MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 Upper Case Replacement

ID: 5155

Description: Use this guide to replace the upper case...

Steps:

  1. Remove the following ten screws:
  2. Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws
  3. Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws
  4. Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws
  5. When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don't go straight down).
    6. Step image
  6. Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.
  7. Remove the lower case.
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  8. Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
  9. It is useful to pry upward on both short sides of the connector to "walk" it out of its socket. Be careful with the corners of the connectors, they can be easily broken off.
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  10. Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.
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  11. Use the edge of a spudger to gently pry the fan connector up and out of its socket on the logic board.
  12. It is useful to twist the spudger axially from beneath the fan cable wires to release the connector.
  13. The fan socket and the fan connector can be seen in the second and third pictures. Be careful not to break the plastic fan socket off the logic board as you use your spudger to lift the fan connector straight up and out of its socket. The layout of the logic board shown in the second picture may look slightly different than your machine but the fan socket is the same.
    14. Step image Step image Step image
  14. Remove the following three screws securing the fan to the logic board:
  15. One 7.2 mm T6 Torx screw
  16. Two 5.3 mm T6 Torx screws
    17. Step image
  17. Lift the fan out of its recess in the logic board, minding its cable that may get caught.
    18. Step image
  18. Use the tip of a spudger to pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the upper case.
  19. Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable upward to lift the connector out of its socket on the logic board.
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  20. Disconnect the camera cable from the logic board.
  21. The camera cable slides out from its logic board connector. If your cable feels fragile, use a spudger to walk the cable out from the metal tabs on each side of the connector head.
    22. Step image
  22. Disconnect the following four cables:
  23. AirPort/Bluetooth cable
  24. Optical drive cable
  25. Hard drive cable
  26. Trackpad cable
  27. To disconnect the cables, use the flat end of a spudger to pry their connectors up from the sockets on the logic board.
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  28. Use your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard ribbon cable ZIF socket.
  29. Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
  30. Use the tip of a spudger to pull the keyboard ribbon cable out of its socket.
  31. The cable may be difficult to insert. If you are having trouble, temporarily attach a piece of tape to the cable to help you guide the cable into the socket.
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  32. If present, remove the small strip of black tape covering the keyboard backlight cable socket.
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  33. Use the tip of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the keyboard backlight ribbon cable ZIF socket.
  34. Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself.
  35. Pull the keyboard backlight ribbon cable out of its socket.
    36. Step image Step image Step image
  36. Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the sleep sensor/battery indicator connector up from its socket on the logic board.
    37. Step image
  37. Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the display data cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-In side of the computer.
  38. Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.
  39. Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.
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  40. Remove the following nine screws:
  41. Five 3.6 mm T6 Torx screws
  42. Two 4.3 mm T6 Torx screws
  43. Two 7.2 mm T6 Torx screws
  44. In some models the screws may be slightly shorter as follows:
  45. Five 3.0 mm T6 screws
  46. Two 3.6 mm T6 screws
  47. Two 6.7 mm T6 screws
    48. Step image
  48. Remove the following two screws:
  49. One 8.6 mm Phillips screw
  50. One 5.5 mm Phillips screw
  51. Remove the display data cable retainer from the upper case.
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  52. Use the tip of a spudger to gently peel the microphone off the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
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  53. Minding the many connectors near its edges, lift the logic board from the end nearest the optical drive.
  54. Without flexing the board, maneuver it out of the upper case, minding the flexible connection to the DC-In board that may get caught in the upper case.
  55. Remove the logic board.
    56. Step image
  56. Remove the following two screws:
  57. One 5.6 mm Tri-point screw
  58. One 13 mm Tri-point screw
    59. Step image
  59. Carefully peel the battery warning label off the upper case between the battery and the optical drive.
  60. Do not remove the label from the battery.
    61. Step image
  61. Use the attached plastic pull tab to help remove the battery from the upper case.
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  62. Remove the two Phillips screws securing the hard drive bracket to the upper case.
  63. These screws will remain captive to the hard drive bracket.
  64. Remove the hard drive bracket.
  65. The hard drive bracket may be firmly seated against the upper case.
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  66. Use the attached pull tab to lift the hard drive out of the upper case.
  67. Pull the hard drive cable away from the body of the hard drive.
  68. Remove the hard drive.
    69. Step image Step image Step image
  69. Remove the following four screws:
  70. Two 3 mm Phillips screws
  71. Two 9.7 mm Phillips screws
    72. Step image
  72. Carefully peel up the thin IR sensor/sleep LED ribbon cable from the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
    73. Step image
  73. Pull the front hard drive bracket containing the IR sensor/sleep LED away from the front edge of the upper case.
  74. Remove the hard drive cable.
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  75. Carefully move the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable out of the way as you peel the camera cable off the adhesive securing it to the subwoofer and the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
  76. De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
    77. Step image
  77. Disconnect the four antenna connectors boxed in red in the first picture.
  78. To do so, use the tip of a spudger to pry their connectors up from the sockets on the AirPort/Bluetooth board.
  79. De-route each of the cables from their channels in the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.
    80. Step image Step image Step image
  80. Remove the following five screws:
  81. Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws
  82. Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws
  83. One 5 mm Phillips screw
    84. Step image
  84. Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.
  85. Remove the AirPort/Bluetooth board assembly.
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  86. Remove the three 2.7 mm Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case.
    87. Step image
  87. Lift the optical drive from the edge nearest the display and remove it from the upper case.
    88. Step image
  88. Peel the right speaker cable off the upper case.
    89. Step image
  89. Use a plastic opening tool or another thin prying object to carefully pry the right speaker up from the adhesive securing it to the upper case.
  90. Start prying up from the edge of the right speaker nearest the display. Starting from the other side may damage one of the antennas.
  91. Pry up along the edge of the right speaker until it is separated from the upper case.
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  92. Pull the right speaker out from under the optical drive opening.
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  93. Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the right side of the display to the upper case.
  94. We purposely have you leave one screw attaching the display to the upper case to aid in future steps.
    95. Step image
  95. Remove the small piece of foam tape covering the left display hinge screws.
    96. Step image
  96. Remove two of the three 6 mm T8 Torx screws securing the left side of the display to the upper case.
  97. We purposely have you leave one screw attaching the display to the upper case to aid in future steps.
    98. Step image
  98. Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.
  99. Place your opened MacBook Pro on a table as pictured.
  100. While holding the display and upper case together with your left hand, remove the remaining T8 Torx screw from the lower display bracket.
    101. Step image
  101. 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.
  102. Remove the last remaining T8 Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.
    103. Step image
  103. 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.
  104. Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.
  105. Lift the display up and away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.
  106. Upper case remains.
    107. Step image Step image Step image
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