iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display 2019 Left Speaker Replacement

Step 1

With the hinge free to move, the iMac will be unbalanced and hard to work on. Repairs can be completed with the iMac laying down, but are faster and easier with an iMac service wedge.
If you are using the iFixit cardboard service wedge, follow these assembly directions to put it together.

Step 2

Starting on the left of the display, near the power button, insert the iMac Opening Tool into the gap between the glass panel and the rear case.
The hub on the iMac Opening Tool will keep you from pushing the wheel in too far. If using a different tool, insert it no more than 3/8" (9.5 mm) into the display. You risk severing antenna cables and causing serious damage if you insert the tool too far.

Step 3

Use the tool like a pizza cutter—roll it along through the gap, and it will cut the foam adhesive through the center.
Be sure to always push with the handle behind the cutting wheel. If you pull, the wheel might get pulled out of the handle.
Run the tool up along the left side of the display.

Step 4

Continue wheeling the tool up around the top left corner.

Step 5

Cut the adhesive along the top left of the display.

Step 6

Continue along the top of the display.
You may want to run the tool back and forth through what you've already cut a few times, to ensure you get as much of the adhesive separated as possible.

Step 7

Push the tool around the top right corner of the display.

Step 8

Wheel the tool down along the right side of the display.

Step 9

Finish pushing the opening tool to the bottom of the right side of the display.
At this point, you'll want to run the tool back around the entire display, to ensure you cut as much adhesive as possible.

Step 10

While the opening tool did the lion's share of the work, the display will still be slightly adhered to the case. A plastic card will be necessary to free up the last of this adhesive.
Set the iMac face-up on a table.
Starting from the top right corner of the iMac, insert a plastic card between the display and frame.
Be careful not to insert it more than 3/8" (9.5 mm), or you may damage internal components.

Step 11

Gently twist the plastic card to open the space between the display and frame, and cut any remaining adhesive near the corner.
Using too much force will crack the glass. Work carefully, and don't try to create a gap any larger than about 1/4" (6 mm).

Step 12

Be sure to stop cutting before the iSight camera in this step, or you may damage it.
Slide the card toward the center of the display, to cut any remaining adhesive.

Step 13

Put the card into the corner again and let it stay there to keep the adhesive from resettling.

Step 14

Insert a second card into the gap between the display and frame in the top left corner.

Step 15

Gently twist the card, slightly increasing the space between the display and frame.
As with the other side, move slowly to allow the adhesive to break, and be careful not to over-stress the display glass.

Step 16

Slide the plastic card toward the center, again stopping just before the iSight camera.

Step 17

Insert the card back into the top left corner.

Step 18

With the cards inserted as shown near the corners, gently twist the cards to increase the gap between display and case.
If there are any sections that seem to stick and won't separate, stop twisting and use one of the cards to cut the adhesive in the problem area.
Begin to lift the top of the display up from the frame.
Only lift the display a few inches—it is still attached to the iMac by data and power cables.

Step 19

While holding the display up with one hand, use the other to unplug the display power cable.
Lift the display up enough to have easy access to the connections, but not so much that you stretch the cables and stress their connections (about 8").

This is not a picture of the 2019 model. On the 2019, the cable is angled and very close to a metal part that looks like it could be a wireless card. This makes it difficult to squeeze in the edges required to release the cable. I was able to unfasten it using my fingernail, doing one side at a time.

maccentric -

Same issue. You can't just pull it out. I used a plastic "spudger" to push the clips in. The photo here shows where to press

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0qG...

Step 20

Flip up the metal retaining bracket on the display data cable.
Disconnect the display data cable.
This is a delicate connection that can easily be broken. Be sure to pull the display data cable connector straight out of its socket, toward the top of the iMac.

on the 2020 model there is also a connector from the camera that is connected ted to the screen.

Erwin Biermans -

This isn't the photo of my IMac 27 2019.

To remove this clip, lift up the plastic tag sticking down & the metal clip will lift too

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0qG...

Bill4321 -

Step 21

Lift the display up to a near-vertical position.
At this point there is still a strip of adhesive along the bottom of the display that will hold the display to the frame like a hinge. You can loosen this adhesive by working the display up and down a few times.

