Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

28

Time Required

Suggest a time??

Sections

6

  • SIM Card
  • 1 step
  • Back Cover Assembly
  • 9 steps
  • Lower Antenna Assembly
  • 2 steps
  • Battery
  • 5 steps
  • Motherboard Assembly
  • 10 steps
  • Rear Facing Camera
  • 1 step

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  • BackMotorola Moto X 1st Generation

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Introduction

What you need

Video Overview

Step 1

              SIM Card
  • Insert the SIM card eject tool into the hole in the side of the SIM card tray and push to eject the tray.
  • Remove the SIM card tray.
  • If the SIM card does not fall free from the tray on its own, simply remove it with your fingers.

Insert the SIM card eject tool into the hole in the side of the SIM card tray and push to eject the tray.

Remove the SIM card tray.

If the SIM card does not fall free from the tray on its own, simply remove it with your fingers.

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Step 2

              Back Cover Assembly
  • In the following steps you will be releasing the clips holding the phone’s cases together. However, the back case is also secured with an adhesive pad. After separating the clips you will use an iOpener to allow the case to fully open. Do not attempt to fully open the phone before loosening the adhesive.
  • Insert a plastic opening tool into the seam between the front and rear covers near the SIM card slot.
  • Slide the plastic opening tool along the seam toward the upper corner.

In the following steps you will be releasing the clips holding the phone’s cases together. However, the back case is also secured with an adhesive pad. After separating the clips you will use an iOpener to allow the case to fully open. Do not attempt to fully open the phone before loosening the adhesive.

Insert a plastic opening tool into the seam between the front and rear covers near the SIM card slot.

Slide the plastic opening tool along the seam toward the upper corner.

Step 3

  • Carefully slide the plastic opening tool around the corner, freeing it from clips.

Carefully slide the plastic opening tool around the corner, freeing it from clips.

Step 4

  • Pry around the top right corner of the phone between the two covers.

Pry around the top right corner of the phone between the two covers.

Step 5

  • Run the opening tool along the seam around all four sides, separating the remaining clips holding the cover on.
  • The plastic on the front cover is thinner near the buttons, and the buttons may move around. Go slowly to avoid damaging the buttons or the front cover.
  • Do not push the opening tool deep into phone, or you may damage internal components.

Run the opening tool along the seam around all four sides, separating the remaining clips holding the cover on.

The plastic on the front cover is thinner near the buttons, and the buttons may move around. Go slowly to avoid damaging the buttons or the front cover.

Do not push the opening tool deep into phone, or you may damage internal components.

Step 6

  • Heat an iOpener and lay it over the phone for approximately 90 seconds to loosen the adhesive securing the back cover.

Heat an iOpener and lay it over the phone for approximately 90 seconds to loosen the adhesive securing the back cover.

Step 7

  • Starting from the SIM slot side, carefully peel the back cover off of the phone.
  • The back cover is very flexible, but you don’t want to damage any internal components by being too hasty.
  • There is a chance that the NFC coil may remain stubbornly adhered to the back cover. If that’s the case, stop peeling the cover and reapply a heated iOpener to the back cover.
  • Do not separate the back cover entirely; it is still connected to the phone by the camera flash cable.
  • The flash cable is attached on the power/volume button side of the phone.

Starting from the SIM slot side, carefully peel the back cover off of the phone.

The back cover is very flexible, but you don’t want to damage any internal components by being too hasty.

There is a chance that the NFC coil may remain stubbornly adhered to the back cover. If that’s the case, stop peeling the cover and reapply a heated iOpener to the back cover.

Do not separate the back cover entirely; it is still connected to the phone by the camera flash cable.

The flash cable is attached on the power/volume button side of the phone.

Step 8

  • Gently set the back cover down in a way that exposes the camera flash cable connector, but does not put strain on it.

Gently set the back cover down in a way that exposes the camera flash cable connector, but does not put strain on it.

