MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar Late 2016 Logic Board Assembly Replacement

I unscrew the battery first and wrap electrical tape over the logic board battery connector before attempting any repairs to the board. Haven’t had any problems yet and I’ve worked on about 10 of these models already. Also when you open the bottom case use a suction cup at the bottom and pull up then run a plastic spudger along the edges to disconnect the clips. Also only use a plastic spudger on the board. Saw a youtube video from a repair shop and he did not disconnect the power and used all metal tools during the entire process of removing the board. His last step was to disconnect the battery terminal.

Is this step necessary if my mac can turn on? Battery fully dead(

BEFORE YOU START: The included torx head stripped off before I was done (and you might need an additional T4) so stop now and go buy a good one. Also they fail to warn you above to get some blue threadlocker ahead of time.

This command did not work for me and I read that sometime in later 2020 Apple stopped this command from working…any ideas on a work around?

Hi. This does not work on 2018 13” MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. I did exactly this to disable auto boot. But when I check by using nvram -p it says: auto-boot true. Am I doing something incorrectly? I did everything step by step. Copied and pasted the sudo command, pressed enter and then entered my password. I have Big Sur 11.1 installed. Is there any other way since I need to replace the screen. Thank you. Adrian

Hi everyone. This is also a little pointless if you can’t see anything on the screen, and you don’t have a display adapter to USB C to display it. I agree with Brian about removing the back and disconnecting the battery cable before you even think about opening the lid of the MacBook. Applying the insulation tape is also a handy little tip that just makes sure there is no way to discharge from either the board or battery.

This step is completely unnecessary if you follow the guide to disconnect the battery properly. Just put some tape between the battery and logic board connection to prevent it from accidentally touching and therefore powering on the laptop.

It took me a few tries to make this command work, as I was able to copy and paste the command into Terminal, but could not type in my laptop’s password. I finally typed my password into a text document, copied it (command C), and then pasted it into Terminal and it worked.

I didn’t do this. Mine never auto-booted before I replaced the battery. Now it does.

I received the battery kit for my 2018 MacBook Pro and as per the above comment from bcardanha - Oct 12, 2021, I checked the voltage on the pads marked + and - . It was zero volts so I panicked a bit.

I sent a message on the iFixiT Facebook page and I got no reply. I finally found the customer service email for Ifixit Europe and sent them an email voicing my concern as I was not keen to work for couple of hours just to discover that the battery is faulty. I had an almost instant reply on the email (kudos to them) and they adviced me to go ahead and install the new battery as the voltage measured when battery is not connected is not relevant.

I took a leap of faith and after two hours… the new battery showed 50% charge and everything seems to be working just fine. I am happy it worked.

After removing the old battery and installing the new battery I powered up the MBP before screwing the bottom on. I discovered the my keyboard would not function. It took a few hours of investigation and frustration that I discovered the track pad power ribbon had become partially dislodged from the trackpad. I was able to see that this through the little machined slot where the battery sat. I had to remove the trackpad to reinsert the power ribbon back into the connector in the trackpad. after reassembling and reinstalling the battery etc the keyboard worked. Just food for thought if your run into the keyboard issue.

This should be the default. IMO I tell you to power on - not the lid.

Excellent instructions. I was able to follow and install the new screen. I recommend that you get a good set of tools before you begin. I started with an inexpensive repair kit bought online. The Penta and torx bits failed. I bought an IFIXIT kit with quality bits and I was able to do everything I needed.

If you're not running an admin account the sudo command won't work (which honestly, you should not be running admin). Rather than logging in to your admin amount via the OS, in the terminal type "login [admin username]," then the password and you'll be able to do the sudo command as described above. Once you're complete, type "logout [admin username]" and you'll be good to go. Obviously replace [admin username] with whatever the account name for your admin user is.

For those unable to complete this step because the screen is too damaged I recommend leaving your macbook on until the battery dies.

Just replaced my 2018 15" MBP battery. Running Sonoma.
I found no way to disable AutoBoot (The status can be checked in the Power section of system report).

Anyway, i left my battery completely drain before opening the MBP, and had no issues during the process.

I did not have the magnetic project mat, but instead I stuck loops of blue painter's tape on the table, wrote the step number on them in sharpie, and stuck the screws/covers for the corresponding step on them.

If the battery you are replacing is swollen and you do not know it is - swollen, Watch out!

You may strip threads on some of the screws. Rotate the unscrewing as in a clockwise - counterclockwise manner if some of them start to feel tight.

I like adrianbrown's suggestion. Spot on!

Its difficult if the side catches arent released properly, check them again if it seems too much.

