Macbook Pro 15 2016 2017 Speaker Replacement 2016 2017 Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          1 hour

Sections

Disable Auto Boot
1 step
Lower Case
7 steps
Speaker Replacement
3 steps

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Member-Contributed Guide

An awesome member of our community made this guide. It is not managed by iFixit staff.

BackMacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar Late 2016
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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Disable Auto Boot

Before starting this procedure, you must disable your Mac’s Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide or follow the abbreviated instructions below to disable Auto Boot. This command may not work on all Macs.
Power on your Mac and launch Terminal.
Copy and paste the following command (or type it exactly) into Terminal:
sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00
Press [return]. If prompted, enter your administrator password and press [return] again. Note: Your return key may also be labeled ⏎ or “enter.”
You can now safely power down your Mac and open the bottom case, without it accidentally powering on.
When your repair is complete and your Mac is successfully reassembled, re-enable Auto Boot with the following command:
sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03

Before starting this procedure, you must disable your Mac’s Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide or follow the abbreviated instructions below to disable Auto Boot. This command may not work on all Macs.

Power on your Mac and launch Terminal.

Copy and paste the following command (or type it exactly) into Terminal:

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00

Press [return]. If prompted, enter your administrator password and press [return] again. Note: Your return key may also be labeled ⏎ or “enter.”

You can now safely power down your Mac and open the bottom case, without it accidentally powering on.

When your repair is complete and your Mac is successfully reassembled, re-enable Auto Boot with the following command:

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%03

1024

Step 2

              Lower Case

Completely power off and unplug your MacBook Pro before you begin. Close the display and flip the entire laptop upside-down.
Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove six screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:
Four 4.7 mm screws
Two 6.6 mm screws
Note the orientation of the screws as you remove them—they need to be reinstalled at a slight angle.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your device.

Completely power off and unplug your MacBook Pro before you begin. Close the display and flip the entire laptop upside-down.

Use a P5 Pentalobe driver to remove six screws securing the lower case, of the following lengths:

Four 4.7 mm screws

Two 6.6 mm screws

Note the orientation of the screws as you remove them—they need to be reinstalled at a slight angle.

Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your device.

Step 3

Press a suction handle into place near the front edge of the lower case, between the screw holes.
Lift up on the suction handle just enough to open a small gap under the lower case.

Press a suction handle into place near the front edge of the lower case, between the screw holes.

Lift up on the suction handle just enough to open a small gap under the lower case.

Step 4

Slide the corner of an opening pick into the gap you just created underneath the lower case.
Slide the opening pick around the nearest corner and then halfway up the side of the MacBook Pro.
This releases the first of the hidden clips securing the lower case. You should feel and hear the clip pop free.

Slide the corner of an opening pick into the gap you just created underneath the lower case.

Slide the opening pick around the nearest corner and then halfway up the side of the MacBook Pro.

This releases the first of the hidden clips securing the lower case. You should feel and hear the clip pop free.

Step 5

Repeat the previous step on the opposite side, using your opening pick to release the second clip.

Repeat the previous step on the opposite side, using your opening pick to release the second clip.

Step 6

Lift the front edge of the lower case (the side opposite the display hinge) just enough to slide your fingertips underneath and get a good grip on it.
Two additional hidden clips near the middle of the cover may pop free at this point, if they haven’t already.
Don’t lift very far and don’t try to remove the lower case yet.

Lift the front edge of the lower case (the side opposite the display hinge) just enough to slide your fingertips underneath and get a good grip on it.

Two additional hidden clips near the middle of the cover may pop free at this point, if they haven’t already.

Don’t lift very far and don’t try to remove the lower case yet.

Step 7

Pull the lower case firmly towards the front of the MacBook (away from the hinge area) to separate the last of the clips securing the lower case.
Pull first at one corner, then the other.
Pull to the side—not up.
This may require a lot of force.

Pull the lower case firmly towards the front of the MacBook (away from the hinge area) to separate the last of the clips securing the lower case.

Pull first at one corner, then the other.

Pull to the side—not up.

This may require a lot of force.

Step 8

Remove the lower case.
To reinstall the lower case:
Set it in place and align the sliding clips near the display hinge. Press down and slide the cover toward the hinge. It should stop sliding as the clips engage.
When the sliding clips are fully engaged and the lower case looks correctly aligned, press down firmly on the lower case to engage the four hidden clips. You should feel and hear them click into place.

