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iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the PRAM battery.

What you need

  1. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Access Door: step 1, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Access Door: step 1, image 2 of 2

    • Unplug your iMac's AC cord along with any peripheral devices.

    • Lay your iMac face-down on a soft, clean surface as shown.

    • Be sure there isn't any dirt or debris on your work surface, as it may scratch the glass panel on the front of your iMac. We recommend placing a towel between the iMac and the work surface.

    • Loosen the three Phillips screws securing the access door to the bottom edge of your iMac.

    • All three screws will remain captive in the access door.

    • Remove the access door.

    Edit

  2. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, RAM: step 2, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, RAM: step 2, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, RAM: step 2, image 3 of 3

    • Gently slide the black plastic RAM pull tab out from the RAM slot.

    • Pull the black plastic tab away from the bottom edge of the iMac to eject the module(s) on that side of the RAM bay.

    • This may require a bit of force.

    Edit

  3. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1

    • Slide the old RAM module(s) out of their slots in the RAM bay and set them aside.

    Edit

  4. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 4, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 4, image 3 of 3

    • Repeat the process in the previous steps to remove the RAM module(s) from the other side of the RAM bay.

    Edit

  5. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 5, image 3 of 3

    • When installing new RAM modules, it is important to orient them correctly.

    • Be sure the small notch cut into each RAM module (shown in the first picture) mates with the protrusion in each RAM slot (shown in the second picture).

    • Your iMac has four RAM slots. Be sure to slide each RAM module into its slot horizontally. This will prevent getting the modules stuck between two of the adjacent slots.

    • Once you have oriented the new RAM modules correctly, gently slide them completely into the iMac and use your thumbs to firmly seat them in their sockets.

    Edit

  6. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Glass Panel: step 6, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Glass Panel: step 6, image 2 of 2
    Tool used on this step:
    Heavy-Duty Suction Cups (Pair)
    $14.95
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    • Before beginning, unplug your iMac and lay it on a soft surface as shown.

    • Stick a suction cup near each of the two top corners of the glass panel.

    • To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.

    • If your suction cups refuse to stick, try cleaning both the glass panel and the suction cup with a mild solvent.

    Edit

  7. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 7, image 2 of 2

    • Gently lift the glass panel perpendicular to the face of the LCD enough to clear the steel mounting pins attached along the underside of the top edge of the glass panel.

    • Pull the glass panel away from the lower edge of the iMac and carefully set it aside.

    • During reinstallation, be sure to meticulously clean the inside of the glass panel and the face of the LCD as any dust or fingerprints trapped inside will be annoyingly visible when the machine is turned on.

    Edit

  8. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Display: step 8, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Display: step 8, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Display: step 8, image 3 of 3

    • Remove the eight 8 mm T10 Torx screws securing the display to the outer case.

    • The last two pictures are detail shots of each side of the display.

    Edit

  9. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1

    • Slightly lift the top edge of the display out of the outer case.

    • Do not lift it too much. There are several cables attaching the display to the logic board.

    Edit

  10. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 10, image 2 of 2

    • Pull the vertical sync cable connector out of its socket on the LED driver board near the top left corner of your iMac.

    Edit

  11. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 11, image 2 of 2

    • Rotate the display out of the outer case enough to disconnect the LED backlight power cable from the LED driver board.

    • Disconnect the LED backlight power cable by depressing the locking mechanism while pulling the connector away from its socket (toward the bottom edge of the iMac).

    Edit

  12. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 12, image 2 of 2

    • The display data cable plug has a wire lock. Disengage the plug's lock by rotating the plastic tab so that it points upward. (It is not a pull tab.)

    • Pull the display data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Do not lift up on the display data cable, as its socket is very fragile. Pull the cable parallel to the face of the logic board.

    Edit

  13. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 13, image 2 of 2

    • Disconnect the LCD thermal sensor cable connector from its socket on the logic board.

    • If your fan is spinning full speed after completion, check this connection or the hard drive's thermal sensor cable.

    Edit

  14. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1

    • Carefully pull the display toward the top edge of your iMac and lift it out of the outer case, minding any cables that may get caught.