Step 22

Be very careful not to touch the capacitor leads or any exposed solder joints on the back of the power supply (boxed in red).
Grasp the small tab at the end of one of the bottom edge display adhesive strips and pull the adhesive toward the top of the iMac to remove it.
Repeat this step with the other adhesive strip and remove it.
If either adhesive strip breaks before it's removed, use a plastic card to slice through the remaining adhesive.

Step 23

Be very careful handling the display—it's big, heavy, and made of glass. The display has fragile edges. Avoid lifting the display by the corners.
Lift the display up from the frame and remove it from the iMac. Lay the display face down on a flat, soft surface.
It may be necessary to slowly lift from one side, to peel against the remaining adhesive.
After the adhesive is cut, it cannot be used to re-seal the display in place. Follow the adhesive replacement guide for your model when your repair is complete to replace the adhesive strips that secure the display to the rear enclosure.

Step 24

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the nine 3.2 mm screws securing the support bracket.
You may need to peel up the display adhesive lining the bottom edge of the iMac enclosure to access the screws.

These are new steps from when I did this on my late 2015 retina iMac so I believe step 25 and 26 are optional (you can cope without doing it).

Amuseme -

I did not find it necessary to remove these screws and this bar

James Orwin -

I lost these 8 during the reassemble. The manual tells I need eight 3.2mm screws.

Can anyone help to clarify what screws I need. I don't really understand this size. Is this M2x3mm?

Daniel - 02/09/22

Step 25

Remove the lower support bracket (a.k.a. "chin strap") from the iMac enclosure.

No comments on this ?

It's quite possibly the most difficult part to put back in the entire process

The screws are tiny and the there is no easy way to line up the holes on the bracket with the screws

Having got this far - it wasn't even all that necessary to remove this part in the first place

Severe pain in the neck

Eoin -

After an hour of painstaking mess - I managed to get 7 out of the 9 back in

By that time I could care less about the remaining 2

Eoin - 21/04/22

With the right tools and technique, the bracket can easily be replaced in under a couple of minutes.

Use a screwdriver with a magnetized tip which frees up one hand and place a screw on the tip first.

Then line up the screw hole on just one end of the bracket and using a pair of tweezers from the side, hold the bracket in place while you put in the screw.

Next, do the same on the other end of the bracket. After that, all of the screws in the middle are quick to replace. I didn't really have to touch the bracket again after the end screws were in place.

Hope that helps someone else since removing this bracket does make later steps a bit easier.

Max Z - 08/06/22

I used Max Z tweezers technique but screwed one screw in at the end and then worked my way to the other end.

Stephen B -

Step 26

Remove two 10 mm T10 screws.

I found i didn’t need to remove the speaker nor the hard drive. In fact I managed to remove the old PSU without even removing the chin strap. However, to install the replacement PSU, I had to remove the chin strap. So I would say, remove the chin strap, but you can optionally leave the speaker and hard drive in.

Cool_Breeze -

While you do not need to fully remove the screws as once you loosen them a few turns the speaker becomes free. I found that after the removal of the speaker, I turned it over and popped the screws out as this made it easier to replace it later as I could see the alignment before putting the screws back in. If not you may be off a little and you do not want to force the screw back in.

James Orwin -

I used a pill container that I got from Walgreens to hold all of the fasteners I removed during the disassembly process. The container has 14 compartments (individual compartments for each morning and evening of the week). I put a small piece of paper in the compartment with the fasteners to note the name and step of the procedure and the size of the tool I used. Hopefully this will be useful when I go to put it back together again.

Dan Smith -

Step 27

Unplug the left speaker cable by pulling it straight up out of its socket on the logic board.
De-route the cable from the gap between the hard drive and logic board.
If the gap between the hard drive and logic board is too narrow for the speaker cable, disconnect it and leave the cable in place.

I didn’t unplug and de-route this cable. Later, Step 29, has you remove the left speaker. This isn’t necessary. If you can just move the speaker over to expose the hard drive mounting screws, so if you’re not going to remove the speaker, you don’t need to unplug it.

Anthony Zimmerman - 10/04/18

on the 2019 iMac, it is horizontal not vertical so pull it horizontally out.

tarex7 -

Step 28

Be careful not to touch any solder joints on the back of the power supply. Capacitors may be charged enough to give you a dangerous shock.
Use a spudger to disconnect the power button connector from its socket on the logic board.

