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MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Lower Case Replacement

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  1. MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Lower Case Replacement, Lower Case: step 1, image 1 of 1
    Tool used on this step:
    Magnetic Project Mat
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    • Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:

    • Two 2.3 mm P5 Pentalobe screws

    • Eight 3.0 mm P5 Pentalobe screws

    • Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your device.

    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 -

    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

    I followed this exactly and was able to replace my broken trackpad. I did not have to replace the ribbon OR the battery. However I would suggest getting the ribbon since it’s fairly cheap, as for the batteries I was able to do it with a card only. I didn’t use any heat or the liquid but it takes some time. You really have to work the card in there to release the glue. Also you must be very careful not to bend the batteries or damage them, if you do you must replace with new. This took me about 1.5hrs and my computer works like new. Apple cost for this job was around $450, I did it for $120. Big ups to ifixit for this awesome tutorial, tool set and parts!

    On a side note, only use quality tools, the cheap ones will break or strip the screws.

    Dustin Steward - Reply

    Note that the eight 3mm screws have a shoulder under the head, while the two 2.3mm screws are “full thread”, i.e., there is no shoulder under their heads. It’s important to put the two screws with no shoulder at the hinge of the cover.

    All ten screws require a P5 Pentalobe screwdriver, preferably with a magnetized tip to help hold and position the screw.

    All of the screws have blue “Loctite” thread locker compound on their threads. This is to help prevent the screws from working loose and falling out. Don’t attempt to clean the Loctite from the screws — leave it in place, and it will continue to help prevent the re-inserted screws from working loose.

    When replacing the bottom cover, it is a good technique to insert and BEGIN tightening all ten screws BEFORE fully tightening any one screw. After all the screws have been started, then go around and finish tightening all of them. By doing this, you make it easier to feel that each screw has been started properly, and is not “cross-threaded”.

    doubleclutch - Reply

    This is what I found on my MBP mid-2014 13” Retina. All 10 used the same screwdriver. I didn’t see the blue “loctite” but I also got my computer refurbished.

    Evan Shulman -

    A good technique for starting to thread the screws when replacing them is to position and align the screw, and with the driver, gently turn the screw in the REMOVAL direction until you feel and hear a slight click. This click happens when the leading thread of the screw drops off of the leading edge of the thread in the hole — this is the point at which the threads are properly positioned for engagement. You can now turn the driver and screw in the TIGHTENING direction. This technique will help prevent accidental “cross-threading” of the screw, which will damage the threads permanently.

    Note that this is a useful technique when installing ANY threaded fastener.

    doubleclutch - Reply

    Hi peeps,

    I have a wifi problem on this MBP 13” early 2015 and was pleasently surprised to find your guide to changing the airport card.

    However upon closer inspection it seems that on my MBP (purchased new or so I thought) the 3 antennae seem so have been soldered together at the point where they are clamped to the chassis. I have photos but cannot post here. Can anyone conform that where the 3 antennae wires are held to the chssis by the 2 scew metal support (just before disappearing into the screen hinge), the support is not meant to short the 3 wires together. This makes no sense for 3 seperate antennae wires.

    Any advice /close up photos is welcome here.

    dom

    colonel mustard - Reply

    Tip: Use post-it notes to keep track of screws

    1. Pack of post it notes

    2. Stick screws to the sticky part of the post it note

    3. Write on the post it note which step and what kind of screw it is

    ibash - Reply

    Hi, in order to drain the battery I am running:

    yes > /dev/null

    in 4 terminals, so the CPU maxes out at almost 99%.

    I hope this speeds up the battery draining process.

    And the backlight is at maximum brightness :-)

    You can see the cpu load in Activity Monitor.

    Its draining at 20% per 15 minutes.

    Any concerns about draining the battery in this way?

