MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Logic Board Assembly Replacement

Written By: Sam Goldheart

Comments: 5

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 Logic Board Assembly Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Prereq to remove the logic board

Tools

Step 1

Remove the two 2.1 mm T5 Torx screws securing the I/O board cable bracket to the logic board.
Remove the I/O board cable bracket.

Step 2

Use the flat end of a spudger to pop the I/O board connector straight up off its socket on the logic board.
Be careful to only pry up on the I/O board cable, not on the socket itself or you risk damaging your logic board.

Step 3

Lift the logic board end of the I/O board cable straight up to bend it out of the way.
To avoid damage to the cable, fold only at the bend in the I/O board end of the cable.

Step 4

Use the tip of a spudger to lift the right speaker connector straight up out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 5

With the tip of a spudger, push on either side of the I/O board connector to walk it out of its socket on the logic board.

Having a hard time at this step. Any suggestions? it's just not walking out.

Moki - 06/01/17

Use your fingernails to pinch the sides of the clip inwards to release the connector. I couldn’t walk it out either, both sides needed to be pushed in simultaneously to pull it out of the socket.

maccentric - 20/10/19

Do not pull from the cables end. you will risk separating thin cables from connector head. Use spudger tip to push it out.

Macrepair SF - 29/04/20

Step 6

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the keyboard backlight cable and bend it up out of the way of the logic board.

Step 7

Grab the black plastic tab to flip the display cable connector open and pull it straight out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 8

Carefully pull the DC-In board connector straight out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 9

Wedge the flat end of a spudger under the left speaker cable near the connector and lift it straight up out of its socket and fold it out of the way.

Step 10

If necessary, peel back any tape covering the microphone cable ZIF connector.

Step 11

Use the tip of a spudger to flip the retaining tab on the microphone cable ZIF connector.
Pull the microphone cable out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 12

If necessary, peel back any tape covering the keyboard cable connector.
Use the tip of a spudger to flip the retaining tab on the ZIF connector.

Step 13

Pull the keyboard cable straight out of its ZIF socket on the logic board.

Step 14

If necessary, peel back any tape covering the trackpad cable connector.
Use the tip of a spudger to flip the retaining tab on the ZIF connector.

Step 15

Pull the trackpad ribbon cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

I didn’t pay enough attention when I pulled the ribbon cable out, so trying to figure out how to reattach it was quite challenging for me. After searching unsuccessfully for videos/instructions on how to reattach, I finally figured out that the ribbon cable goes UNDER the black plastic part of the socket (closest to the ribbon), and then you push the little tab down to hold it in place. Hope this helps others who are struggling with this part. Otherwise, this was an amazing tutorial, and saved my macbook…

CRI -

Step 16

Remove the five 3.5 mm T5 Torx screws securing the logic board to the upper case.
When reassembling, install all five screws loosely, position the logic board, and then tighten evenly.

Step 17

Lift the processor end of the logic board up slightly and pull it toward the fan recess to free the ports from the edge of the upper case.
Remove the logic board.
When reinstalling, make sure the keyboard, keyboard backlight, MagSafe, and microphone cables don't get trapped beneath the logic board.
Also be sure to slide the ports' metal EMI fingers under the side of the case, not over.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Sam Goldheart

Member since: 19/10/12

465332 Reputation

One comment

Thanks for the the instructions. I have a question that I couldn’t find on the answers forums. Is there any thermal paste or just general cooling system considerations when replacing the logic board?

Brad Bowman - 08/08/18