Step 9

  • Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the flash cable ZIF connector.
  • Be sure to pry only on the flap itself, not on the connector.
  • Pull the flash cable straight out of its socket.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the retaining flap on the flash cable ZIF connector.

Be sure to pry only on the flap itself, not on the connector.

Pull the flash cable straight out of its socket.

Step 10

  • Separate the back cover from the phone.

Separate the back cover from the phone.

Step 11

              Lower Antenna Assembly
  • Remove the four 3 mm T3 Torx screws securing the lower antenna assembly to the phone.

Remove the four 3 mm T3 Torx screws securing the lower antenna assembly to the phone.

Step 12

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up the lower antenna assembly and free it from the phone.
  • Remove the antenna assembly.

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up the lower antenna assembly and free it from the phone.

Remove the antenna assembly.

Step 13

              Battery
  • Insert the tip of a spudger under the battery cable near the connector to lift it straight up from its socket.
  • Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the NFC antenna cable connector.

Insert the tip of a spudger under the battery cable near the connector to lift it straight up from its socket.

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the NFC antenna cable connector.

Step 14

  • Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the ZIF retaining flap from the button assembly cable connector.
  • Slide the tip of the spudger under the button assembly cable near the connector to pull the cable straight out of its socket.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the ZIF retaining flap from the button assembly cable connector.

Slide the tip of the spudger under the button assembly cable near the connector to pull the cable straight out of its socket.

Step 15

  • Insert the flat end of a spudger under the interconnect cable to free it from the adhesive holding it to the battery.

Insert the flat end of a spudger under the interconnect cable to free it from the adhesive holding it to the battery.

Step 16

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to peel the adhesive pull-tab off the top of battery.

Use the flat end of a spudger to peel the adhesive pull-tab off the top of battery.

Step 17

  • Use the adhesive pull-tab to lift the battery from its recess.
  • The battery is secured to the motherboard with mild adhesive. Peel slowly, and be careful not to bend or puncture the battery.
  • Remove the battery from the phone.
  • When reassembling your phone secure the battery with double-sided tape or pre-cut adhesive strips.

Use the adhesive pull-tab to lift the battery from its recess.

The battery is secured to the motherboard with mild adhesive. Peel slowly, and be careful not to bend or puncture the battery.

Remove the battery from the phone.

When reassembling your phone secure the battery with double-sided tape or pre-cut adhesive strips.

Step 18

              Motherboard Assembly
  • Remove the five 3 mm T3 Torx screws from the headphone jack/speaker assembly.

Remove the five 3 mm T3 Torx screws from the headphone jack/speaker assembly.

Step 19

  • Insert a spudger under the panhandle of the headphone jack/speaker assembly and pry it up from its recess.
  • Remove the headphone jack/speaker assembly.

Insert a spudger under the panhandle of the headphone jack/speaker assembly and pry it up from its recess.

Remove the headphone jack/speaker assembly.

Step 20

  • Push the tip of a spudger under the microphone assembly clip to free it from the earpiece speaker.
  • If the assembly clip seems to be missing, check the speaker assembly that was removed from the previous step.

Push the tip of a spudger under the microphone assembly clip to free it from the earpiece speaker.

If the assembly clip seems to be missing, check the speaker assembly that was removed from the previous step.

Step 21

  • Use the flat end of a spudger to free the microphone assembly cable connector.
  • Use tweezers to remove the microphone assembly.

Use the flat end of a spudger to free the microphone assembly cable connector.

Use tweezers to remove the microphone assembly.

Step 22

  • Disconnect the front-facing camera cable connector.
  • Remove the front-facing camera from its recess with a pair of tweezers.

Disconnect the front-facing camera cable connector.

Remove the front-facing camera from its recess with a pair of tweezers.

Step 23

  • Remove the final two 3 mm T3 Torx screws from the SIM slot bracket.

Remove the final two 3 mm T3 Torx screws from the SIM slot bracket.

Step 24

  • Remove the SIM slot bracket from the motherboard.

