Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

20

Time Required

                          20 minutes

Sections

4

  • Battery
  • 2 steps
  • Memory Cover
  • 2 steps
  • Upper Case
  • 8 steps
  • Fan
  • 8 steps

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0

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

Use a coin or spudger to rotate the battery-locking screw 90 degrees clockwise.

1024

Step 2

  • Lift the battery out of the computer.

Lift the battery out of the computer.

Step 3

              Memory Cover
  • Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.
  • The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.
  • When replacing the battery casing, use a spudger to re-insert the foam cushioning behind the rear wall for propper battery spacing.

Remove the three evenly-spaced Phillips screws from along the rear wall of the battery compartment.

The screws are captive to the metal memory cover.

When replacing the battery casing, use a spudger to re-insert the foam cushioning behind the rear wall for propper battery spacing.

Step 4

  • Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

Lift up on L-shaped memory cover, slide it to the right, and lift it out of the computer.

Step 5

              Upper Case
  • Remove the following 3 screws:
  • One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.
  • Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.
  • If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.
  • The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

Remove the following 3 screws:

One 11 mm Phillips #00 in the middle of the case.

Two 14.5 mm Phillips #00.

If the screws stick in the case, you can use a magnetized screwdriver to draw them out.

The shorter of the three screws goes in the middle.

Step 6

  • Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:
  • Two 3 mm Phillips #00. (A1181 has three 3 mm screws and one 4 mm.)
  • One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side.
  • When reinstalling these screws, press gently on the lower case to line up the screw holes.
  • These screws easily strip, so be careful while taking these particular screws out.

Remove the following 3 screws from the rear wall of the battery compartment:

Two 3 mm Phillips #00. (A1181 has three 3 mm screws and one 4 mm.)

One 4 mm Phillips #00 on the right side.

When reinstalling these screws, press gently on the lower case to line up the screw holes.

These screws easily strip, so be careful while taking these particular screws out.

Step 7

  • Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

Remove the two 6 mm Phillips #00 screws from either side of the right wall of the battery compartment (not the ones closest to the battery connector).

Step 8

  • Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.

Remove the four 3 mm indicated Phillips #00 screws from the front wall of the battery compartment. When working from the left, remove the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 9th screw.

Step 9

  • Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:
  • Two 7 mm shouldered Phillips on the far sides.
  • Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center.
  • Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

Remove the following 4 screws from the back of the computer:

Two 7 mm shouldered Phillips on the far sides.

Two 10.5 mm Phillips toward the center.

Do not over-tighten these; you can cause the case to distort.

Step 10

  • Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.
  • It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

Remove the two 5.2 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws from the optical side of the computer.

It is not necessary to remove the similar screws on the other side of the computer.

Step 11

  • Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.
  • Be careful when prying up the upper case. It’s very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs.
  • There’s a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don’t pull the upper case off entirely just yet.
  • If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

Starting near the display and working around to the front of the computer, pry up on the upper case. It is held with clips on the right above the optical drive. These will release with some firm lifting pressure.

Be careful when prying up the upper case. It’s very easy to slice open a fingertip and thus provide the blood sacrifice the Mac gods sometimes require of those who insist on doing their own repairs.

There’s a trackpad and keyboard ribbon connecting the upper case to the logic board, so don’t pull the upper case off entirely just yet.

If you have trouble getting the clips to release, be careful that you are not prying the plastic top of the upper case away from its metal frame.

Step 12

  • While holding up the upper case (from the bottom or the top), use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.
  • Take care to pry between the black socket and the white connector. You might have to pry on both sides for it to release properly.
  • Do not pry from the bottom or the top, but from the sides.
  • If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

While holding up the upper case (from the bottom or the top), use a spudger to pry up the orange trackpad and keyboard cable from its connector.

Take care to pry between the black socket and the white connector. You might have to pry on both sides for it to release properly.

Do not pry from the bottom or the top, but from the sides.

If you happen to break your upper case cable when removing the upper case, we stock the cable individually and we have a guide that makes replacing it easy.

Step 13

              Fan
  • Use a spudger to disconnect the orange optical drive cable from the logic board.

Use a spudger to disconnect the orange optical drive cable from the logic board.

Step 14

  • Use a spudger to disconnect the black fan connector from the logic board.

Use a spudger to disconnect the black fan connector from the logic board.

Step 15

  • Deroute the fan cable from behind the tab on the left side of the fan.

Deroute the fan cable from behind the tab on the left side of the fan.

Step 16

  • Peel up the silver foil tape between the fan and the optical drive.

