MacBook Air 13" Early 2015 Fan Replacement

Written By: iRobot
  • Comments: 83
MacBook Air 13" Early 2015 Fan Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

10

Time Required

15 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Use this guide to replace a noisy MacBook Air 13" Early 2015 fan, or simply remove it for cleaning.

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    • Before proceeding, power down your MacBook. Close the display and lay it on a soft surface, top-side down.

    • Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove ten screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:

    • Two 9 mm screws

    • Eight 2.6 mm screws

    Pulling the fan cable out was terrifying but you actually just pull on the cable itself. No way to get any leverage at the connector to dislodge it. Did come out easily but like I said, scared me!

    allison -

    Draai de schroefjes voorzichtig los en leg ze op een stabiele plek neer en let erop dat de schroefje een verschillende lengte hebben.

    bwgvanderveer -

    I thought I could replace my 256 Gb SSD with 512? regards

    ola m -

    Do you have good Test Point Voltages? It appears there are silver colored Test points on the I/O Board. I am working on a water spill and trying to troubleshoot if both the I/O board and the Logic need replaced.

    andrew -

    It's probably not necessary but may be a little safer to completely discharge the old battery before replacing it.

    Larry Smith -

    tell a model that was not inferior to the speed of the one in the laptop.

    Thank you

    ilyabuhov -

    Do i need to order tools separately to replace the battery i just ordered?

    anne uhlir -

    im looking for a Logic Board for a

    Apple - MacBook Air® - 13.3" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Flash Storage (Latest Model) - Silver Model: MQD32LL/A

    Any help is appreciated.

    Jamie Comstock -

    P5 pentalobe screwdrivers are too big! The correct size for these screws are p4 pentalobe. P5 pentalobe was just able, with difficulty, to turn some of the screws. If the screws were at all tight, my p5 was unable to get them out, and started to strip the screws. A p4 screwdriver fit better and removed the screws with ease. (I was using high quality Wiha brand screwdrivers.)

    William Skinner -

    I had same experience (with MacBook Air 13-inch Mid-2012) … had to get P4, which worked swimmingly

    eric -

    Very simple installation. The screwdriver heads were exactly what we’re needed, one head for the outside case screws, the other for the screws holding the battery in place. The computer started right up. Now to see how the battery holds up, but I have a good feeling about this!

    Dennis Eaton -

    My P5 and the T5 worked perfectly with my early 2015 Air 13”! And it is super fast! Thank you iFixit!

    Pennny Beach -

    The supplied kit and instructions worked perfectly!

    Nikolay Andreev -

    Comments that the P5 pentalobe are too large are absolutely spot-on. There is no way the P5 pentalobe bit I have will work with the MacBook Air without destroying the screws. Hard target search for P4 pentalobe bit in progress…..

    joemoog -

    Bonjour j’aimerais changer mon SSD de 128 Go pour en mettre un de 512 Go. Je ne sais pas ce qu’il faut prendre car il faut qu’il soit compatible avec le macbook air A1466. J’aurais vu un Samsung Evo 970 500 Go mais si je ne me trompe pas, il faut un adaptateur.

    Merci pour votre aide.

    chicco33 -

    oui, vous aurez besoin d’un adaptateur, pour completez le changement.

    Dan -

    The tool kit should include tweezers for re-inserting the battery connector.

    Andre Clement -

    P5 pentalobe worked perfectly for me. Instructions were spot-on. Antenna connections were a bit fiddly to refit but got them in ok.

    michaelquinnell -

    Maybe the problem some are experiencing is that the designations are confusing (blame Apple rather than iFixit). the P2 is also known as PL1. The P5 is also known as PL4. The P6 is also known as PL5. So it is possible to mistake the P6 (PL5) for the P5 (PL4), meaning it (P6-PL5) will be too big, while the P5 (PL4) will be just right. Sort of a 3 Bears explanation, but it is very confusing.

    Thomas Lewis -

    To add to this. In searching for the P5 screwdriver to buy in UK, as far as I can tell, it is also known as

    Pentalobe 1.2(mm)

    also

    P4 = 0.8

    P6 = 1.5

    Just unscrewed the back case of MacBook Air 13” mid 2011, with no problems using Pentalobe 1.2

    nijafe -

    I have not replaced a display on the A1369 but have done many A1466 which is a newer 13” model. They seem really similar and its not clear why one needs to remove the logic board to remove the display. The antenna cables on the A1466 dont have to rest under the logic board but can be tucked in the hinge crevice. Cant this same thing be done with the A1369?

