iBook G4 12" 800 MHz-1.2 GHz I/O Bezel Replacement

ID: 168

Description: Replacing the plastic covering surrounding the...

Pull the keyboard release tabs toward you and lift up on the keyboard until it pops free.
If the keyboard does not come free, use a small flathead screwdriver to turn the keyboard locking screw 180 degrees in either direction and try again.
Flip the keyboard over, away from the screen, and rest it face-down on the trackpad area.

If the computer has an AirPort card installed, follow the next three steps to remove it.
Push the wire clasp away from the AirPort card and toward the display, then rotate up to free it from the RAM shield.

Hold the AirPort card in one hand and use your other hand to remove the antenna cable.

Grasp the metal bracket on top of the RAM shield and pull upward to remove the shield.

Pull the keyboard cable up from the logic board, holding the cable as close to the connector as possible.
Make sure that you reconnect the keyboard cable before replacing the RAM shield.

Use a pin (or anything you like) to remove the three rubber feet from the lower case.

Use a spudger or small flathead screwdriver to pry up the three metal rings that housed the rubber bumpers.

Breathe deeply. Trying times are ahead, but we promise the lower case does come off.
Push the thin rims of the lower case surrounding the battery compartment in, bending them past the tabs, and then lift up to free that corner of the lower case.

There is a slot on the wall of the battery compartment that locks the lower case in place. Use a small flathead screwdriver to pry out the slot's lower rim and pull up on the lower case to free the slot from the tabs holding it.

Run a spudger along the seam between the lower case and upper case on the front of the computer to free the tabs locking the lower case. Pull up on the lower case and continue to use the spudger as necessary until you hear three distinct clicks.

Continue to run the spudger around the front, right corner. There are two tabs on the port side of the computer, one near the front corner and one near the sound-out port.

There are three tabs over the optical drive that must be released before the lower case can come off. Slide the spudger into the lower case above the optical drive and run it toward the back of the computer until you hear three distinct clicks.

Once the front and sides of the lower case are free, turn the computer so that the back is facing you and pull the lower case up and away from you until the back tabs pop free.
It may be helpful to jiggle the case up and down.

Remove the small greasy springs with white plastic caps from either side of the battery contacts.

Deroute the cable from around the optical drive, removing tape as necessary, and angle the DC-In board out of its compartment.

We recommend placing the computer on a slab of grey anti-static packing foam from this point on to prevent damaging the logic board.
Turn over the computer and open it.
Pry up the magnet covering a Phillips screw near the middle of the computer.

Remove the following 7 screws from the edges of the keyboard area.
Three 2 mm Phillips along the right edge.
One 4.5 mm Phillips underneath where the magnet was.
One 6 mm Phillips with a small head in the lower left corner.
Two 6 mm Phillips with large heads, one in the upper left corner and one in the middle

Before you can yank the upper case off, you must disconnect the trackpad connector, the blue and white power cable, and speaker cable as described in the next steps.
Lift the upper case from the right side and use a spudger or your finger to disconnect the trackpad connector hidden beneath the white plastic tab. Due to model variatons your trackpad connector may be different from the one pictured.

Carefully lift the upper case about half of an inch and move it so that you can access the power and speaker cables.
If the upper case is sticking, it may be necessary to free the tabs holding the upper case to the metal framework along the outer edge of the battery compartment.

The connectors at the ends of the cables are attached very firmly to the sockets on the logic board. Pulling directly on the cable will either separate the cable from its connector or the socket from the logic board.
Lift the upper case enough to disconnect the blue and white power cable from the logic board. Using your fingernails or a dental pick, carefully pry the connector from its socket. Make sure you're pulling only on the connector and not on the socket.

Lift the upper case off completely and disconnect the multicolored speaker cable from the logic board. As before, make sure you're pulling only on the connector and not on the socket.
Tip: the multi-coloured cable may be easier and less daunting to disconnect after removing the top heat shield. Prop the top case upright while removing the shield - the connector is then much more accessible.

Lift the top shield up from the right side, minding the upper left corner, which may catch on the metal framework.

Remove the two Phillips screws securing the white plastic fingers of the I/O bezel to the metal framework.
The longer screw goes into the longer finger, closer to the display.

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