Tools
Introduction
Use this guide to replace your MacBook Pro's logic board. Before reattaching the heat sink, it is essential to apply a new layer of thermal paste.
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.
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Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
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Wedge your fingers between the lower case and the vent, and lift upward to release the clips holding the lower case to the upper case.
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Remove the lower case.
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If present, grab the plastic tab attached to the battery connector and pull it toward the front edge of the device. For Late-2011 models the battery connector will not have a tab and is simply a plug that inserts straight down into the motherboard--to remove pry the plug straight up.
This step is a little difficult in reverse, that is, when re-attaching the battery. It helps to tilt the laptop up so you can see the edge of the board that accepts the plug. It may look like there are two slots for it, it goes in the bigger slot that is further away from the board.
Is this step really necessary? It is not part of the instructions how to replace the HDD in Apple's User Manual of the 2011 17" MBP.
As it says in the step: "Whenever working near the logic board, it is always wise to first disconnect the battery to avoid short circuits." It is not required, but it is simple insurance to avoid a $1000+ repair should you accidentally short components on the board with something metal.
* There is no tab on the A1297 (late 2011) model's battery connector. Be careful with the connector, it chips off the edges easily! Otherwise the same as bhodges2 & Stephen's notes.
** (Pleas also include the exact Model and Part numbers like P/N: MD311D/A; Mod.: A1297 in the comments and notes for your MBP)
Why are there no guides for the Late 2011 17" MacBook Pro A1297 (2.4GHz i7 quad core, MD311LL/A)??? I just replaced the RAM in mine and discovered that not only is there no tab on the battery connector, but the connector pulls straight up, perpendicular to the logic board, rather than parallel. I almost ripped the wires out of the connector by trying to pull it out parallel to the logic board like this guide instructed! After finally getting it out, my advice to those with the Late 2011 model is to use a spudger to loosen the edges of the connector then lift the connector straight up to get it out safely.
I replaced the display on my late 2011 model and noticed that it was quite different than the tutorial given here so I detailed all the differences to help others with late-2011 models on my blog: http://johnfixesstuff.blogspot.com/2014/...
jmueller -
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the right fan connector out of its socket on the logic board.
Needs a better photo to show how the plug is able to come off the socket vertically. In particular, the underside of the plug should be shown.
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Remove the three 3.1 mm Phillips screws securing the right fan to the logic board.
The fan fixing screws on my 17-inch, Mid 2010 MacBook Pro were Torx 6, not Philips 00.
... And the fan fixing screws on my 2009 MBP were *smaller* that the size implied by the tool requirements for this project. I initially tried a Phillips 00 screwdriver but it nearly stripped the screw head. It was necessary to switch to a Phillips 000 bit to actually get two of the screws to move.
rpwl -
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Remove the right fan from the upper case, minding its cable that may get caught.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the left fan connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the three 3.1 mm Phillips screws securing the left fan to the logic board.
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Remove the left fan from the upper case, minding its cable that may get caught.
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable.
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Pull the keyboard backlight ribbon cable out of its socket.
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Use the tip of a spudger to push the small plastic cable retainer away from the camera cable socket for enough clearance to remove the camera cable.
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Pull the camera cable toward the optical drive opening to disconnect it from the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the subwoofer & right speaker connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the IR sensor ribbon cable socket.
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Pull the IR sensor ribbon cable out of its socket.
The IR sensor cable also connects the Hall Effect switch that detects whether the lid is closed or open (and thus shuts off the display, puts the computer to sleep, wakes it up, etc.) to the logic board.
How do I know? I re-pasted my late 2011 17" MBP and forgot to reconnect it. The machine would not sleep automatically when the lid was closed anymore. Re-connecting the cable fixed it.
thanks for the info !!!! i got the same problem with sleep because the cable was not properly connected
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Remove the following four screws:
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Two 3.5 mm Phillips screws
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Two 1.6 mm Phillips screws
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Remove both connector shields from the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the trackpad connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable socket.
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Pull the keyboard ribbon cable out of its socket.
Thanks for the great guide!
