Introduction
Replace the I/O board, which includes the SD card slot, the HDMI port and the right USB port.
This guide requires the removal of the heat sink. Don't forget to follow our thermal paste application guide before you reinstall your heat sink.
Tools
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Two 2.3 mm Pentalobe screws
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Eight 3.0 mm Pentalobe screws
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Wedge your fingers between the upper case and the lower case.
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Gently pull the lower case away from the upper case to remove it.
This was already mentioned at the start, it says 2x 2.3mm screws and those are coloured red instead of orange for the other ones in iFixit's image.
What is the black vinyl-y sticker on the inside of the case (some sort of shield?). I was forced to slightly puncture it in order to replace the feet on my laptop. Thanks in advance.
There is no point on going near the battery or logic board. I cut out these steps with no issue. It is precautionary but unnecessary.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.
I have a friends MacBook Pro that has some water damage that caused the MacBook not to be able to use battery power, but still work when plugged into A/C. Upon further inspection I can see visible corrosion on a few of the 9 cables going from the battery connector to that small circuit board. Is it possible to just replace that circuit board?
I have the some problem. I was thinking to replace the whole battery but I am not it will solve the problem. Any suggestions?
Sometimes it can be enough to just clean the contacts without having to replace the entire board. Dosent work for complicated IC's like plcc type, where corrosion is underneath the chip. Here you will have to reheat and reapply the IC.
Have either of you replaced the battery and/or circuit board to fix the MacBooks with the water damage ? I have the same problem with the MacBook working fine when connected to power but dying immediately when the power cord is removed.
Hi, Steve. I had the same problem: Macbook Pro 15 retina with coffee damage. And it worked fine when connected to power. I made it working after replacing the whole battery. It seems that circuit connected to the battery becomes disabled to prevent short circuit.
When placing the battery connector back into the socket on the logic board, check that every part of connector is pressed down. You should hear a soft click when it's back in place.
Thanks for the comment. My MBP isn’t powering on after I walked through these steps, and I assume it is because the battery connector isn’t fully connected. (I can’t check yet since I borrowed the pentalobe screwdriver)
+1
I thought I made sure it was connected but when running the computer it only detected the battery but couldn’t power it. I had to run with power adapter. Also it didn’t charge. I guess some pins were connected but not all. To verify that all were connected I removed the plastic cover, placed it carefully completely flat, and then reattached the plastic cover. After that it worked!
If I only want to replace the trackpad cable, then which steps should I skip? This step seems unnecessary
If you miss or let this step for later like I did, the power left in the battery even though the computer is completely shut down, will screw up the I/O board cable like I did. I noticed this after I put all the pieces back, turn the computer on and surprise, no wifi hardware is detected. -.-
That’s a great idea!
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Carefully remove the rubber fan bumper from the edge of the heat sink.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to peel the four foam stickers off of the heat sink screws.
How should I reapply those little foam stickers? I guess not with normal glue.
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Remove the following screws securing the heat sink to the logic board:
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Four 2.6 mm T5 screws
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One 2.4 mm Phillips #000 screw
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Remove the heat sink from the laptop.
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Use the tip of a spudger to push on either side of the the iSight camera cable connector to walk it out of its socket on the logic board.
Very helpful tip from Tony.
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Peel the iSight camera cable off the fan housing to fold it out of the way.
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip the tab on the fan's ZIF connector.
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Carefully pull the fan cable straight out of its socket.
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Remove the following screws securing the fan to the upper case:
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One 5.0 mm T5 Torx screw
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Two 3.6 mm T5 Torx screws
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Lift the end of the fan closest to the display hinge and remove the fan from the upper case.
Um, this guide should include steps for applying thermal paste, including instructions to clean the mating surfaces, and pictures showing how much thermal paste to use.
Hi @theirongiant, there are generic thermal paste application instructions linked in the introduction “Don't forget to follow our thermal paste application guide before you reinstall your heat sink.”
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Insert the tip of a spudger under each of the antenna cables near their connectors and pry up to disconnect them from the AirPort board.
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Remove the two 2.1 mm T5 Torx screws securing the I/O board cable bracket.
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Remove the I/O board cable bracket.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pop the I/O board connector straight up off its socket on the I/O board.
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Push the I/O board cable up to bend it out of the way.
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Use the tip of a spudger to push on either side of the I/O board connector to walk it out of its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the following screws securing the I/O board to the upper case:
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One 3.5 mm T9 Torx standoff screw
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One 3.5 mm T5 Torx screw
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Lift the I/O board cable end of the I/O board and pull toward the logic board to free the ports from the upper case.
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Remove the I/O board.
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Remove the single 2.7 mm T5 Torx screw securing the AirPort board to the I/O board.
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Lift the free end of the AirPort board up slightly and pull it straight out of its socket on the I/O board.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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8 other people completed this guide.
For all the screws you use the P5 pentalobe screwdriver?
Carlos - Reply
Pentalobe is only for the screws on the bottom cover. The Torx screw driver is for the remainder.
Fredrik -
Is the Pentalobe screwdriver mentioned in the tools list? I did not have one so I used a filed down flat blade screwdriver. Not a fantastic idea, but it works.
Alex Birkett - Reply
Yes, it's mentioned on the top of this page. P5 Pentalobe to be precise. I didn't have one either, so I bought one from iFixit and that works fantastic. An absolutely precise fit, which is important especially when you might open your MacBook a couple of times during the years you own it. Not using the correct tool might do more harm to the screws than you want! I once had this with a Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, which has Torx screws (T4 I think) and I used cheap Chinese quality tools, with the result that both the tool and one of the screws are damaged.
addvariety -
the macbook in the picture is 2012. does it has the same structure as 2013？
Edison - Reply
I never, ever, ever considered using anything but the correct tool on the Pentalobe screws. Too easy to strip and void your warranty (if still in effect), as well as make it almost impossible to get inside later for another upgrade or repair. The Wiha P5 Pentalobe screwdriver fits like a glove and costs only about $11 (a fraction of your drive's price)at Amazon.com. Get it!
marketing - Reply
is P5 supposed to be for all 10 screws? it works on the 2x 2.3mm at the top, but not for the 8x others for me. what size screwdriver for the 3mm? thanks
monsieurescargot - Reply
Yes, the p5 works for all 10 pentalobe screw heads for bottom cover. The the different size mm reference only refers to the difference in length of the screws, but again both heads are p5.
Antoine Thornton - Reply