    Sean Love -

    Did mine today - but new battery wasnt charging. Went back in and noticed the battery connector cable was not quite 100% “seated. It was sticking out by less than a millimetre! - you need to give it quite a firm push in to get it seated properly. Otherwise - all ok .

    John Brennand -

    Just installed on a MacBookAir6,2 (13-inch, Early 2014).

    Was very easy.

    New iFixit battery looks great so far:

    Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4922 -> 7333

    Jonathan Cross -

    can you tell me which size of screwdrivers you’ve used to crack it up, please? I have the same model and size,

    hawk_lpc -

    Screw P5 Pentalobe 1.2

    Mario Verlent -

    Install went flawlessly. Only challange was reattaching blue tooth antennas. Those sockets are so tiny.

    Joel Sebastian -

    Installation was a little challenging at first because the instructions on this site did not perfectly match my model (late 2013 to early 2015).

    Found this video on YouTube which described the procedure perfectly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lue6lVWh...

    Also the Ifixit kit I received was well put together with everything I needed and more. The calibration went perfectly and I am very pleased. Will buy again!!

    Donald Niamath -

    Gently pulled out connector of old battery, then pressed and held the power switch for 1 minute. Unscrewed and removed the old battery. Pressed and held power switch for 1 minute again. I know from previous work that this helps drain charge from spontaneous recharging as the dielectric recovers. Gently “fine tuned” leads from new battery to connector till connector stuck out at right angle to the edge of battery. Held the battery by the edges and let the connector slide into the socket. Set the battery down and put the screws in all the way. Then checked that the connector was completely seated before tightening the screws. The laptop come on immediately and showed 98% charge and registered normal (checked in “About this Mac”. Very happy to this point. Now for calibration.

    Amir Zaidi -

    Thank you very much for the guilde. My MBA2011 had reborn !

    Billy Wong -

    Allow for electrostatics, otherwise you may cook components on the logicboard /motherboard (like I did with one of these!)

    See great advice: Electrostatic Discharge

    Fletcher Cole -

    … und wenn du eines von diesen wirklich kleinen Schräubchen vermisst: bevor du den Boden aufkehrst oder mit einem starken Magneten absuchst, schau mal am seitlichen (magnetischen) Ladekabelanschluss nach … ?

    ... and if you miss one of these really small screws: before you sweep the floor or search it with a strong magnet, take a look at the (magnetic) charging cable connection on the side … ?

    Blatt -

    Fot All People ha ing trouble finding their SSD

    DONT PRESS CMD +R + POWER

    instead press

    OPTION+CMD+R +POWER

    I just installed Monterrey with WD black sn 770 SSD in m'y macbook air 2015

    Albert -

    IFixit just had me submit "my story" re. fixing my MacBook Air 2013.

    This repair was NOT difficult. The battery is enclosed in a plastic frame. It is NOT glued in like the newer models of Apple laptops. And unlike older laptops, the battery is not totally enclosed in a plastic housing. So once you remove the screws holding the batterie's frame, you can remove the battery.

    Follow the instructions. Read the comments. Also read the comments re. installing a new battery.

    Good luck. - Eric J.

    ECJohansen -

    On the back of the laptop, notice that each screw is angled a little bit inward, aiming toward the middle of the laptop. Keep your screwdriver lined up with the screw (angled a bit outward as seen at 01:23 in the video: https://youtu.be/tToAwO6f-SY&t=83). This will help you get a good bite on the screw to get it out and avoid stripping the head of the screw.


    Use the same angle when putting each screw back in. If the screw is in line with its hole it should not feel like you are fighting to screw it in. If it does, check your angle and back up a little; you should feel the screw fall into line.

    Rich Garella -

    IFixit just had me submit "my story" re. fixing my MacBook Air 2013.

    This repair was NOT difficult. The battery is enclosed in a plastic frame.

    shrhh -

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    • Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

    There is a nub on the inside of the case which is attached to the battery. When you try to pull it open, it appears to be attached to the plastic casing of the battery, which sometimes splits. I gently unhooked the nub from the battery before removing the case fully. This seems to happen if the battery has suffered some drop damage (plastic parts broken around screws and parts of plastic frame split). Just an FYI in case your lower case doesn't pull away easily.

    Jeannie Crowley -

    To add - the slim 1cm tab “nub” is on the centre of the back cover & fits into a hole in the battery frame. I ran my fingers around the whole of the cover to eventually here it click out.

    nijafe -

    When closing this back up make sure that the antenna cable is tucked away neatly

    Gabriel -

    So this is a legit back cover for MacBook Air?

    ASHANTI SMITH -

    What about disconnecting the battery?