Remove the lower case.

To reinstall the lower case:

Set it in place and align the sliding clips near the display hinge. Press down and slide the cover toward the hinge. It should stop sliding as the clips engage.

When the sliding clips are fully engaged and the lower case looks correctly aligned, press down firmly on the lower case to engage the four hidden clips. You should feel and hear them click into place.

Step 9

              Speaker Replacement

The speaker is glued to the enclosure with really hard tape, so I used hair dryer to make it easier to take it off.
Use the hair dryer to heat the metal from the other side, next to the keyboard.

The speaker is glued to the enclosure with really hard tape, so I used hair dryer to make it easier to take it off.

Use the hair dryer to heat the metal from the other side, next to the keyboard.

Step 10

              Taking off the speaker (the hardest step)

After that, insert a metal ruler between the speaker and the enclosure. Be careful not to damage the battery shells when you do that.
You can also try to use a guitar string on the rounded corner next to the battery.
It works best when you heat the case while trying to remove the speaker. Ask someone to hold the hair dryer while you pull.
Only apply as much heat as you need until the glue slightly loosens.

After that, insert a metal ruler between the speaker and the enclosure. Be careful not to damage the battery shells when you do that.

You can also try to use a guitar string on the rounded corner next to the battery.

It works best when you heat the case while trying to remove the speaker. Ask someone to hold the hair dryer while you pull.

Only apply as much heat as you need until the glue slightly loosens.

Step 11

In my case, I used double-sided tape for this replacement. The most important thing in this step is not to make a gap when you cut and put it on the speaker. Even just a little gap will make sound distorted.
Also, I noticed the structural differences between 2016 and 2017models. The right one is 2017 model and the left one is 2016 model from iFixit. Sound absorbing material is slightly different as you can see at the third picture, but I couldn’t tell the difference of sound quality.

In my case, I used double-sided tape for this replacement. The most important thing in this step is not to make a gap when you cut and put it on the speaker. Even just a little gap will make sound distorted.

Also, I noticed the structural differences between 2016 and 2017models. The right one is 2017 model and the left one is 2016 model from iFixit. Sound absorbing material is slightly different as you can see at the third picture, but I couldn’t tell the difference of sound quality.

Several month after this replacement, the battery drive time dropped so much, so I had my MBP checked at Genius Bar. I asked them if I could receive the battery replacement even I replaced the right speaker by myself, they said they could. Ultimately, the top case including battery and speakers was replaced. However I am afraid that the new speakers would break again because they sometimes make a cracking noise while playing music or something.

Cancel: I did not complete this guide.

                                                                                      39 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 4 other contributors

                    Takashi Miyazaki

Member since: 01/13/2019

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Dmitry Petrov - Jan 14, 2020

is battery draining is related to speaker replacement? as I get it’s not, but just wanted to double-check

I’ll need to do the same replacement after I’ve damaged my speaker when I was opening my MacBook to change thermal paste, so great news you can change to case after a repair like that, thank you

Charles Lampard - Feb 25, 2020

Has anyone done this repair and what there any problems?

Seba KL - Mar 22, 2020

Are these speakers located directly under the back /bottom cover? I have the MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) touch bar and I see in some videos people going through so many steps trying to get to them so I’m a little confused by this 3-step tutorial.

Kyungil Kong - Mar 27, 2020

Where can I buy the right-side speaker component, 2017 model? As you noted in the 3rd step section, you find the structural differences between 2016 and 2017models. When I search the 2017 model right-side speaker in ifixit. com here, the component seems to be only 2016 model as below:

MacBook Pro 15" Retina (Late 2016-2017) Right Speaker

Also, do you have a video tutorial of replacing speakers? If then, much appreciated!

Takashi Miyazaki - Mar 28, 2020

Sorry I didn’t record the video of this repair. You can find it on eBay, the link is here : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Macbook…

but I’m not sure if it would work perfectly because it is used one. So I recommend you buy the right speaker on iFixit though it might be 2016 model because I couldn’t tell the difference of sound quality between 2016 and 2017 model.

Member-Contributed Guide#

Introduction#

What you need#

Member-Contributed Guide

Introduction

What you need