I snapped one of the spring loaded logic board grounding pins. Take your time. Leverage from the back in order to push it out versus pulling on it.

Take the opening pick and stick the edge down behind the hinge all the way to one side, so it is perpendicular to the case, and give it a twist. That end should pop free. Do the same on the other side and there you go.

Thanks Indawg Wetrust, Made it very easy!

They, iFixit, are not kidding. Quite a bit of force needed.

This step requires a lot of force to slide the back cover away. Make sure you get a good grip of the mac body and of the back panel.

It helps if you know what the mechanism inside the case looks like, try to find a picture and imagine pulling out those prong things, also if you understand this mechanism, you can more easily put the case back on!

I literally cut myself with the bottom case, when it finally got freed from the upper case. I have opened a lot of macs, phones, and other items in my life, this was a first. Some light duty cloth gloves next time.

I didn’t understand some suggestions above. Tried Indawg Wetrust but didn’t really get it. Now looking back, it means use the pick just on the tiny lip of the cover, close to the hinge. Not on the antenna, but just on th slip of metal I believe. If that can help others.

My Macbook doesn’t appear to even have this piece.

This cover is not attached to anything critical underneath, so do not be afraid that you can break anything like pulling anything from the mainboard. Just pull it out. To reattach, I removed the old double side adhesive tape and replaced with fresh one.

I was able to reinsert the cable easily a number of times with the nice Ifixit angled tweezers as the ziff connectors tiny latch came off! I ended up using a bit of Pliobond 25, contact cement to mke sure the data cable doesn’t move. A future repair will just pull off or at most need an xacato blade knife to slit the rubbery cement. Ross

REALLY important. You need to really pull this back in snug for things to work when you reassemble.

I didn’t seem to have any tape covering it, I just proceeded to the next step

My battery board connecter is broken. Let me know where can I get these cables.?

I recommend to just lift a little the right end (end of the cable side), then keep the socket in place with a spudger while removing this adhesive tape, to avoid any accident like ripping off your socket. With a little care, it is safe and easy to remove completely.

lock flap broke when I was about to close it, is there any way to fix it? The computer can't find the battery

I had no issue here but I recommend to use a second spudger to keep the rest of the socket in place while GENTLY lifting the lock. It should lift without effort.

When putting it back, be careful, there might be a little piece of transparent adhesive foil on top of the socket, gently lift it up on the side of the cable. The cable should slide in easily, but do not force it. About 0.5mm of the cable contacts will be VISIBLE on the left side, when the cable is fully it, do not force it more than that.

コネクタのプラスチックが割れたのですが、代替品を教えてもらえませんか？

Same here, I broke the cable which was soldered on the mainboard. I tried to hold it on place with a tape, but I couldn‘t charge my macbook though. Then I tried to solder it and I also failed. I wish I had read the comments before :/

Anybody know where this connected can be purchased? Mine completely snapped to pieces the moment I touched it.

Surprised by the tolerance of this little connector to my mistake of not flipping up the not very noticeable clamping element on side opposite to where the contact tip is inserted. The contact tip pulled right out without having done that. Saw in a video I should have done that before pulling the contact tip out. Remembered when reinstalling it.

The cable is stuck on the board underneath with adhesive, so it is best to first work it a little from left under (as the picture is oriented) in order to break the adhesive, and then pull it sideways. At all times, I kept the socket safe with a spudger to avoid ripping it off the board. The cable will come out with a little effort. Remember, it is the socket you need to take care of, not the cable (the cable will be thrown away with the old battery).

I had issues in reassembly - the lever for the ZIF socket was missing. I think it came off with the tape. I found the lever, but it was way too small for me to reattach (I couldn't hold it well enough with the tweezers and wasn't sure where the hinge pins went).

The computer did not recognize the battery or recognized it with errors (if I got the cable just right) without the lever.

My solution was to cut a tiny bit of electrical tape and put it on the back of the ribbon cable to make it thicker. This gave it enough traction to stay in the socket and pushed the ribbon onto the contacts.

Same problem, any solution?

Lifting up to about 75 degrees is more that enough and safe, and I did also use some electrical tape to block the contact. When this goes back, there is no socket in place, it is just the screw that keeps it there.

I put electrical tape on this as well. Glad I did. "Being careful" during the whole process gets lost when you're focusing on other parts.

Indeed, a T4 worked for me, also.

T3 doesn’t fit, so can’t progress. %#*@, why would fixit sell incomplete kits?!

All my battery packs were swollen. The trackpad ribbon cable was barely adhered to this battery pack. No heating necessary.

Rubbing with your finger and heat the ribbon. Works also.

