Tools
Parts
Introduction
Use this guide to install a new left fan (left when the device is resting with the logic board side closest to you.)
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Remove the following pentalobe screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro:
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Eight 3.0 mm
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Two 2.3 mm
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Lifting from the edge nearest the clutch cover, lift the lower case off the MacBook Pro.
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Set the lower case aside.
Does anyone noticed that the bottom cover and the bottom case is actually linked with the black plastic near the battery?! After the first time you open the cover, it will be impossible to put it back to the original place. Does the critical?! Thanks a lot for informing
I was able to simply push and click those clips back into place before I did the screwing.
Tim Peat -
I truly believe this is placebo and the 10*C difference is because in the process the dust was removed from the fan/heat sink rather then the thermal "magic" paste.
This is a "PC" habit.
On the other hand, all the cases and protections out there have a bad effect on cooling (not sleeves or pouches) because the whole aluminum body helps dissipate heat.
I've never had any problems with any mac regarding heat (they do get hot, but it is OK).
Whenever you feel heat from electronic device means the heat radiates away from it.. which means the cooling is doing a good job :).
Hey,
Writing about dust and dirt, do you know any cleaning products for the interior of the mac. i mean how do you clean your laptop, pc, etc..
Regards
This is untrue. Over time thermal paste will dry up and crack and not provide good coverage between the device and the cooler. The paste massively improves the thermal transfer between the chip and the heatsink. If you do not believe in the magic paste then you should wipe it all off and apply just a little bit or none at all and then compare temperatures. You will see the paste is responsible for a big reduction in temperature.
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Peel back the warning label covering the battery connector.
Have laptop charging issues after this. When fully charged and i plug in magsafe it starts with green, then turns red and stays red (like if it was charging). Status bar says NOT charging. If i use battery a little bit (down to 69%) magsafe does the same (green then stay red). Status bar says battery 69% NOT charging. and it seems to be true. Any suggestions?
Double check the connection from the battery to the logic board and the logic board socket itself... Might have damaged by disconnect/reconnect.
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Using the flat end of a spudger, gently pry the battery connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.
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Bend the battery cables back and out of the way, ensuring that the battery connector doesn't accidentally make contact with the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the rubber heat sink cover up off the left fan.
This came of super easy as the glue seemed to have dried up or something of that nature; anyone know if this is an issue?
Also it seemed like there are clips on sides of the rubber heat sink which I couldn't work out how to clip it back on, so I placed it back where it was after and it seems to be ok; maybe it isn't meant to clip on hard and rather just to be a security measure. Anyone else had this?
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Remove the following three screws securing the left fan to the logic board:
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One 4.4 mm T5 Torx screw
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One 5.0 mm T5 Torx screw with 2 mm collar.
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One 3.9 mm T5 Wide Head Torx screw
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seems like T5 is the wrong screwdriver for the "3.9 mm T5 Wide Head Torx screw"
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Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the left fan ribbon cable ZIF socket.
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Starting at the top of the cable, slide a plastic opening tool under the left fan cable to free it from the logic board.
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Lift the left fan out of the device.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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4 Comments
Great directions! My 6-year old dropped my laptop from the couch armrest. No visible damage made but the left fan started to make a lot of noise. I was able to complete the entire left fan swap in about 20-30 minutes. I was lucky and found the fan cable was not strongly adhered to the board. However, for me, it was easier to lift the fan and free the cable from underneath. Be aware on the step before this: the retaining flap is very, very tiny. Look at the "view huge" image to get a fix on how to flip it up. Thanks iFixit for the part and tools. My new Retina MacBook Pro is running silent again.
This ended up being very easy - took me 20 minutes (my first repair). With my experience, the expoxy / glues you have to pry off turn out to not be that stuck on in the first place, and actually easily re-adhere after installing the new fan.
Btw iFixit saved me from the "minimum three days in the shop" nonsense that seems to be applecare (I'm chained to my laptop). Understand they have to follow procedure, but common sense is if you can hear a fan buzzing it's probably the fan.