Can someone explain what are the solder joint? Or tell me what it looks it?

brianyu - 04/10/15

The silver spots on the circuit boards. You may not want to tackle this alone. If you touch these areas, you can possible get a shock -- harming you and your computer.

Robert - 17/12/15

there is no need to disconnect the speaker, just unscrew it and move aside slightly to reach the HDD screws (about 5mm) - if you want to replace just the main HDD

Thomas Webb - 02/09/17

Take note of exactly what direction this tiny little wire was.

Joseph Ashe - 11/09/17

The connector has a plain black side and the other side you can see the 2 silver connectors.. the side you can see the 2 silver connectors faces the front.. the plain side is to the back/against the logic board.

paul.lynch1 - 20/03/21

If I leave my iMac unplugged for an extended period, say 24 or 48 hours, is it still possible to get an electric shock from the PSU? Do the capacitors eventually discharge?

Dominic Pettifer - 12/05/19

you can do this method, or just wear latex gloves.

Philip Sedlmair -

make sure you’ve actually unplugged the mac when running this cable, and not had it plugged in to test the diagnostic LEDs, because one of those wee silver spots is carrying 230v, and its 6mm away from the place the cable runs, So if you have fat fingers like mine, that’s a free wake up zap

flow in - 25/05/20

Step 29

Lift the left speaker straight up, until the power button cable is exposed (about 0.5 inches).

This is MUCH easier to do if the support bracket along the bottom is removed first. See iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Logic Board Replacement step 25.

Use a P00.

To replace it, introduce it like in the photo at the link to be able to hold the right most holes of the chassis and bracket. Replace the first screw, align the bracket to the horizontal and add the screws from right to left. Each one will bring up the next hole in the bracket close enough to screw through. Reverse those directions if you are a leftie.

Andrew Gough - 16/03/21

Step 30

Gently de-route the power button cable from its groove in the left speaker.

Pay attention: if pulling out the loudspeaker tear off the wire of the power button, Apple have not any service parts except for the whole rear housing!

Fabio Braga - 26/07/19

This is MUCH easier to do if the support bracket along the bottom is removed first. See iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Logic Board Replacement step 25.

Use a P00.

To replace it, introduce it like in the photo at the link to be able to hold the right most holes of the chassis and bracket. Replace the first screw, align the bracket to the horizontal and add the screws from right to left. Each one will bring up the next hole in the bracket close enough to screw through. Reverse those directions if you are a leftie.

Andrew Gough - 16/03/21

Step 31

Lift the left speaker straight up and remove it from the iMac.
If the gap between the hard drive and logic board was too narrow to free the speaker cable earlier, gently pull it free as you remove the speaker.
Push from the connector end as you pull from the speaker end to thread the cable under the hard drive's right bracket.

I found it wasn't necessary to remove the speaker from the left side to remove the hard drive. You can remove the screws, and then slide it over to the left — giving more than enough room to access the hard drive.

Robert - 17/12/15

me too. don't need to remove it if you only want to change the hd

Alber Einsten - 10/03/16

Agreed, wast of time to fully remove the speaker.

Matthew Gonzalez - 09/11/17

It is difficult to remove the bottom of the speaker because it bends into the frame. Be careful to remove the power button cable, which also routes in a channel in the bottom of the speaker.

Eric - 11/01/20

easier to remove the speakers if you unscrew the front ‘chin strap’ - 6/9 phillips screws that you can see in the picture hold that aluminum piece in place

flow in - 25/05/20

Agree. This is MUCH easier to do if the support bracket along the bottom is removed first. See iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) Logic Board Replacement step 25.

Use a P00.

To replace it, introduce it like in the photo at the link to be able to hold the right most holes of the chassis and bracket. Replace the first screw, align the bracket to the horizontal and add the screws from right to left. Each one will bring up the next hole in the bracket close enough to screw through. Reverse those directions if you are a leftie.

Andrew Gough - 16/03/21

The trick with removing the left speaker is that you have to slide it up toward the top of the iMac (continuing to de-route the power button cable carefully as you go) to get it out from under the chin before you lift it up to remove it.

ace - 06/03/21

iMac Intel 27" Retina 5K Display 2019 Left Speaker Replacement

Introduction

Tools

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Author

Adam O'Camb

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