MacBook Unibody Model A1342 Right Clutch Hinge Replacement

Step 1

Remove the eight 4 mm Phillips screws securing the lower case to the MacBook.

According to this page http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1651?viewl..., the 8 screws are not identical.

Can anybody tell me where each kind of screw is supposed to go?

They are all 100% Identical. You were probably looking at a different model, or Apple has entered the wrong information... Hey, It happens...

Owen Davies - 04/08/16

The screws on the Late 2009 are identical. The blue lock compound might make tightening some require a little more effort.

svenaustx - 19/11/14

Can I replace it with a SATA 3 cable?

nm - 20/02/15

A1342 macbook does not have the right controller to support sata III

Owen Davies - 04/08/16

hi, i just got back from the apple store and they are really keen for me to upgrade to a new laptop since my battery is old and the screen is cracked, so glad i found ifixit i would love to upgrade this puppy! gonna make it a real sleeper! styler hall wrote about sticking 16 gb of ram in his a 1342 ? is this a simply mather of ordering 3 4gb sticks ?aslo i currently have 4 gb and would like to upgrade to 8 ( or indeed 16) does that mean i need to buy all new sticks or can i continue to use the old one and stick a new one next to it ?

thanks again mick van aar, perth western aus.

michelvanaar - 24/08/15

The A1342 will take up to 16 GB of RAM, however, there are only two RAM slots, so use two 8-GB RAM modules. Other World Computing (OWC) is a great reference source for info on exactly which RAM to use with which model; prices are usually much better on EBay though. Add an SSD from OWC and your machine will really scream!

I hope that helps!

gdesbrisay - 29/06/16

Gregoire is right. The 8 screws are absolutely NOT identical, I’m looking at them right now, weeowey weeowey.

John Guzman - 28/06/18

I just wanted to say that, in 2020, i used these instructions to replace the magsafe socket on my A1286, mid-2012, pre-Retina MacBook Pro. The internal layout is not quite the same but close enough for me to do the job. I skipped the steps of fully disconnecting the fans and speakers because of what others had said about breaking the sockets. it just meant I had to be extremely careful when lifting up the main board so that I did not tear and break the connections. I was able to disconnect the old magsafe socket with the board flat and in situ, but there was no where near enough room to be able to aline and press home the new par home. Reluctantly i had to lever up the board. This was difficult as there is a tapped post that holds a screw in the way close to where the USB sockets are, that prevented the board lifting up and out. I had to be quite forceful to manouevre the sockets out from the edge of the case.

Paul Burridge - 01/11/20

Step 2

The lower case is constructed of rubber-coated aluminum. Do not excessively bend the aluminum during removal, as any permanent deformation will cause tolerance issues after reassembly.
Slightly lift the lower case near the vent opening.
Continue running your fingers between the lower and upper cases until the upper case pops off its retaining clips.
The location of these three clips is shown in the third picture.

Do the retaining clips have to be re-engaged when replacing the lower case?

John Morley - 17/06/17

Answering my own question, the clips re-engage when the lower case is correctly positioned. You can help them by gently pressing the lower case with your thumbs midway along the two short sides. When everything is correctly aligned the eight screw holes line up.

John Morley - 22/06/17

Rather than running your fingernail down the sides to free up the retaining clips, I found that using an old credit card, inserted about 1/4”, to run along the left and right side popped those end retaining clips right off with no problem. You may need to twist the card slightly when in the middle area to help pop those off.

bdahl385 - 08/02/18

Step 3

For precautionary purposes, we advise that you disconnect the battery connector from the logic board to avoid any electrical discharge. This step is optional and is not required.
Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board.
It may be easier to use your fingernails to lift up on both sides of the connector.

you do not need to remove the battery when replacing the hard drive or ram

brilldoctor -

beware not to lift the connector to close of the angle, as the picture suggest it. It might broke the angle. Attack by the middle.

naamol -

Not necessary?

hikkymemo -

Be careful of the corner of the battery cable connector when trying to pry it off with the spudge. I knocked the corner of mine. No operational impact but was not very pleasing!

jljordanweb -

Not necessary, but a good idea, so as to avoid any spurious charges going through the boards...

svenaustx - 19/11/14

@Svenaustx - What could happen if not removing this battery? Worst case? Not a geek on this but did change RAM on my Macbook Pro "15. Can't remember disconneting the battery back then. Shouldn't it be sufficient shutting the Mac off and ensure it has been used for an hour or so before replacing RAM?

Allan Clarke - 25/11/14

i used a metal pry and noticed some sparking when i disconnected the battery. replaced ram. now it wont turn on. did i fry it?

Ian Lynch - 09/07/18

Step 4

Remove the following screws from the optical drive side of the rear vent:
Two 10 mm T8 Torx
Two 5.2 mm Phillips

Hi, i have an issue with the screw in the middle: it is blocked and the top is now damaged... Any suggestion?

Corrado - 21/04/14

I have a problem with the two middle screws

Harlan Shannon - 08/02/17

same here...

rekidjinwoo - 12/07/17

Step 5

Remove the following screws from the port side of rear vent:
Two 10 mm T8 Torx
Two 5.2 mm Phillips

The left-most philips screw in this picture does not seem to go in properly. The best I could do was use the screw with least of the blue screwlock on it and then err on the side of leaving the white plastic a bit Ioose in that location.

