Nintendo Wii U Console Outer Case Replacement

Introduction

Use this guide to remove the outer case of the Nintendo Wii U and gain access to the DVD drive.

What you need

Step 1 Console Outer Case

Nintendo Wii U Console Outer Case Replacement, Console Outer Case: step 1, image 1 of 1

With the bottom of the console facing up, remove the following 6 screws hidden underneath the white square stickers:
Three 5.1mm Phillips #000 screws
Two 6.1mm Tri-wing Y0 screws
One 13.2mm Tri-wing Y1 screw

Edit

Step 2

Rotate the console 180 degrees so that the exhaust vents are facing you.
Remove the two 7.1mm Phillips #00 screws.

Edit

Both screws are not “7.1mm” in length, only the one to the right is (center of the console’s side). The left one (towards the front of the console) is 5.1mm.

LogicalMadman - Aug 21, 2018 Reply

There’s a third screw to remove bottom-left corner of this picture. On step 9 it’s already been removed, and you need it to be removed in order to remove the metal casing in step 13.

Pascal Dagenais - Jan 4, 2019 Reply

Step 3

On the side opposite of the exhaust vents, slide the cover faceplate towards the back of the console and pull upwards to release it.

Edit

Step 4

On the bottom of the console beneath the previously removed faceplate, remove the three 13.2mm Tri-wing Y1 screws.

Edit

Step 5

Nintendo Wii U Console Outer Case Replacement: step 5, image 3 of 3

On the back of the console, lift up and release the main top cover.

Edit

The front portion of the side of the cover with the vents was kind of stuck on mine. There’s a little rubber piece in there that was the cause of this. But that same rubber piece also makes up the little handle-shaped nub that sticks out of the side there. (There’s also one at the back of the same side, but that one didn’t stick for me.) Lifting also using the little handle made it easy to remove the cover.

Nicholas Halderman - Mar 10, 2018 Reply