Introduction
The hard drive cable also contains the IR sensor/sleep indicator.
Tools
Parts
-
-
Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
-
Three 13.5 mm (14.1 mm) Phillips screws.
-
Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
-
-
-
Using both hands, lift the lower case near the vent to pop it off two clips securing it to the upper case.
-
Remove the lower case and set it aside.
-
-
-
Remove the two 7.4 mm Tri-point screws securing the battery to the upper case.
-
Note: For certain repairs (e.g. hard drive), removing the battery is not necessary but it prevents any accidental shorting of electronics on the motherboard. If you do not remove the battery, please be careful as parts of the motherboard might be electrified.
-
-
-
Use the tip of your finger to carefully peel back the corner of the warning label to reveal a hidden Tri-point screw.
-
Remove the last 7.4 mm Tri-point screw securing the battery to the upper case.
-
-
-
Lift the battery by its plastic pull tab and slide it away from the long edge of the upper case.
-
-
-
Tilt the battery away from the logic board enough to access the battery cable connector.
-
Pull the battery cable connector away from its socket on the logic board and remove the battery from the upper case.
-
Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
-
If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook's SMC.
-
-
-
Lift the hard drive by its pull tab and pull it out of the chassis, minding the cable attaching it to the computer.
-
-
-
Remove the following four screws securing the hard drive and IR sensor cable to the upper case:
-
Two 1.5 mm Phillips screws.
-
Two 4 mm Phillips screws.
-
-
-
Slide the hard drive and IR sensor bracket away from the edge of the upper case.
-
Carefully peel the hard drive and IR sensor cable from the upper case.
-
Lift the hard drive and IR sensor assembly out of the upper case.
-
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
One comment
I followed with success this guide to fix my computer, thanks to an ifixit spare part ! Unfortunately I found very difficult to plug the hard drive IR cable to the IR sensor itself : for now it remained unplugged. Any tips regarding this point ? Thanks again.
auronil -
Step 1 (technically step 9 - replacing the base plate) Apparently one of my screws was a micron or two smaller than the others. This screw belongs to the hole above the optical drive, which is also apparently a couple of microns smaller than the others. It took seven attempts to figure which screw had originally been in that hole; all the other screws were too large, but fitted perfectly everywhere else.
Bizarre much?
Will -
It might be a matter of how the screws are driven in, and not that they're slightly different sizes. When I reassembled my MacBook, a couple of the screws, including the one over the optical drive you mention, were hard to drive in and jutted up a little bit instead of sitting entirely flush. Swapping screws didn't help. The solution was to unscrew them and drive them in at a bit of an angle - perpendicular to the slightly curved surface of the back plate where the screw holes were, instead of fully vertical with respect to the ground the Macbook is sitting on. Doing it that way, the screws were easier to drive in and they all ended up flush in their holes. Didn't matter which screws they were. (I swapped a few around just to check after reading this.)
Andrew Janke -
I had no such screw issues. Either there are differences in manufacturing lots or I just got incredibly lucky during reassembly!
xtophr -