iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Glass Panel Replacement

Written By: Walter Galan

Comments: 4

iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Glass Panel Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Remove the glass panel to gain access to your iMac's internals.

Tools

Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)

Parts

iMac Intel 20" EMC 2266 Glass Panel

Step 1

The glass panel is fixed onto the front bezel with fourteen magnets around its perimeter.
Stick two suction cups to opposing corners of the glass panel.
To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.
If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.

A good alternative to the two heavy duty suction cups is a regular household plunger.

Russell Knight -

Also, 2" wide packing tape. Maybe a 6 or 8" piece, folded in the middle to give you say, a 1-2" "handle". Make a pair of these. They look like a capital T but with a short vertical part (the handle), and a wide top I the sticky wings). Get the good 3M tape, it's strong, and it peels off clean without leaving any glue from the screen.

Barry Coyle - 30/01/16

for me one household plunger did the trick!

Ronald Huygen - 04/11/17

Step 2

Gently pull the glass panel straight up off the iMac.
The glass panel has several positioning pins around its perimeter. To avoid shearing these pins off the glass panel, be sure to only pull straight up during removal.
Be meticulous about cleaning the LCD and the inside face of the glass panel before reinstallation, as any fingerprints or dust trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the display is on.
When replacing the glass, be sure there's nothing between the glass and the frame. Stray cables could be damaged or crack the glass.

Another approach that worked for us was to get 4 small plastic wedges (the kind used in iphone screen replacements). Working one corner at a time you can use a cheap suction cup to pry just that corner up enough to slide the wedge in. Then proceed to the next then next, etc. Once all 4 have the wedges under them the glass should be away from the body all the way around, then just carefully lift it the rest of the way up.

A___K - 03/01/19