairs I've ever done to ANY computer!
Piece of cake--or should I say gum. If you don't have a magnetized screwdriver, load up a stick of gum and chomp on it until it's needed then use a bit to retain screw on the driver. And if you should tear the black tape, or if the silver tape won't stick any more, just bubblegum it together. The instructions were clear and correct, which made for a very simple repair.
Somehow, now my isight camera doesn't work and the light is always on. Cannot figure out what I did wrong.
josefsalyer, · Reply
Somehow the plastic disc with the slot for a coin got dislodged from the case, and I can't seem to get it open now. Any tips/links on how to open this without the aid of the plastic disc?
Peter Wood, · Reply
i broke my disc off as well. I used two toothpicks to rotate the thing. hi tech.
Lay the screws out in a ”timeline” like a circle, Then when you reassemble just start from the end of the “timeline”
The screws have to unscrewing positions, first they unscrew from the whole body BUT if you move the lid without entirely removing the screws, they will remain attached to the lid. This I find much more recomendable!
Wytchkraft, · Reply
Quote from ryan64:
I couldn't get the top two 11mm screws to come out, even with a magnetized driver. When I tried to keep unscrewing them, they clicked like they were spring mounted, and I didn't have any trouble leaving them in and continuing on.
I use a strong magnet to pull the screws out of their socket.
You need to replace the shorter middle screw first, otherwise it won't tighten later since it won't quite reach the bottom.
for me this was the hardest part especially the two 14.5mm that dint want to come out. keep turning the screw and slightly pressing the case down, once the screw is a little use try using finger, screw and a non metallic point to try to push them out. they arent tight but they are very hard to unscrew i almost gave up, but believe me they come out with patience
On this step, I encountered a problem. The middle screw was screwed in very very tightly. As a result, I ended up stripping the screw despite being very careful. I tried to use a wire cutter to remove the screw, but that did not work. I actually ended up using the wirecutter to cut the bracket off, leaving the screw screwed in. This did not affect anything. I am typing off of my replace macbook top case right now.
The point is, BE CAREFUL! but if something does go wrong, don't fret. There are solutions.
Quote from LaNoobieFixer:
On this step, I encountered a problem. The middle screw was screwed in very very tightly. As a result, I ended up stripping the screw despite being very careful. I tried to use a wire cutter to remove the screw, but that did not work. I actually ended up using the wirecutter to cut the bracket off, leaving the screw screwed in. This did not affect anything. I am typing off of my replace macbook top case right now.
The point is, BE CAREFUL! but if something does go wrong, don't fret. There are solutions.
get the thing on tv that removes stripped screws next time
On a Macbook I just tore down, I found that in this step, the 4mm screw was on the left, not the right. I thought maybe someone else had it apart before and accidentally switched them so in staying true to these instructions I tried to reassemble with the 4mm screw on the right. I found it would not go all the way in. I ended up putting it back together with the 2-3mm screws on the right and the 1-4mm screw on the left.
I didn't look closely at these screws when I took it apart, but when I went to put it back together (two weeks later) I found I had two longer (4mm?) screws, and one short one. So I put the longer ones in the two end spots, the short one in the middle; they all seemed to go in okay. (Maybe the screws got changed around the last time the cracked top case was replaced, when the MB was in the Apple shop under warranty last year.)
Me too. I had two longer 4mm screws here, and one 3mm screw. And I didn't pay attention to what holes each screw came out of. I put them back in a random order and it seems fine.
My early 2008 MacBook was the same. 2 x 4mm in the outer and 1 x 3mm in the centre.
You need to replace the shorter middle screw first, otherwise it won't tighten later.
I needed a tweezers here. These screws are tiny!
If you lose one you may have to remove the RAM (by pulling the appropriate lever) and gently slide out the screw.
To confirm what HandyMac and colmcostelloe found, some MacBooks have one 3mm and two 4mm screws in the rear wall of the battery compartment. On the one I worked on, the shorter 3mm screw came from the middle hole.