    Luke -

    I bought the part and tools from iFixit and followed the directions. The mechanical part went smoothly - maybe 10 minutes to disassemble/replace/reassemble.

    Getting Catalina (the current MacOS) to install was not working until I used Cmd-Opt-R (as noted in the OWC paper sheet that came in the box) which brought up the proper installer - I believe from a pre-prepared bootable SD card but it’s hard to say. From there the install succeeded taking ~1.5 hours.

    Beware that (a) the install requires a working internet connection for verification and updates, and (b) the system must have been running at least macOs 10.13 (High Sierra) before the install in order to have an EFI BIOS that recognizes the SSD.

    Lance Berc -

    As noted by others, be a bit careful removing the lower case. There is an oblong black plastic locator very near the center of the lower case. Unless you gently pry the bottom cover pretty much straight up, you will break the ends off of the locater.

    BobY -

    Thanks for the detailed photos. When repairing equipment, I don’t really like to disassemble plastic parts, they can be damaged, but your screenshots help a lot. For my studies, I am writing an essay comparing the reliability of laptops from various manufacturers and the complexity of their repair, maybe it will be useful for someone to check the essay for plagiarism here essay checker, when comparing different manufacturers, I understood why people love Apple so much. The minimum number of failures. Of course, repairing it in an official service is not cheap, but with the help of such detailed instructions, you can do it yourself and save a lot.

    Nexus -

    The screwdriver bit to use on these case screws is not named, but I found that my "CR-V 1.2" did the job nicely.

    The driver for the screws inside the case are named, as "T5".

    Jim Henderson -

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    • To ensure that everything is de-energized and won't turn on while you're working, it is recommended that you disconnect the battery.

    • Grab the clear plastic pull tab attached to the battery connector and pull it parallel to the board toward the front edge of the Air.

    • Do not lift upward on the connector as you disconnect it or you risk damage to the connector socket.

    after disconnect the battery, press and hold 5*10 seconds the powerbutton on your keyboard to unload the capacitors

    Marcel -

    how does a person put the battery connector back in?- that is the only thing i’m afraid of touching after putting new fan in.

    a smith -

    I found it was possible to put the battery connector back in as the last step, however having gone through that and found it to be a little challenging, I would actually recommend attaching the battery connector before screwing back in the bracket. That way you’ll put a lot less stress on the connector cable.

    Kevin Epstein -

    When you are plugging the connector back in, make sure to give it some extra pressure to make sure it is all the way in. It may look like it’s in but needs to be pushed harder!

    Connor Dougherty -

    After disconnecting the power, you may skip directly to step 18. I don’t know why someone would think it necessary to disconnect all the other stuff. There is no need whatsoever to do so. The more things you disconnect, the more things you risk damaging. Many of the parts in steps 4 through 17 are quite delicate, and easy damaged.

    The screw in step 18 is easily accessed without removing even the rubber gasket. Regarding step 18, only remove the screw. (This screw is rather long, with long threads.)

    It’s helpful to take photographs of this area before removing the screw, so you’ll know what it’s supposed to look like when you put it back together.

    AnnoniMoose -

    There are only 16 steps in this repair process. I wonder whether you are commenting on a different repair.

    rmccord23 -

    What if your battery doesn’t have that clear tab?

    Carla Tisdale -

    Yep, exactly the issue that I have

    Martin Adams -

    Where can i buy the battery connector?

    Bernie-Khay Dabu -

    Macbook air 2015 battery connector where can I purchase?

    Bernie-Khay Dabu -

    Connector socket came off, can I just glue it into place?

    Lisa Mac -

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the I/O board cable connector up out of its socket on the I/O board.

    When putting this back together, be careful you don’t flip I/O board cable. It will fit, but the computer will not work. You’ll know it’s wrong if it covers the fan.

    Tito Jankowski -

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    • Carefully peel the I/O board cable from the adhesive securing it to the top of the fan.

    • During reassembly, make sure this cable is in the correct orientation. It will fit if reversed, but the laptop will not boot.

    the instructions should really indicate you’re only disconnecting one end of the cable. you disconnect the other end in step 6.

    Tom O'Leary -

    Bonjour,quand je retire la nappe de la carte E/S , l’éclairage de l’écran s’affiche mais quand je remets la nappe de la carte E/S ,j’ai un écran noir.J’attends votre réponse.Cordialement.

    Halston Halston -

    I literally did this wrong just like you warned not to! Very easy to do…

    Edward Mills -

    I watched the video twice and went really slowly through steps and it works!!! It was a little scary but we got through it! Thanks so much!!