I didn't need to heat the ribbon, I carefully peeled it back without putting to much pressure on it. I can however, if the adhesive is stronger than on my computer, to warm it up slightly.

Merci beaucoup vous venez de me sauver

yep lost a washer in the process

My trackpad underside was dusty. Without thinking, I tried to blow off some of the dust. One washer and one double washer were finally found thanks to a bright flashlight and the contrasting color of the wood floor.

One of the washer remained stuck on the body, luckily I observed it on the working table when I cleaned the dust from the trackpad casing area. Be VERY careful to not loose these tiny metal pieces!

Without the washers the clicking and moving mouse around doenst work well. very important

Ok, I have all but 1 round washer. I found the rest. Not knowing a source (not even in my extensive parts collection) I will reassemble with the middle one without a washer. If anyone knows of a parts source (other than buying a trackpad assembly) please post here, Thanks.

When you put the trackpad to the side, write a note and put it on top so you don’t forget about the washers when you come to reassemble it.

Followed the advice on disassembly but did not on re-assembly. Lost one of the larger ones.

Recommend changing text to RED (They will fly off and get lost with very little provocation.)

*also agree with Robert Such but I was in a bit of a hurry to finish. Take your time.

I agree. An obvious warning at or right after the removal of the trackpad screws should be added. The trackpad washers can be easily dislodged and go missing if you are not prepared to protect against that from happening.

I used a clean paint brush to dust off the back of the trackpad and internals. One of the round washers flew out of the assembly and got lost. The washers are super easy to lift off the posts. BE VERY GENTLE WITH THE TRACKPAD REMOVAL AND HANDLING!

Pro tip: During reassembly, put the plastic backing from the battery down on top of your display, put the trackpad upside-down on top of that, and slowly close the top case down onto it, working the cable through the slot. Then, when it is almost fully closed, use the plastic backing to maneuver the trackpad into position so that the pins line up.

Be careful when you remove this touchpad! I followed every step from the instructions provided here and also checked some video tutorials on YouTube from time to time. Everything went well after swapping the battery, at least that's what I thought. When I started the computer, unfortunately, my keyboard and touchpad didn't work, and the fans were very loud. I used an external keyboard and mouse, searched online for the problem, and tried some solutions such as PRAM reset, but nothing worked. Anyway, I opened the computer again and found that the end of the cable attached to the touchpad was loose. After putting it back in place, everything worked flawlessly.

I had the same problem as Mercan. The touchpad and keyboard would not work. The cable on the back of the touchpad had a partial open on the connector. The only thing I can add is the connector on the back of the trackpad has a lever that must be raised, the the cable inserted and closed. (Just like the data cable on the system board) BIg shout out to Mercan. Thanks.

Dwight

If you were fortunate to not lose any washers, replace the screws into the posts to prevent their loss before re-assembly.

Actually, a T4 Torx driver works perfectly.

T3 stripped mine, should have used T4. Screw Extracting Pliers to the rescue.

I'm about to try this again. My MB Pro late 2016 has had three battery replacements so far.

The first one went fine but found the battery cable receptacle had poor solder joints on it and was repaired by Luis's shop in NYC - bit thank you to those guys. They did the last battery swap too as I was too busy to try it myself.

Now my battery shows full but has zero capacity so going to replace it once again.

I've never removed the logic board to do the replacement of the battery! I simply loosen the retaining screws on the logic board and very carefully slide the cable past the interference and Voila it's out and in. Of course, be very careful doing this so you don't warp the board much.

I'll post the post battery stuff here once I do this for the 4th time.

The bracket of the display board connector in my case is glued. So wasnt able to remove it.

I also found a T3 to be too small and T4 too large. I skipped this step and was able to complete the installation by using this connector (still secured by the screws I couldn’t take out) as a hinge to carefully lift the logic board up when needed. I ended up not requiring any of the adhesive remover liquid to remove the battery; just heat from a hairdryer and elbow grease to slide the cards under each cell. Laptop working perfectly again now with this new battery.

I used my T3 on my 2017 but I had to press a bit harder to get these to unscrew.

T3 worked for me. MBP 2016.

I only had the bottom screw of this pair to remove. The other is missing,

The top screw of the cover bracket screws into a larger bottom screw. You need to keep that bottom one separate from the others as it is the only one that has a hole for the top screw.

Thank you Bob Donovan! I got already confused

T3 from the kit I bought here works fine for all the steps where they call for T3. So far!

T3 from the ifixit kit works fine for me

I used my T3 on my 2017 but I had to press a bit harder to get these to unscrew.

It is a very tight T3 - I stripped the head on one of these screws so be very careful here. (T4 wouldn't fit) I think this screw was welded in!