BeatJunkie, · Reply
Quote from BeatJunkie:
To confirm what HandyMac and colmcostelloe found, some MacBooks have one 3mm and two 4mm screws in the rear wall of the battery compartment. On the one I worked on, the shorter 3mm screw came from the middle hole.
Thanks Beat Junkie, this was the situation with my Mac 2.13ghz Mid 2009 that I was putting back together. Thanks for the confirmation! (For the 6th step)
Cong Trieu, · Reply
For me (A1181), there were two shorter screws and one longer. The longer went on the left (a shorter screw wouldn't catch). (Not the middle that is currently in the instruction. But that could be model difference.) The middle screw started to strip the head but using a slightly larger phillips allowed me to get it out.
In my late 2006 macbook the central screw was longer than the side screws..
The steps do not tell you what length screw that is needed to be here. What I can tell you that is the screw needs to be 5mm or 6mm, NOT 7.5 or 8mm or 9mm.
Cong Trieu, · Reply
It's recommended to use a PH00 screwdriver instead of the PH000.
The PH000 is too small and you can damage the screwheads.
Martin Born, · Reply
I cannot get the two outer screws out for the life of me- and afraid of stripping them. Already see I'm doing some damage. Help? What can I do?
Are you sure you have a proper screwdriver? From my experience you really need to use the correct size and not just something that seems to fit.
Olivia, you can screw back the longer screws that go on the inside. In the photo marked with orange. Then open and close the lid of the MacBook a few times. This will fit the 4 screws more properly in the steel inner-frame and they can come a little bit loose.
Close the lid again. Leave the inner screws untouched and begin with the outer screws (marked with red) with indeed a perfect matching screwdriver head (with a big and long grip for your hand). This worked for me perfectly without damage. Success!
The screw farthest from the optical drive would not come out, all other screws came out fine with my screw driver and the screw looks ok, any tips on how to get the screw out?
Aidan Morey, · Reply
With some of the screws that can happen. I had it too. This did it for the MacBook I was repairing: 1. Open the MacBook. Then press firm but gentle on the upper case with your hand or fingers while trying to loosen the screw with your screwdriver. 2. I used a different screwdriver from the same size diameter but with a much larger hand-grip. Success!
As is reported above, there a 4 friction tabs that connect to the keyboard. If they do not stay in place and stick to the keyboard, the keyboard will not go back on. Just remove them and put them in the clips, with the solid clip wall to the outside of the unit, and put the keyboard back on. Do this before reconnecting the keyboard.
The front left had an annoying little metal strip between the outside of the case and the tab. It's very easily bent, so the tab was caught on it. I spent a good deal of time trying to push and pull various things (and even just yank the @$!^ thing off), but eventually I found that if you undo the two screws you are told not to in step 7, the battery connector can be pulled up and out, leaving enough horizontal room to pull out the metal strip (with a little bit of coercion). I left it out when I put everything back together.
Because this step requires some force, make sure to double check that you got all your screws out. I finally got my gumption up to apply the necessary force required to pull up the upper case, and after 5 minutes of pulling, I look and see that the reason it wasn't coming up because I missed one screw. Ugh.
Also, before you just shove your hands under the upper case, prying about, think twice: I cut my finger pretty bad on a sharp piece of metal.
When reassembling, take some care to align the tabs on the right hand side next to the optical drive. Rock and slide these tabs into position. Then work from right to left, as the rest of the case is quite easy to put back together.
Andrew Dent, · Reply
I took my mac apart yesterday to clean out the trackpad properly and after getting some 'help' from my grandfather (he lost 2 screws and snapped off a bit of the uppercase but i didn't have the heart to ask him to leave it alone) i tried putting the uppercase back on. it fits perfectly but the middle section closest to the screen appears slightly raised and when i go to screw in the four screws on the exterior of the laptop i can't because the hole is not at all aligned (and two of those four screws are very long). anyone know why this might be? can it be fixed/is it a common problem?
