Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

13

Time Required

                          30 minutes - 1 hour

Sections

4

  • Access Door
  • 2 steps
  • Battery
  • 1 step
  • Lower Case
  • 2 steps
  • Display Assembly
  • 8 steps

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  • BackMacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2008 & Early 2009

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Access Door
  • With the case closed, place the Unibody top-side down on a flat surface.
  • Depress the grooved side of the access door release latch enough to grab the free end. Lift the release latch until it is vertical.

With the case closed, place the Unibody top-side down on a flat surface.

Depress the grooved side of the access door release latch enough to grab the free end. Lift the release latch until it is vertical.

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Step 2

  • The access door should now be raised enough to lift it up and out of the Unibody.

The access door should now be raised enough to lift it up and out of the Unibody.

Step 3

              Battery
  • Be sure the access door release latch is vertical before proceeding.
  • Grab the translucent plastic tab and pull the battery up and out of the Unibody.
  • If the latch is depressed it will lock the battery in place.

Be sure the access door release latch is vertical before proceeding.

Grab the translucent plastic tab and pull the battery up and out of the Unibody.

If the latch is depressed it will lock the battery in place.

Step 4

              Lower Case
  • Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case to the chassis:
  • One 5.4 mm Phillips screw.
  • Three 14 mm Phillips screws.
  • Four 3.5 mm Phillips screws.

Remove the following eight screws securing the lower case to the chassis:

One 5.4 mm Phillips screw.

Three 14 mm Phillips screws.

Four 3.5 mm Phillips screws.

Step 5

  • Using both hands, lift and remove the lower case off the upper case.

Using both hands, lift and remove the lower case off the upper case.

Step 6

              Display Assembly
  • If necessary, peel the EMI gasket off the camera cable connector.
  • Disconnect the camera cable by pulling the male end straight away from its socket toward the optical drive opening.
  • Do not try to lift this connector straight up off the board. Pull the connector parallel to the face of the logic board.
  • Deroute the camera data cable from the channel in the optical drive.

If necessary, peel the EMI gasket off the camera cable connector.

Disconnect the camera cable by pulling the male end straight away from its socket toward the optical drive opening.

Do not try to lift this connector straight up off the board. Pull the connector parallel to the face of the logic board.

Deroute the camera data cable from the channel in the optical drive.

Step 7

  • Remove the two Phillips screws securing the camera cable bracket to the upper case.
  • The leftmost screw may remain captive in the camera cable.
  • Seperate the camera cable bracket from the camera cable and remove it from the computer.

Remove the two Phillips screws securing the camera cable bracket to the upper case.

The leftmost screw may remain captive in the camera cable.

Seperate the camera cable bracket from the camera cable and remove it from the computer.

Step 8

  • Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the LVDS cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-in side of the computer.
  • Pull the LVDS connector straight away from its socket.
  • When disconnecting the LVDS cable, do not pull on the black tab secured to the LVDS cable lock. We recommend wiggling the cable while applying tension to slowly “walk” the connector out of its socket.

Grab the plastic pull tab secured to the LVDS cable lock and rotate it toward the DC-in side of the computer.

Pull the LVDS connector straight away from its socket.

When disconnecting the LVDS cable, do not pull on the black tab secured to the LVDS cable lock. We recommend wiggling the cable while applying tension to slowly “walk” the connector out of its socket.

Step 9

  • Remove the 7 mm Phillips screw from the LVDS cable bracket.
  • This screw may remain captive in the LVDS cable.
  • Lift the LVDS cable bracket out of the upper case.

Remove the 7 mm Phillips screw from the LVDS cable bracket.

This screw may remain captive in the LVDS cable.

Lift the LVDS cable bracket out of the upper case.

Step 10

  • Remove the two outer 6 mm Torx screws securing each side of the display to the upper case (four screws total).

Remove the two outer 6 mm Torx screws securing each side of the display to the upper case (four screws total).

Step 11

  • Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.
  • Place your opened MacBook Pro on a table as pictured.
  • While holding the display and upper case together with your other hand, remove the 6 mm Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

Open your MacBook Pro so the display is perpendicular to the upper case.

Place your opened MacBook Pro on a table as pictured.

While holding the display and upper case together with your other hand, remove the 6 mm Torx screw from the lower display bracket.

Step 12

  • Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your other hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.
  • Remove the last remaining 6 mm Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

Be sure to hold the display and upper case together with your other hand. Failure to do so may cause the freed display/upper case to fall, potentially damaging each component.

Remove the last remaining 6 mm Torx screw securing the display to the upper case.

Step 13

  • 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.
  • Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.
  • Lift the display away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

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.

Rotate the display slightly away from the upper case.

Lift the display away from the upper case, minding any brackets or cables that may get caught.

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

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                                      with 11 other contributors 


                    Walter Galan

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krkarl - Jul 15, 2012

Reply

Just repaired my Macbook Pro using this guide! Kudos for writing such easy to follow guides complete with pictures!

Great website.. Keep up the great work!

Marty Picco - Jan 23, 2013

Reply

I used this guide to replace my hinges, but I noticed that the real problem was that the display was separating from the case. I Googled it and found a few reports like (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/371…) indicating that Apple has a replacement program in place addressing this as a latent defect.

I took my machine to the local Apple store, and even though I bought it at the end of 2008, they replaced the display for free.

If you’re having a display separation issue it’s worth seeing what Apple says before digging into it.

pmpanache - May 10, 2016

This thread is now “not authorized” for viewing. I think Apple doesn’t want anyone to know about this issue!

gatortpk - Feb 2, 2013

Reply

This is a great guide. I also read the guide pertaining to the 2.53 GHz Mid-2009 MacBook Pro Display Assembly.

I wanted to report that I successfully removed the display assembly from a Mid-2009 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz - no discrete graphics) and installed it on the Late-2008 MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz with dual graphics).

Everything appears to be identical, except (strangely) the screws, that are generally captive in the camera cable and the LVDS cable, need to stay with their original MacBook Pro. Meaning, keep all the screws with the same MacBook Pro. The other screws did appear to be identical though.

Bottom line, keep the screws to the same MacBook. That’s easy enough, just remove the captive screws from the cables to keep them with the same MacBook Pro they were from.

(Also, the camera cable where it attaches the logic board was slightly closer to the optical drive and seemed to overlap it slightly when transferring the Mid-2009 display to the Late-2008 MacBook Pro. This didn’t seem to pose a problem.)

gatortpk - Feb 3, 2013

So while the display works perfectly and the hinges, camera cable, and LVDS cable match, the reed switch magnet is on the left side now (that meets the ExpressCard/34 slot, instead of the SD Card slot) instead of on the right (near the security slot) where the actual reed switch is for the late-2008 MacBook Pros.

I can just choose sleep from the Apple Menu every time, or put a tiny “refrigerator” magnet on the right side of the display.