Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

18

Time Required

                          30 - 45 minutes

Sections

4

  • Lower Case
  • 2 steps
  • Battery Connection
  • 2 steps
  • Optical Drive
  • 11 steps
  • Right Speaker/Subwoofer
  • 3 steps

Flags

0

  • BackMacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Lower Case
  • Remove the following ten screws:
  • Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws
  • Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws
  • Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws
  • When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don’t go straight down).

Remove the following ten screws:

Three 14.4 mm Phillips #00 screws

Three 3.5 mm Phillips #00 screws

Four 3.5 mm shouldered Phillips #00 screws

When replacing the small screws, align them perpendicular to the slight curvature of the case (they don’t go straight down).

1024

Step 2

  • Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.
  • Remove the lower case.

Use your fingers to pry the lower case away from the body of the MacBook near the vent.

Remove the lower case.

Step 3

              Battery Connection
  • Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.
  • 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.

Use the edge of a spudger to pry the battery connector upwards from its socket on the logic board.

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.

Step 4

  • Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

Bend the battery cable slightly away from its socket on the logic board so it does not accidentally connect itself while you work.

Step 5

              Optical Drive
  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the AirPort/Bluetooth ribbon cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Step 6

Carefully pull the camera cable out of its socket on the logic board.

Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board. Pulling it upward may damage the logic board or the cable itself.

Step 7

  • 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.
  • De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

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.

De-route the camera cable out from under the retaining finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

Step 8

  • Use the tip of a spudger to pry the antenna connector closest to the logic board up from its socket on the AirPort/Bluetooth board.
  • De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry the antenna connector closest to the logic board up from its socket on the AirPort/Bluetooth board.

De-route the antenna cable from under the finger molded into the AirPort/Bluetooth bracket.

Step 9

  • Remove the following five screws:
  • Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws
  • Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws
  • One 5 mm Phillips screw

Remove the following five screws:

Two 10.3 mm Phillips screws

Two 3.1 mm Phillips screws

One 5 mm Phillips screw

Step 10

  • Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.
  • Move the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the subwoofer away from the top of the optical drive.

Pull the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the Subwoofer upward near the center of the side of the optical drive until they clear each other.

Move the AirPort/Bluetooth assembly and the subwoofer away from the top of the optical drive.

Step 11

  • Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable out from under the retaining finger near the side of the optical drive.
  • Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable upward to disconnect it from the logic board.

Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable out from under the retaining finger near the side of the optical drive.

Pull the right speaker/subwoofer cable upward to disconnect it from the logic board.

Step 12

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.
  • Bend the hard drive cable away from the optical drive.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the hard drive cable connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Bend the hard drive cable away from the optical drive.

Step 13

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Step 14

  • Remove the three 2.7 mm Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case.

Remove the three 2.7 mm Phillips screws securing the optical drive to the upper case.

Step 15

  • Pull the optical drive upward from its edge closest to the display and remove it from the upper case.

Pull the optical drive upward from its edge closest to the display and remove it from the upper case.

Step 16

              Right Speaker/Subwoofer
  • 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.
  • Start prying up from the edge of the right speaker nearest the display. Starting from the other side may damage one of the antennas.
  • Pry up along the edge of the right speaker until it is separated from the upper case.

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.

Start prying up from the edge of the right speaker nearest the display. Starting from the other side may damage one of the antennas.

Pry up along the edge of the right speaker until it is separated from the upper case.

Step 17

  • Pull the right speaker away from the optical drive opening.

Pull the right speaker away from the optical drive opening.

Step 18

  • Peel up the right speaker cable along the edge of the optical drive opening.
  • De-route the cable from the clips near the edge of the logic board.
  • Remove the right speaker/subwoofer assembly from the upper case.

Peel up the right speaker cable along the edge of the optical drive opening.

De-route the cable from the clips near the edge of the logic board.

Remove the right speaker/subwoofer assembly from the upper case.

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

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                                                                                      19 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 3 other contributors 


                    Phillip Takahashi

Member since: 08/22/2011

85,204 Reputation

                                      87 Guides authored                  



                       Badges:
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Kit - Jun 6, 2019

Reply

Done! No troubles - thanks for the parts, iFixit!

Drew Pieros - May 14, 2020

Reply

Killer detailed instructions!! However, it’s clear to me that this is going to the shop for repair - way over my head !!! NICE job, though!!

Emily Gerren - Dec 6, 2020

Reply

I was bloody terrified the whole time but it worked. My audio no longer clips at certain frequencies. Also I feel like a god and my household is quote “very impressed.” Bless your soul Philip!!!!

lle - Apr 28, 2021

he is an amazing guy!!!!

lle - Apr 28, 2021

Reply

hi amazing instructions! super easy to follow… I was able to do this in class with no distractions vert easily. My classmate Vitor fixed this with no problem in exactly 3.47 minutes…. i timed it! Thank you for your service you sir are a saint.. and saved my life. Take care Philip hope you get more badges! fank ya vary much.