    Alexae Visel -

    20.00000.000$

    Dewi Oasis -

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    • The following connector has an especially deep socket. Use care when disconnecting it.

    • While gently pulling the I/O board cable upward near its connection to the logic board, use the flat end of a spudger to pry up on alternating sides of the connector to help "walk" it out of its socket.

    • Remove the I/O board cable.

    pour le remontage

    de mon coté tout c’est bien passé, il faut juste bien vérifier la nappe de la carte E/S soit à l’endroit, car sinon l’ordinateur refuse de démarrer ( se référer à la photo du coup )

    matthiasf40 -

    A client was careless and used a fingernail to pry up the cable in one pull. It pulled the socket right off the logic board.

    w98fxr -

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    • Use the tip of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flap on the fan cable ZIF socket.

    • Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.

    Hi, I messed up the socket, is there a replacement for the socket that holds the fans wire.

    leonzar -

    macbook air 13" early 2015

    leonzar -

    The end of that cord slips into the channel whose lid you just flipped up. Don’t forget to re-insert that when reseating the fan and before flipping that retaining flap closed, it’s easy to miss and should have been part of these instructions, ifixit!

    John McClung -

    Thank you so much! Without your comment, I wouldn’t of realized that the ribbon cable is supposed to go into the socket (I know, dumb mistake now that I think about it). You also made me go back and correctly insert the microphone cable. Cheers!

    Nolan Shaffer -

    After my repair, my fan is super loud now! Any tips?

    heathergminchen -

    I didn’t find any need to unplug the fan. All I did was remove the three screws which hold the fan to the case and gently fold the fan out of the way. All you are trying to do is gain enough room to route the camera cable into the little cut-out in the I/O board so it can go below the board along the edge of the fan.

    BobY -

    I agree, BobY. I too didn't disconnect the fan cable. Those retaining flaps are so tiny it's hard even to see whether or not they are flipped up, so I was happy not to have to deal with it. That meant, however, that I had to be extra careful not to stress the fan cable when removing the fan (or more precisely, just lifting it out of the way rather than removing it completely), but I seem to have succeeded.

    rmccord23 -

    I wish I'd read these comments before unplugging that cable. I can't figure out how to reseat the cable so I can close the retaining flap. It would help if I could see it better, or had a better idea of how it was connected before I unplugged it.

    Darrell Rydell -

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    • Peel the rubber gasket off the adhesive on the top of the fan.

    Note this is not telling you remove the gasket, just separate it from the fan.

    BobY -

    When putting the computer together, pay attention to the placement of the gasket. It has a pin on the left side the enters the main board from the bottom. The right side straddles the tip of the heat pipe and there is a photo later on with close-up.

    Yishai Sered -

    That gasket wasn't stuck on very firmly in the first place, and even less so upon completing the repair. I hope that doesn't create a problem. I would feel more confident if iFixit had included a bit of adhesive along with the new (used) I/O board.

    rmccord23 -

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    • Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the upper case:

    • One 5.2 mm T5 Torx screw

    • One 3.3 mm T5 Torx screw

    • One 4.4 mm T5 Torx screw with a short head

    I was unable to remove the 4.4 mm screw with the T5. I needed to use the T4 to get a grip so I didn’t strip the head.

    grahammartin -

    The 3.3mm Torx is actually a 4.4mm

    georgeantoniades -

    The 4.4mm and the 3.3mm will seem to strip easily but you just have to press really hard!!!

    cat -

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    • Lift the fan from the I/O board side and pull it free from the upper case.

    • Removing the fan will also disconnect the fan ribbon cable. Be careful not to snag it.

    I didn’t find any need to remove the fan. I had no trouble routing the camera cable between the fan and the I/O board by just tilting the edge of the fan nearest the I/O board up and out of the way (pretty much what is being shown in the picture above).

    BobY -

    I agree. I had to put something under the tilted (not removed) fan in order to have room to work, but it went okay.

    rmccord23 -

    I removed it but it was a little tricky getting the ribbon cable back in. I was afraid it would break but it finally seated after a little wiggling.

    Erik Bergeman -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions 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

iRobot

Member since: 25/09/09

0 Reputation

3 comments

Hello! I just broke the flap/hinge on the ZIF socket connecting the fan ribbon. What do I do now? Is a replacement ZIF socket available?

Kaushik Jay -

The zif connector just detached from the board when attempting to open the hinge with spudger. I’ve tried to solder the zif connector back to the board but the connector is so small that I haven’t been successful.

BENJAMIN THOMPSON -

I cannot order this item in the German store, I get directed to the US store, why?

schuurbiers -