Peel up the silver foil tape between the fan and the optical drive.

Step 17

  • Use a spudger to move the gray display data and black speaker cables to the right. This will reveal a silver screw securing the fan housing to the lower case.

Use a spudger to move the gray display data and black speaker cables to the right. This will reveal a silver screw securing the fan housing to the lower case.

Step 18

  • Remove the following 4 screws:
  • One 3 mm Phillips on the right side of the fan.
  • One 6 mm Phillips on the left side of the fan.
  • Two Phillips screws on the top left and bottom left of the fan.

Remove the following 4 screws:

One 3 mm Phillips on the right side of the fan.

One 6 mm Phillips on the left side of the fan.

Two Phillips screws on the top left and bottom left of the fan.

Step 19

  • Push down on the left side of the fan and slide it slightly to the right in order to free the fan from the indicated tab on its right side. You can also use the tip of a spudger to free the tab on the right side of the fan.

Push down on the left side of the fan and slide it slightly to the right in order to free the fan from the indicated tab on its right side. You can also use the tip of a spudger to free the tab on the right side of the fan.

Step 20

  • Lift the fan out of the computer, being careful not to rip the black felt tape.
  • When replacing an old fan, you may find a lot of dust in the vent and general area. A can of compressed air may be useful for cleaning it out before installing the new fan.

Lift the fan out of the computer, being careful not to rip the black felt tape.

When replacing an old fan, you may find a lot of dust in the vent and general area. A can of compressed air may be useful for cleaning it out before installing the new fan.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    iRobot

Member since: 09/24/2009

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lorinczistvan01 - Aug 26, 2013

Reply

I am just extremely thankful for this great support guide material.

It was very clear to me. I shaped an empty cleenex tissue box, left only a little margin. I draw the bottom with a pen 24 squares numerating them from nr.1 to nr. 24, for the screw, one square for one set(or picture) of screw. I achieved to put the screw in exact order as I removed them, it went back, same screw into the same place. Not because I am that great, but because the guide is precise, and The Good Lord guided my hands to do this task with no errors.

The fan by the way was in perfect condition (late 2007 MB 3.1), almost no dust.

But it was a useful experience, for future possible issues.

doctorvee - Jun 18, 2014

Reply

Having opened my MacBook several times before, fan replacement is one of the easier swaps to do. Tip: if your fan is running, but making upsetting noises, first check for a dust clog within the fan housing before you replace the fan. Lift the fan motor up without removing the felt tape seal, and inspect the heat sink grille for clogs (mine had a huge dust bunny on the left side, which was catching on the fan vanes). Carefully remove dust with spudger (or, ideally, a needle attachment on a 3M electronics vacuum). Good luck!

homebrew1099 - Apr 7, 2016

Reply

I just completed this on my white macbook which I purchased in 2007. First, while in steps 19 and 20 they tell you to remove all four fan screws (two that hold the fan to it’s lower housing, and two that hold the housing to the computer), they then only remove the fan without the housing. The entire housing should be removed in order to clean the heat sink behind the top of the fan. My replacement fan came as one unit anyway, so I replace the entire thing. Second, after many heating and cooling cycles, the black felt tape described in Step 20 was degraded and not able to be removed from the fan without ripping it. I replaced it with a couple layers of electrical tape (hopefully it holds up), but I would recommend getting the correct replacement tape before replacing the fan. Otherwise, if you’re used to working on electronics and are relatively patient, it’s actually pretty easy to do.

gingerichjared - Jul 3, 2016

Reply

Since this is a now 10 years old machine, don’t get discouraged if you have some trouble with screws, specifically the longer screws in the upper case. I carried this machine with me everywhere for four years of college before retiring her, she’s been twisted, dropped, sat on, etc. If your MacBook has been through what mine has you might run into the same issues. For me the top left screw sat below flush after being unscrewed and wouldn’t pull up magnetically. I had to put light pressure on the case around the screw and use a pair of tweezers to grab the screw head and pull it out. Some gunk had built up at the bottom of the screw making it impossible to pull out magnetically. Be patient putting these upper case screws back in, over long periods slight deformations occur in the structure, so the screws won’t line up quite as well as they used to. You shouldn’t have to twist hard for the screws to go back in, try slightly pushing the bottom case up/down/left/right if you’re having trouble. Great guide!

greenbubby - Nov 10, 2016

Reply

OMG I tore the fan connector out of the MB… The pads are all stuck to the connector… I barely used any force at all… Going to scrape the leads and attach wires now… :(