Noticed the screws of left bracket of the thunderbolt connector didnt tighten into place (after it goes in and tightens it freely rotates). The right one did. Although both are scecured and working.

When reassembling you need to push down snug to make sure the thunderbolt ports work.

I stripped the same screw here too, but I was able to very gently fold the connector up (being extremely careful to not damage the connector or the board

I broke off the left speaker connector. I wonder if I can solder it back on. Anyone know??

When putting these back, these seem to just be pushed down from above, rather than slotting in from the back

Add me to the Broken Connector club ?. No right speaker for me. Have to think how I can soldier some pins on to fix the connector, or just leave it alone so I don’t make it worse. I should have read thru the instructions and all the comments. Oh well. Shoulda wouldas

By far the most delicate step. I suggest SLOWLY peeling away the adhesive until gone, then CAREFULLY pull the cable away from the connector.

The connector is NOT secured well, and you WILL break it off if you don’t proceed with extreme patience in this step. The cable pulls toward the sky. I held the connector down while I gently lifted the cable.

Very easy to snap back into place if you didn’t muck up the connector while removing it. Just finger press directly from the top and they snap right into place.

I used tweezers to carefully hold the sides of the connector as I slowly worked the cable out. Work under the adhesive by rocking the spudger forward and backward (not twisting). As you work toward the connector, gently pull the spudger out every so often and slide back under the cable till you eventually reach the connector. If you do it this way, have steady hands and patience! A magnifying glass helps too.

I heated a little bit the area and then used a spludger to keep the entire socket + connector in place, then SLOWLY and GENTLY introduced a spludger from the top under the cable to break the adhesive. Once the cable was free from the adhesive (3-5 degrees lift, not more!), then I used a spludger to keep the socket in place (it is a U shape with the bottom near the battery cell, I introduced another spludger under the cable from the opposite direction (from UP of the body if the battery is DOWN) and then pried UP the connector. It does not slide, it just pops out of the socket. Putting it back is very easy, just press it gently down and it will get in the socket with a small click sound.

Same on the other connector.

DO NOT rush the part where the cable is freed from the adhesive, that makes the operation much safer and simpler!

You update your guide_:

_{Use the hairdryer to loosen the adhesive for both of the speaker connections, as this will prevent undue stress of the connector and prevent it from snapping the cable or breaking the connector.}

哈哈哈哈，我直接把整个底座给撬下来了，这些两个扬声器彻底报废，哈哈哈哈

I use a blow dryer to heat it up and a thin string/floss to cut the glue. It worked well.

Anybody have a solution on how to resolder this connector now that mine no longer works?

The directions indicate using a plastic spudger to disconnect these. I found success using a metal spudger to release the adhesive then lift the connectors from their sockets. Reverse the procedure for re-assembly.

Do not force them. they snap on with little effort when they are aligned just right. Be patient.

Takes quite a bit of realigntment repositioning to place these back.

These are VERY tricky to reconnect. ADVICE: Push down on these at and angle and then snap them in and slowly rotate them to get them to stick. It took me FOREVER to figure this out.

I had no problem getting these on. The trick is to come from just above the connector and pull back on the cable a little bit at the same time. A fully stretched cable will overshoot the connector so that’s why I pulled it back. I used the black spudger to snap it in place. Everything seems fine. There definitely is a slight snap.

I think it would help if there was a close-up photo directly above the connectors so you can see how much of the solder on the board is visible. That would help with the positioning of the plug.

No T8 in my kit. Now I have a half disassembled macbook pro I can’t finish. Sweet.

On my A1707, the Green and Blue are T10 (although T8 and T9 do ‘fit’ but with slack).

Don’t confuse the 3.9 torx8 (green) with the 3.8 torx8 (blue): the green one has a tapped hole for one of the two torx3 of step 29.

I have now discovered that an apple technician cross threaded one of the 2.9mm screws and lost another screw earlier -_-.

Are these T8 screws security versions? If not, why does iFixit include a TR8 security driver in the kit?

Reinstalling Note: I learned the hardway - Count (12 by my method) the number of connectors:
5 on the right edge.
4 on the left edge (I count 2 at the very top left, on under the other).
2 on the bottom edge near the center (NOTE: if you change a keyboard you will need the keyboard ribbon connector from the old case/keyboard).
1 cluster for antenna (3 wires & 1 ground screw)

It's actually 15 connectors, as somebody else pointed out further down:

5 on the right edge (touchbar digitizer, thunderbolt, mic, touchbar, speaker)

4 on the left edge (power, touch id, thunderbolt, speaker)

4 on the bottom (trackpad, keyboard, batter power, battery data)

2 on the top (display, antenna bundle)