Tip for re-seating the keyboard cable: put a piece of sticky tape on, fold over at the top end, re-seat the connector (carefully!) with a spudger and (gently!) pull the tape 'over' the connector on the logic board until you feel it nudges in fully. Notice the emphasis on "carefully" and "gently"... :)
Thanks for this manual! I used it to replace the keyboard. I would not recommend it as an easy job and it is not described on Ifixit for unknown reasons. But I did it and everytinhg worked fine. 2 remarks about the conncetion for the keyboard. In my Macbook 17 Pro (mid 2009) there is a litlle lever that clamps the keyboard 'cable'. You can get it out easily (I did that too because I did not see it then), but to reassemble it it is better to uplift the little lever and then move the 'cable' in with sticky tape (thanks for that tip!)
I had to redo it 3 times to get it working. With the lever up and then clamping the 'cable' by pushing it down it worked AND it solved the power button problem. Please be carefull as said in the manual, it is all very delicate!
And for replacing the keyboard; prepare yourself for a lot of tiny screws! (some of them are stuck and had to be removed with force, be warned!)
Another tip
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Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the express card cage ribbon cable socket.
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Pull the express card cage ribbon cable out of its socket.
It might be easier to remove the ExpressCard ribbon cable in Step 18 by removing the Hard Drive cable first...use your judgment.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the hard drive cable connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the battery indicator cable socket.
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Pull the battery indicator ribbon cable out of its socket.
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Lift the black plastic flap attached to the display data cable retainer and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the MacBook.
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Pull the display data cable out of its socket.
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Remove the following eight screws securing the logic board and DC-In board to the upper case:
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Six 3.2 mm Phillips screws
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Two 7.6 mm Phillips screws
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The Six 3.2mm screws can in some cases be torx instead of phillips
I've got a great idea for keeping the tiny screws safe and also labelled up e.g. these 6+2 screws belong to the logic board - simply use 'Post-It' sticky note upside down on your desk and use the sticky bit to keep the screws from rolling around getting themselves lost :-)
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Lift the logic board assembly from the side nearest the optical drive and lift it away from the upper case.
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Carefully pull the ports and DC-In board away from the side of the upper case and remove the logic board assembly, minding any cables that may get caught.
Beware of the CCFL-connector (verify?) that is still in place on the other side of the logic board! You'll notice, though - just be aware of it. If you gently flip over the logic board (as if it where to 'hinge' over the point where it's still connected), you can put it aside upside-down and remove the connector with a spudger (in general I recommend against fingernails as they deprive your view).
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Remove the eight 8.3 mm Phillips screws securing the heat sink to the logic board.
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Squeeze the heat sink thermal sensor cable between your thumb and the tip of a spudger.
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Lift the spudger upward to lift the thermal sensor connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the heat sink from the logic board.
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Pull the DC-In board connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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Remove the two 7.9 mm Phillips screws securing the left speaker to the logic board.
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Slightly lift the left speaker assembly away from the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the left speaker and microphone connectors out of their sockets on the logic board.
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Release the tabs on each side of the RAM chip by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM.
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After the RAM chip has popped up, pull it straight out of its socket.
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Logic board remains.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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important to reassemble the "lower case" successfully: the threads of the seven 3mm phillips screws are drilled at an angle :-/
mysterioes - Reply
Same issue with me. After reassembling my 13-inch and my 17-inch, one of the screws are sticking out ever so slightly. Very annoying, especially since I scratch whatever surface I'm on now.
Kyle Spadaro -
Very important note; this guide is NOT correct for the Macbook Pro 17" A1297 late '11.
The A1297 has an assembly adjacent to the optical drive, identifiable by 4 antenna connectors, 1 usb cable (with very small connector) and one PCI-e flat cable running across the optical drive.
I did not take pictures, but found one on the web. I'm very new to iFixit and have no idea yet on how to create a guide, but here's the picture showing the assembly on top (this pic only has 3 antenna wires, the A1297 has 4, but at least you'll know what to look for.
- carefully undo all connections and 2 screws
- remove the assembly and flip it over
- again carefully remove the shielding tape
- undo 3 tiny screws
- gently pry the airport card from the assembly (the flat cable will be a bit of a pain)
- reverse process with replacement card.
image can be found here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2446...
Remon - Reply
It helps if you mark the holes where the long screws go so you can easily find them when the time comes to button things up. Also, a little dish or custard cup to hold those tiny screws is essential.
Human - Reply