Introduction
Use this guide to replace the upper case. This procedure involves using adhesive remover to remove the battery. Do not reuse the battery after it has been removed, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.
iFixit adhesive remover is highly flammable. Perform this procedure in a well-ventilated area. Do not smoke or work near an open flame during this procedure.
To minimize risk of damage, turn on your MacBook and allow the battery to fully discharge before starting this procedure. A charged lithium-ion battery can create a dangerous and uncontrollable fire if accidentally punctured. If your battery is swollen, take extra precautions.
Some replacement upper case assemblies may include the trackpad and battery as well. In this case, skip steps 18 through 44.
This guide requires the removal of the heat sink. Don't forget to follow our thermal paste application guide before you reinstall your heat sink.
What you need
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Tool used on this step:Magnetic Project Mat$19.95
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Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:
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Two 2.3 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Eight 3.0 mm P5 Pentalobe screws
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Remove the two 2.1 mm T5 Torx screws securing the logic board end of the I/O board cable bracket.
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Remove the I/O board cable bracket.
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Insert the tip of a spudger under the left speaker cable near the connector and lift it up out of its socket on the logic board.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pop the trackpad connector straight up off its socket on the logic board.
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Fill a pot or pan with enough water to fully submerge an iOpener.
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Heat the water to a boil. Turn off the heat.
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Place an iOpener into the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the iOpener is fully submerged in the water.
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Use tongs to extract the heated iOpener from the hot water.
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Thoroughly dry the iOpener with a towel.
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Your iOpener is ready for use! If you need to reheat the iOpener, heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat, and place the iOpener in the water for 2-3 minutes.
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To protect your display, place a sheet of aluminum foil between the display and keyboard and leave it there while you work.
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Alternatively, if you are using the hot iOpener method, skip the following three steps.
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Wear eye protection when handling and applying the adhesive remover. (Eye protection is included in your kit.)
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Protective gloves are also included in your kit. If you are concerned about skin irritation, put your gloves on now.
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Tool used on this step:Plastic Cards$2.99
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Push a plastic card between the right-most battery cell and the upper case, cutting the adhesive between the two.
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When using the hot iOpener method, if you encounter significant resistance to prying, stop and use the iOpener to reheat the section you're working on.
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Repeat this procedure with the adjacent battery cell:
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Apply a small amount of liquid adhesive remover under the battery cell, and wait 2-3 minutes for it to penetrate and soften the adhesive.
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Alternatively, re-heat this section with your iOpener if needed.
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Push a plastic card about an inch between the battery cell and the upper case, and slowly pry the cell up to separate all of the adhesive.
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Repeat the above procedure to separate the two leftmost battery cells from the upper case.
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Remember to apply a small amount of adhesive remover to each battery cell, and wait 2-3 minutes for it to penetrate and soften the adhesive.
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Use a second plastic card to separate the two leftmost battery cells from the upper case.
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Leave the second card in the corner between the two left cells.
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If using an iOpener, reheat it and apply it to the central battery cells.
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As before, leave the iOpener in each position for about a minute, reheating in between, to heat each half of the center cells.
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In the following steps, you can either use a third card, or the card from the right corner. The right corner adhesive should be dry/cool enough that the cells can easily be pulled up again when needed.
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If using liquid adhesive remover, apply a few more drops under each of the final two, middle cells.
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Allow 2-3 minutes for the adhesive remover to penetrate before you continue.
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Gently folding the right-most battery cells out of the way, insert a plastic card under the right center cell.
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Push the card in about half of its length to cut the adhesive holding the battery cell to the case.
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Leave the card in place to keep the adhesive from re-sealing.
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Remove the battery.
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With a little luck, you can slowly pull out each strip of adhesive with your fingers.
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Otherwise, soak each section of adhesive with a bit of adhesive remover for 2-3 minutes, and then scrape it out with an opening pick or one of the other tools in your kit. This can take quite a bit of work, so be patient.
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Mop up any remaining adhesive remover and give your MacBook Pro a few minutes to air dry.
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Calibrate your newly installed battery: charge it to 100%, and keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
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If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook Pro's SMC.
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Remove the ten 2.8 mm T3 screws securing the trackpad cover plate to the upper case.
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Grab the black plastic tab to flip the display cable connector open and pull it straight out of its socket on the logic board.
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Pull in the direction of the cable, parallel to the logic board. Do not pull up.
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Insert the tip of a spudger under each of the antenna cables near their connectors and pry up to disconnect them from the AirPort board.
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Connect the long-sleeved cable to the center socket.
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The short-sleeved cable connects next to the screw.
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The remaining cable has no sleeve, and connects in the last empty socket, next to the fan.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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8 Comments
Hey I need to replace my track pad for sure, but would anyone know if the circuit board on the backside of the track pad controls the keyboard? or where the hardware is that controls the keyboard? My mouse and keyboard arent working due to water damage and apple wants 750 for a part thats less then 100 dollars. Any insight would be much appreciated!
@andrew how do you re-assemble the iOpener-removed battery? Just lay it in-place and re-heat it all with the iOpener? Can the adhesive be re-used?
I ended up reassembling with the remaining glue on the battery and trackpad cover panel. I used a hairdryer to attempt to reactivate the glue since my iRemover sprung a leak. The outside-most cells are loose - oh well :). Maybe I'll open it up and tape them down.
Well done Andrew!!! I followed this guide and surprisingly everything is good. The tech at the Apple store tried to convince my daughter that she fried the logic board + keyboard by getting water into it. (It was a month past the warranty so we didn't argue.) But she swears she never got any liquid near it. I didn't see any obvious signs of moisture when I opened it up. Based on other comments on other sites, it seems more like Apple has shipped some defective keyboards for at least some MacBook models.
that’s exactly what is happening with me now!!! apple is trying to convince me that there is a liquid damage exactly on the I/o board in my mackbook pro early 2015. At first the battery isn’t charging and they said that they will change the top case including keyboard and battery, five days later which is today the call me saying they discovered a liquid damage on the I/o board and the price will be changed from 200 hundred pounds to 325 pounds. I definitely refused and suspected them. now I took my MacBook back again and looking for another solution. it works fine with the power cable. so any idea would be highly appreciated.
many thanks
sofian
Sofian -