On the right side above the optical drive there are little plastic braces that latch the upper case to the main body. This is the reason why the upper case might stick here. If the above step is not working, also try to gently push the upper case sideways away from the optical drive after freeing all other sides. When reassembling make sure the braces are in their slots of the main body and not attached to the upper case. If you cannot fit the upper case evenly over the optical drive, that's probably why. In this case carefully remove them and slide them back into their slots before lowering the upper case.
Hendryk1982, · Reply
this guide was awesome. this step was easy for the broken macbook i salvaged and noticed because i got a factory replacement keyboard quite recently on my macbook in use, the 4 clips above the optical drive were TIGHT - it took quite a bit of pulling up before it came loose!
I tried to remove the blacktab from the logic board, however, the black tab tore apart. The logic board is okay but the keyboard connector is torn. It has some silver wires passing through a whit plastic housing. It is the first generation of MacBook Core Duo. Do you think it can be repaired?
After a sucessful install of the keyboard, the select (mouse buttun equivalent) was found to not operate consistently. I called support and they are shipping a new one out to me. THIS is why I buy from ifixit - sure I can get a part for less elsewhere - but I would not get the service I get with ifixit - THANKS guys!!!
jgreengold, · Reply
Note - I agree, this was VERY easy - great pictures, perfect explanations...
jgreengold, · Reply
Quote from carlos:
not sure if this is the place to ask but my mac. doesn't start properly now it turns on and the little light on the right side turns on but keyboard leds don't and display doesn't either any ideas please?
Did you ever find an answer for this question? My computer is doing the same thing. Thanks.
E Chambliss, · Reply
Quote from E Chambliss:
Did you ever find an answer for this question? My computer is doing the same thing. Thanks.
no i never did couldn't get help it blows to hear someone else had the same problem...im using a windows(yuk) but im getting a new mac next paycheck. if you figure it out let me know so i can fix my other one and maybe give it to my parents
Quote from carlos:
no i never did couldn't get help it blows to hear someone else had the same problem...im using a windows(yuk) but im getting a new mac next paycheck. if you figure it out let me know so i can fix my other one and maybe give it to my parents
Hello, I'm following this procedure because my MacBook isn't turning on due to a failure in the MagSafe DC In board, it was not charging the battery and therefore no power going in. The case was broken duirng warranty and also the MagSafe power adapter was replaced. Now it is failing again. This is an old late 2006 MacBook. Does your Mac powers on, do you hear the chime sound? or you are stuck with a hardware failure?
Quote from Francisco:
Hello, I'm following this procedure because my MacBook isn't turning on due to a failure in the MagSafe DC In board, it was not charging the battery and therefore no power going in. The case was broken duirng warranty and also the MagSafe power adapter was replaced. Now it is failing again. This is an old late 2006 MacBook. Does your Mac powers on, do you hear the chime sound? or you are stuck with a hardware failure?
my MacBook charges the battery and powers on i dont hear a chime and it turns on but never starts
Quote from spi:
When changing the topcase remember to change the sticker with the serial also! This might be important when further service or bigger repairs by apples service are needed. The serial also helps you with identifying your MacBook!
How do you do it? I can't get it out
Superb guide thank you guys
This takes some nerves if there is no tab, but be confident and just prise the connector straight up.
Andrew Dent, · Reply
This seems like a repeat of step 14, but judging by the change in color of the ribbon, I take it this is on the "replacement" uppercase?
Steve Polus, · Reply
I used this guide plus the Thermal Paste guide to resolve my MacBook RRS (Random Restart Syndrome) issue. My MacBook would randomly restart after the fan kicked into high speed. When I removed the heatsink I discovered an an irregular patch completely free of thermal compound of about 15-20% of the area on one of the processors. I removed and re-applied the thermal paste. I ran a memory test utility overnight that previously caused a restart after a couple of hours, and the probelm seems to be solved. TIme will tell.
ServiceDocs, · Reply