QuincyMB - 17/12/19

Be very careful when putting the Torx screws back as they are very easy to leverage and seems to bend the white piece at some point, making me nervous they could crack it. Don't overdo these.

QuincyMB - 17/12/19

Step 6

Carefully lift the rear vent out of the upper case.

you can actually stop disassembling now and try to replace it now. after removing two t6 screws it came off pretty easily

grze -

Good tip, thanks! I skipped ahead to step 17 and had no problem getting the magsafe board out from under the logic board and the new one installed. Saves a lot of work disconnecting connectors indicated as Fragile!

matt15 -

Thank You! Saved me an hour or so of work and a lot of stress!

15sweyandt - 17/12/14

I also did Step 6, then skipped to Step 17 & 18. Once I had the display data cable off, I could remove the 2 T6 Torx screws holding the MagSafe board on and remove it. You can reach under the logic board with the point of the spudger to work the cable out of the socket. Note how you maneuver the board out of the tight space so you can maneuver it back in. When you put the new MagSafe board in, plug in the cable first. If you bend the wires so the plug approaches the socket at the appropriate angle, you can nudge it in with the pointed end of the spudger.

hpendleton - 12/11/15

Thanks a lot for this hint! You saved my macbook, when I failed to unscrew the fan because of one completely destroyed screw. Thanks to your comment I skipped steps 7-16 and went straight to replacing the magsafe board without problems. The spudger and some 3D imagination and done,

Sebastian M - 07/06/17

Step 7

Remove the single 3 mm Phillips screw securing the AirPort/Bluetooth antenna ground strap to the rear speaker.

Step 8

Use the tip of a spudger to pry the AirPort and Bluetooth antenna connectors (3 total) up off the AirPort/Bluetooth card.
De-route the long antenna from its channel in the rear speaker housing.

Step 9

Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.
There is also a thin metal lock clip under the plastic tab that has to be released ( Use the tip of a spudger ) before you can disconnect the display data cable.

Step 10

Gently pull the display data cable connector away from its socket on the logic board.
Pull the socket parallel to the face of the logic board.
The display data cable socket is made of very thin metal and is easily bent. Be sure to pull the connector straight away from its socket.

I have several of these machines in various states..mostly the logic boards need checking. I find that the clip for the LCD socket falls off and is almost impossible to reconnect, I think I may have fried some of the logic boards by pushing this connector in without that clip. Is that possible? Any tips? Like i was going to try to insert the LCD connector and place insulating tape to hold it in place..good or bad idea?

clive charlett - 19/02/19

Step 11

Open your MacBook so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.
Place your opened MacBook on a table as pictured.
While holding the display and upper case together with your left hand, remove the remaining 7.8 mm with lock washer T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

Step 12

Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your left hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.
Remove the last remaining T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

Step 13

Grab the upper case with your right hand and rotate it slightly toward the top of the display so the upper display bracket clears the edge of the upper case.
The display data cable may cause the upper display bracket to get caught on the upper case. It may be helpful to slightly rotate the upper case away from the display for more clearance.
Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.

Step 14

Lift the display up and away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

Step 15

Insert the flat end of a spudger between the thin rubber strip surrounding the front display bezel and the rear display bezel.
Do not try to insert the spudger between the thin rubber strip and the plastic face of the front display bezel.
Use the flat end of your spudger to carefully pry the front display bezel away from the adhesive securing it to the rear display bezel.
Do not pry against the fragile glass LCD panel. Also, do not excessively bend the plastic as it may permanently deform.
Continue prying until the front display bezel is free along the right side of the display and behind the right clutch hinge.

Step 16

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the front display bezel off the top edge of the display assembly.
It may be helpful to insert and twist the flat end of your spudger to enlarge the gap between the front & rear display bezels as you work your way around the edge of the display.
Continue separating until the top edge of the front display bezel is free from the display assembly.
Be careful when prying near the iSight camera board, as it has exposed circuitry and is delicate.

Step 17

Use your spudger to pry the left side of the front display bezel away from the display assembly.
Carefully pry up the area behind the left clutch hinge.
During reassembly, be sure the small plastic pegs on the front display bezel mate up with the holes in the rear display bezel (shown in red). Failure to do so will prevent the front display bezel from sitting flush against the rear bezel.

Step 18

Slowly work your way across the lower edge of the front display bezel until it is free from the display assembly.
Be sure to pry up as far away from the LCD as possible, as it extends below the edge of the front display bezel.
When you get about half way across, pry up from the other side of the front display bezel's lower edge to ease the process.

Step 19

Remove the front display bezel from the display assembly.
To help the adhesive avoid losing is tackiness, do not excessively handle the adhesive and be sure to keep it clean until you are ready for installation.

Step 20

Remove the two 3 mm Phillips screws securing the clutch cover to the rear display bezel.

Step 21

Insert the flat end of a spudger into the open end of the clutch cover and pry up to release it from the rear display bezel.
Pry up from both sides of the clutch cover until it is completely free from the display assembly.