Google Pixel 4a 5G Vibrator Motor Replacement

Written By: Sam Omiotek

Comments: 16

Google Pixel 4a 5G Vibrator Motor Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.

Follow this guide to replace the vibrator motor on a Google Pixel 4a 5G.

The unreinforced display panel on the Pixel 4a 5G is fragile. Pay special attention to the warnings in the opening procedure if you are reusing the screen.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Insert a SIM eject tool, bit, or straightened paper clip into the SIM tray hole.
Press directly into the hole to eject the SIM card tray.
Remove the SIM card tray.

Step 2

You will need to pry the screen up to remove it from the phone. Read the following notes carefully before proceeding.
Take note of the two seams on the edge of your phone:
Screen seam: This seam separates the screen from the rest of the phone. This is where you have to pry.
Frame seam: This is where the plastic frame meets the back cover. It is held in place by screws. Do not pry at this seam.
Before you begin, note the following areas on the screen:
Screen flex cable: Do not insert the opening pick deeper than instructed or you risk damaging this cable.
Adhesive perimeter: Prying beyond this narrow perimeter without angling the pick will damage the OLED panel.

Step 3

Apply a heated iOpener to the right edge of the display for one minute to soften the adhesive.
A hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate may also be used, but be careful not to overheat the phone—the display and internal battery are both susceptible to heat damage.

Step 4

If your display is badly cracked, covering it with a layer of clear packing tape may allow the suction cup to adhere. Alternatively, very strong tape may be used instead of the suction cup. If all else fails, you can superglue the suction cup to the broken screen.
Place a suction cup as close to the right edge of the screen as possible.
Lift the suction cup with a strong steady force.
Insert the tip of an opening pick into the screen seam no more than 1 mm.

When "lifting" the suction cup, press down while pivoting the handle away from the front/edge, as if opening a door.

Soon-Hee -

For a very cracked screen, I placed clear packing tape on top of the screen to use the suction cup at all. Also had to suction cup and pry/pick at multiple sides of the screen. Small fragments of broken glass won't pry up, so had to use tweezers to pull at glass fragments to release them from the adhesive underneath.

Soon-Hee -

Step 5

This step shows how to insert your pick without damaging the OLED panel. Do this before slicing the adhesive.
With the pick 1 mm into the gap, pivot the pick upwards to a steep angle.
At a steep angle, carefully push the pick into the gap about 1/4 inch (6 mm). The pick should slide in below the OLED panel.
Stop if you feel the point of the pick hitting a ridge. The pick may be pressing against the edge of the OLED panel. Angle the pick and try again.

You don't exactly have to be utterly careful about damaging the panel. The glass+OLED screen as a whole is being replaced here. So it doesn't really matter if you accidentally damage the old OLED panel.

Soon-Hee - 26/08/23

If only the battery needs to be replaced, be sure to pay attention to the angle at which the pick is moved. Even the slightest deviation and the display is crap. I followed the instructions, but obviously I got to the display somewhere. Unfortunately the display now remains black and I have a flashing green bar at the top. So be careful.

RiKER “MANiAC -NI-” -

Step 6

Slide the pick along the right edge of the screen to cut the adhesive.
Do not insert the pick more than 1/4 inch (6 mm) or you may damage the screen's flex cable.
Leave the pick in the bottom-right corner to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

Step 7

There's a mesh covering the earpiece speaker on the top edge of the screen. If you don’t have a replacement mesh, take care not to damage or lose this component.
The screen adhesive is weak, so you should not need to re-apply heat. If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.
Insert another opening pick into the right edge of the phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.
Slide the opening pick around the top of the phone to cut the adhesive.
Leave the pick inserted along the top edge to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

The replacement screen I purchased from iFixit Oceania in Sept 2022 included a new speaker mesh, already attached to the screen.

Chris -

The corners seems particularly tricky with the adhesive. Make sure to reapply heat in the corners. I cracked my screen while detaching the corners.

Patrick Nantel -

Step 8

Insert another opening pick into the top edge of your phone at an angle where a gap has already formed to prevent damage to the OLED panel.
Use the pick to slice around the top-left corner where the camera window is.
If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.
Leave the pick inserted along the left edge of your phone to prevent the adhesive from re-sealing.

Step 9

Slide the opening pick to cut the adhesive along the left edge of your phone.
If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.
Keep in mind that you are now slicing near the screen flex cable and digitizer.

Step 10

Slide the opening pick around the bottom-left corner and across the bottom of the display to cut the rest of the adhesive.
If the screen is hard to slice, apply heat to the difficult area for one minute and try again.
Keep in mind that you are now slicing near the screen flex cable and digitizer.

Step 11

Once you have cut around the perimeter of the phone, carefully lift the right edge of the screen, partially opening the phone like a book.
Do not remove the screen yet.
Use an opening pick to carefully cut through any remaining adhesive.

Step 12

Lift from the top edge and swing the screen over the bottom edge until you can rest it glass-side down.
Be careful not to put any stress on the attached ribbon cable.

Step 13

Use your fingernail or a pair of tweezers to carefully peel off the tape covering the screen connector.
If it is in good condition, you can re-use this tape during reassembly. Otherwise, replace it with a piece of Kapton tape.

The replacement screen I purchased from iFixit Oceania in Sept 2022 included a new piece of tape.