Next time I'll be putting that $350 into the iFixit used parts fund :)
The instructions and tools are fantastic! It was really easy to follow through with them. The left fan I received was not so great. When I got it installed it made a "spinning disc" sound, so I took it out and reinstalled it. Unfortunately, it didn't solve the issue and sounded the same. In the end, I opted to put my original fan back in. I noticed that iFixit's left fan's strip (the part that connects to the computer) was a little bit longer than my original, so when I went to install it, the strip bent and tore a bit. But not through the connections. I don't think that could be the cause, but it's possible. Or perhaps the fan I received is faulty.
This is my everyday working computer, I have it already 3 years. Was never open since it never needed repair.
My fans were both emitting a high pitch noise when fully revved up. First I opened the computer and fully blowed out the cumulated lint with a Dust Off can (compressed air)
With this guide I disassembled both fans, and proceeded to unscrew the top on both of them and pulled out the rotor with a suction cup to reveal the bushing. After fully cleaning all the rotor itself, I applied a drop of PTFE oil (teflon) to the axle. Reassembled and presto. Like new!!!
To remove the back panel there are two different pentalobe screws 2.3mm and 3mm however on the tools list there is only one screwdriver. Will I be able to remove both screws with the same screwdriver?
lantzero - Reply
In my case it worked. Don't know if it was a 2,3 or 3 mm screwdriver
Christian Mohr -
The 2.0 and 2.3 mm measurements are screw lengths, the screw heads are the same sized P5 pentalobe heads. We include the screw lengths so you don't put the wrong screws in the wrong places and end up with screw heads poking out of your device. Hope that clears up some confusion =)
Sam Lionheart -
Yes the same screwdriver will remove both screws, the difference in screws I believe is the length and width but the head is the same.
michaelmohajer -
will this unit work with the Mid 2012 Macbook Pro Retina's as well?
drscottgreenwell - Reply
Same question...anyone know? Damaged my 2012 board and if possible would like to upgrade to this unit
cloughenough -
This works for rMBP 2012 late
iyeori -
Woohoo, much easier than I thought... Just got confused with the bottom case screw driver but after figure out it was P5 then everything went smooth.... One thing I wanted to upgrade was the wifi to ac and got one on ebay!
didierma - Reply
If you have 54 Bit Driver kit, please use Star 5 driver to remove screw for rMBP 2012 Late
iyeori - Reply
Where can I find the driver for the MacBook Pro Retina Display 15'4 i7 on your website iFixit please.
Epifanio - Reply
It took about 40 minutes due to an extreme measure of caution but I did it! The only real difficulty was reattaching the screen to the base (yes you have to pry the hinges open) and re-connecting the camera wires. After a few tries the camera wires finally came together. I'm hating Apple for all it's frailty and magical screws but I love ifixit!
floyd - Reply
Simple guide, but it solved my problem. Was wondering why the top two screws weren't going all the way down. Hadn't realized they were 0.7mm shorter.
Emilio Mejia - Reply
I have BootCamp running Win7 on my MBPwRetina15" 2013'Late. I run Visual Studio to build and run my Company's Application which is very CPU & NVidia (specific) intensive. So much so that during a build & run of app I was averaging about 85~95+Celcius!!! And every so often would reach 100Celcius!!! I could not take it anymore so I decided to delve into and re-apply Thermal Paste on the CPU/GPU. I ended up going with CooLaboratory Liquid Pro instead of the traditonal AS5. The original Thermal Paste was pure garbage,,, part of the CPU seemed like it was missing TP. I was scared to do this but it turned out easier than I had imagined. I am currently building the same application and can already observe that the temps average about 75~85 and once in a while will reach 90Celcius. So I am seeing about a 10~15 degree drop in Temps and that makes me very happy!
Alvaro Suarez - Reply
Nice to hear that, i was looking for that kind of information. I have a MBPwRetina 15 Mid 2012 and looking to obtain the best performance!
Jose David Valle -