    Andre van der Ham - Reply

    Something I’ve been curious about, is it possible to upgrade a late 2013 Retina model MacBook Pro, with the improved 16gb ram and i7 processor logic board from the 2015 retina model? I’d be interested to try but not ready to shell out the $500+ to be the first lol

    Chat Dawgie - Reply

    Without rehashing what others have said, I would highly recommend reading through the steps *and* the comments for each before tackling your replacement for tips. Highlights for me were: only disconnecting what actually needed to be disconnected, rotating the spudger to release the track pad cable, a hair dryer worked perfectly fine, and the pencil outline of the battery before you remove. You got this!

    N DesRochers - Reply

    Installation of replacement AirPort card was easier than I had expected thanks to this guide. Thank you.

    chaslaw - Reply

    I use replaced SSD and it was super easy and working great. I can finally upgrade Mac OS with plenty of room to spare and no more low memory alerts. Well worth investment and didn’t have to buy new laptop

    Pete James - Reply

    It's interesting that this tutorial is rated Moderate even though you need to remove the battery. The battery removal tutorial which is basically the same but with fewer steps is rated Difficult.

    Marv Ruona - Reply

    when i pulled the screws out i arranged them in the same way they were in. the top 2 middle screws appeared to be shorter than the rest. in order to keep them in place i got a square of packing tape sticky side up, taped both sides down with 2 other pieces of tape. and then put the screws head down in the order i pulled them.

    Jason Wade - Reply

    Excellent instructions although checking battery and speakers aligned before fixing batteries into place is essential. MacBook good as new!

    John Foreman - Reply

    I find it helpful to spread a soft, slightly fuzzy cloth (like flannel) over my workspace before doing something with small parts. It keeps screws and things from rolling or bouncing away. A towel might be too plush, though, as a screw might get lost in it.

    Richard KeslerWest - Reply

    I cannot get the two screws (that are different than the other ones) out and now they’re stripped. Any idea what to do without using a drill?

    Honeybee94 - Reply

    DO NOT REMOVE SPEAKER CABLES!! The connectors are fragile. Just remove speakers and bend attached cable away from battery. Same for trackpad cable connector at front side. This cable crosses the middle of the battery. Just remove the one connector on the back side - leave front side connector attached and fold cable toward front of computer out of way of battery.

    Paul Lebow - Reply

  2. MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Lower Case Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Wedge your fingers between the upper case and the lower case.

    • Gently pull the lower case away from the upper case to remove it.

    This takes a bit more effort than you might expect. Put your fingers where shown and lift about 3inches. With enough upwards pressure the plastic holders will “pop free” and the bottom will come off easily.

    hamiltont - Reply

    To reattach bottom case I found it helpful to line fingers up with clips under case should snap easily

    Peter Stoll - Reply

    If your old battery has swollen, the lower case may “pop” open. Don’t lose your screws!

    Maxine Loveman - Reply

  3. MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Lower Case Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 2 MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Lower Case Replacement: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • The lower case is connected to the upper case with two plastic clips near its center.

    • During reassembly, gently push down the center of the lower case to reattach the two plastic clips.

    This wording I found quite confusing. They just mean when putting the lid back on that you just removed in the previous step, push here.

    Mmm ttt - Reply

    I took my pointer and thumb (which are luckily long enough) to feel where the studs are on the back panel, and then as I put the back panel back on, I pushed in the spot I had marked with my fingers to ensure I was applying pressure only on this part.

    Evan Shulman - Reply

    If you’re doing an iFixIt battery replacement, the replacement battery has two rubber nubs which are right where the clips are that receive these studs. Folks have been saying it’s hard to get the studs to clip back in after replacement, and I had the same issue. I trimmed the top of these rubber nubs, which are a bit bigger than those on the original battery, with some side cutters. That made the fit much better.

    Rob Gorbet - Reply

Conclusion

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

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Sam Goldheart

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One Comment

Do i have to hear some "click" noise when reconnecting the plastic clips? I did gently push the middle of the lower case, but the clips did not reconnected (it was still easy to remove the lower case). Hence i just put screws back, and then little bit strongly push the lower case again, but there was no "click" noise eithe ... However, the bottom case is completely flat, so i suppose it is ok...

K4stan - Reply

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