Chris -

Step 14

Insert the tip of a spudger into the opening of the plastic cover securing the screen flex cable.
Pry the plastic cover straight up until it pops out of place.
The plastic cover may spring into the air.
Remove the plastic cover.

Step 15

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the screen flex cable.
To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

Step 16

Remove the screen.
To install a new screen:
Check if your replacement screen has speaker mesh and top edge adhesive pre-installed.
If it does, you won't need the top edge adhesive.
If it doesn't, remove the larger clear liner from the top edge adhesive and apply it to the screen (not the frame). Make sure the larger cutout lines up with the speaker mesh.
Follow this guide to apply the custom-cut adhesive.
Use the third photo as a reference to position your adhesives.
During the boot-up process after reassembly, the screen will go through a calibration sequence. Don't touch the screen during this process, as it could result in improper touch calibration and create touch issues.

There are four adhesives provided in the current kit provided by ifixit. They have a blue and clear backing with a thin black strip, as shown on here. The adhesives instructions provided in this general guide are not very clear and I messed up my first one, which made the other three useless leading me to just buy a b-7000 adhesive instead. However, for anyone wanting to correctly use the ifixit adhesives, first line up the black strip on the edge of your phone where the screen will rest and peel off the first clear portion. Then peel off the blue portion and you will be left with a thin black adhesive strip. Do this for all four pieces in the configuration shown on the page linked above and then place your screen on, press down gently, then turn the phone screen down and place some books on to provide stronger contact between the adhesive and the new screen. Good luck!

Graduate Agriculture - 27/08/23

thanks a lot!

Zurdits -

Step 17

Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the nine 4.4 mm-long screws securing the back cover to the midframe.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

I found 2 extra screws in mine. FYI. (From America)

L Daniel Wenger -

I also have 11x T3 in a US model. And the two at the bottom near the USB-C port are shorter by ~1mm than the others.

Erik Sorensen - 08/01/23

Step 18

Insert an opening pick into the seam between the midframe and the back cover, right above the SIM card slot.
Slide the opening pick along the right edge of your phone to release the plastic clips securing the back cover to the midframe.

Step 19

Continue sliding the opening pick along the top, left, and bottom edges of your phone until all of the plastic tabs securing the back cover to the midframe are released.

Step 20

Flip your phone over so the back cover is facing up.
Carefully swing the back cover up to an upright position.
Do not remove the back cover. It is still attached by two ribbon cables.
Rest the back cover against an object such as a cardboard box or soda can.

Be very gentle when removing the back panel, the ribon for the fingerprint broke and I had to wait 4 weeks to obtain it from China

clem -

Step 21

Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the seven screws securing the motherboard bracket:
Four 4.0 mm-long screws
Three 2.1 mm-long screws

Hi. Thank you for the great Tuto! Do you know where can I find a replacement battery?

Nicolas AUCONIE -

Step 22

Remove the motherboard bracket.

Step 23

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the battery cable from the motherboard.

Keep in mind this cable when putting board back in place

Ivan Andrijic -

Step 24

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the fingerprint sensor cable.

Step 25

Use the tip of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the front sensor array cable.

Step 26

Remove the back cover.

Step 27

Use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to peel the tape off of the copper foil.
The copper foil is thin and easily punctured.

Step 28

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the front-facing camera from the motherboard.
Remove the front-facing camera.

Step 29

Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the two 4.2 mm-long screws from the loudspeaker assembly.

Step 30

Insert the tip of a spudger underneath the loudspeaker assembly.
Be careful not to puncture the white membranes on either side of the loudspeaker if you are intending to reuse it.
Flip the loudspeaker assembly over so it lightly rests on top of the battery.

Step 31

Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the antenna cable from the loudspeaker assembly.
Grab the metal connector of the antenna cable with your tweezers—not the plastic cable.

Step 32

Carefully peel the loudspeaker assembly up off the tape underneath it.
Be careful not to puncture the white membranes on either side of the loudspeaker if you are intending to reuse it.
Remove the loudspeaker assembly.

Step 33

Use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to pull the antenna cable out from underneath the tape covering it.

Step 34

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the loudspeaker cable from the motherboard.

Keep in mind this cable when putting board back in place

Ivan Andrijic -

Step 35

Use the tip of a spudger to disconnect the headphone jack cable from the motherboard.

Step 36

Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tape on the earpiece speaker covering the antenna flex cable.

Step 37

Use a T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the 2.1 mm-long screw securing the charging port.

Step 38

The motherboard is secured to the midframe by plastic clips.
Insert the tip of a spudger into the gap between the motherboard and the midframe near the front-facing cameras to pop it free from the first clip.

Step 39

Grab the motherboard with your fingers and open it like a book.
This will release the rest of the clips.
Lift the motherboard straight out to remove it.

Mine (US model) has the two "squeeze sensor" cables on the middle of the motherboard. These need to be disconnected before lifting it out.

Erik Sorensen -

Step 40

Use the tip of a pair of tweezers to pry the vibration motor straight off of the midframe.
The vibration motor is secured with some light adhesive.
Remove the vibration motor.
If the adhesive is too strong, apply a few drops of 90% isopropyl alcohol around the base of the vibrator motor and wait one minute for the adhesive underneath to soften. Then, try again.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Author

Sam Omiotek

Member since: 25/02/19

72005 Reputation

Google Pixel 4a 5G Vibrator Motor Replacement

Introduction

Tools

Parts

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