Remove the SIM slot bracket from the motherboard.

Step 25

  • Insert the flat end of a spudger under the motherboard above the button assembly cable, and pry it out of the phone.
  • Be careful not to snag any cables.
  • The buttons may pop out of their recesses; take care not to lose them.

Insert the flat end of a spudger under the motherboard above the button assembly cable, and pry it out of the phone.

Be careful not to snag any cables.

The buttons may pop out of their recesses; take care not to lose them.

Step 26

  • Gently lift the motherboard out of the phone, rotating it from the SIM slot edge of the phone.
  • Do not attempt to separate the motherboard entirely; it is still connected to the display by the display cable.

Gently lift the motherboard out of the phone, rotating it from the SIM slot edge of the phone.

Do not attempt to separate the motherboard entirely; it is still connected to the display by the display cable.

Step 27

  • Lay the motherboard down to allow access to the display cable connector.
  • Use the flat end of a spudger to flip the retaining tab on the display cable ZIF connector.
  • Carefully pull the display cable out of its connector as you remove the motherboard from the display assembly.

Lay the motherboard down to allow access to the display cable connector.

Use the flat end of a spudger to flip the retaining tab on the display cable ZIF connector.

Carefully pull the display cable out of its connector as you remove the motherboard from the display assembly.

Step 28

              Rear Facing Camera
  • Use the flat end of a spudger to flip up the retaining tab on the rear-facing camera ZIF cable connector.
  • Remove the rear-facing camera from the motherboard.

Use the flat end of a spudger to flip up the retaining tab on the rear-facing camera ZIF cable connector.

Remove the rear-facing camera from the motherboard.

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

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                    Sam Goldheart

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joeracke - Dec 12, 2013

Reply

This took me about an hour or so to do after I got the right tools. I ordered the iOpener “kit” and stupid me thinking that ifixit would directly link you from this page to a kit that works with it, so I didn’t read that the kit comes with a T5 torx bit and not a T3. Also no tweezers. Other than that this guide works perfect. The only tricky parts really were getting the battery out; “mild adhesive” my !@#. I used the black tool to slowly pry the battery out. Be patient and the adhesive will give. The other tricky part was getting the motherboard plugged back in. I thought I had it in the first time but apparently didn’t. If you get it all back together and all the phone does when you turn it on is do a 1-2sec vibrate every 10 sec or so then check the connection on the motherboard. Great guide for getting your phone DOD ready. Or any job that doesn’t allow camera phones on site!

Rad Mod - May 26, 2015

Reply

I was successful replacing both my non-functioning camera, a battery getting on the weak side, and a new back cover (went for one of those colorful back covers sold on eBay). The two things that tripped me up were 1) dealing with that sticky gasket between the antenna and the noise-canceling mic (Step 20), and 2) getting the cover glass to stay put on the new back cover. For 2), I ended up fashioning my own adhesive with 2-sided scotch tape.

ALSO You really don’t need to do Step 35. Leave the motherboard plugged in, and simply remove and re-attach the camera in place.

sfanara - May 24, 2016

Reply

I went through each step methodically and only had problems removing the top black cover in step #28. The assembly came off with the ear speaker attached to it, nonetheless was able to put it back. Just be wary that it might not be as easy as pictured.

When putting it all back together though I got an unwelcome surprise… somehow instead of getting the phone turning on and loading android, I got the symbol of the battery reading 80% and a large battery outline icon in the middle of the screen against white background with a light blue indicator reflecting visually that 80% charge. Anyone got a similar issue? I couldn’t get android to start as it usually would. What gives? (Thanks for any help! :)

Robert Raney - Jul 22, 2016

Reply

First I just want to say thank you for putting together this wonderful guide.

I’ve replaced the camera and it works but the camera has a problem focusing and all the pictures are blurry. Do you think it’s the new camera or a software issue. This is the second camera I got from Phone Parts USA that has done this. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!