    Edit

  15. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Optical Drive: step 15, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the following four screws:

    • One 9.3 mm T10 Torx screw with a large head

    • Three 9.3 mm T10 Torx screws with a normal sized head

    Edit

  17. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 16, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 16, image 2 of 2

    • Pull the optical drive thermal sensor connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  18. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 17, image 2 of 2

    • Lift the inner edge of the optical drive and maneuver its connector past the GPU frame attached to the logic board.

    • Carefully pull the optical drive off its mounting pins on the right side of the outer case to gain clearance for disconnecting the optical drive cable.

    • Allow the optical drive to hang down as you de-route the optical drive thermal sensor connector from behind the GPU heat sink.

    Edit

  19. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 18, image 1 of 1

    • Disconnect the optical drive cable by pulling its connector away from the optical drive.

    • Remove the optical drive from the iMac.

    • Do not forget to also move the thermal sensor from the optical drive to the enclosure when you install the second hard drive.

    Edit

  20. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Optical Drive Fan: step 19, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the single 13 mm T10 Torx screw securing the optical drive fan to the outer case.

    Edit

  21. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 20, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the optical drive fan off the pins attached to the outer case.

    Edit

  22. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 21, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the optical drive fan connector out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Remove the optical drive fan from the iMac.

    Edit

  23. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, Logic Board: step 22, image 1 of 1

    • In the proceeding steps, you will disconnect the following cables:

    • SD Board and microphone

    • Left/Right Speaker

    • Wi-Fi Antenna

    • Bluetooth/Ambient Light Sensor/Camera/Left Temperature Sensor, Hard Drive Temperature Sensor and Hard Drive Fan

    • CPU Fan/Ambient Temperature and Power Button

    • IR Sensor

    Edit

  24. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 23, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the microphone cable connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

    Edit

  25. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 24, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the SD board cable out of its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  26. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 25, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 25, image 2 of 2

    • Disconnect the left speaker and right speaker cables by pulling their connectors toward the right side of the iMac.

    Edit

  27. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 26, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 26, image 2 of 2

    • Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both AirPort antenna connectors up from their sockets on the AirPort board.

    • The gray antenna attaches to the socket on the left and the black antenna attaches to the socket on the right.

    Edit

  28. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 27, image 1 of 1

    • Disconnect the hard drive fan by pulling its connector toward the top edge of the iMac.

    Edit

  29. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 28, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the hard drive thermal sensor cable out of its socket and toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

    Edit

  30. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 29, image 1 of 1

    • Use your thumbnails on both sides of the Bluetooth/ambient light sensor/camera/left temperature connector to push it toward the top edge of the iMac and out of its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  31. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 30, image 1 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 30, image 2 of 3 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 30, image 3 of 3

    • Pull the CPU fan/ambient temperature sensor connector toward the bottom left edge of the iMac and out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Pull the power button connector toward the bottom left corner of the iMac to disconnect it from its socket on the logic board.

    Edit

  32. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 31, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the piece of tape covering the IR sensor cable.

    Edit

  33. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 32, image 1 of 1

    • Use your thumbs to push the IR sensor connector out of its socket and toward the top edge of the iMac.

    Edit

  34. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 33, image 1 of 1

    • Pull the IR sensor board up from behind the front face of the outer case.

    • Remove the IR sensor and set it aside.

    Edit

  35. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 34, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the following seven screws:

    • Two 7 mm T10 torx screws

    • One 30 mm T10 Torx screw

    • Two 25 mm T10 Torx screws

    • Two 21 mm T10 Torx screws

    Edit

  36. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 35, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 35, image 2 of 2

    • Be careful not to touch any solder joints on the back of the power supply. Capacitors may be charged enough to give you a dangerous shock.

    • Remove the following four screws:

    • One 9.3 mm T10 coarse-threaded screw

    • One 25 mm T10 coarse-threaded screw

    • Two 22 mm fine-threaded screws

    • Pull the upper right and lower left corners of the power supply away from the rear case to dislodge the mounting posts attached to the power supply's corners.

    Edit

  37. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 36, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 36, image 2 of 2

    • Carefully lift the power supply out of the outer case and rotate it to expose the cable lock as shown, minding the DC-out and AC-in cables still attaching it to the iMac.

    • Disconnect the DC-out cable by depressing the locking mechanism on the connector while you pull the connector away from its socket on the power supply.

    • Once the locking mechanism has cleared the socket, pull the DC-in connector away from the power supply.

    Edit

  38. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 37, image 1 of 1

    • Disconnect the AC-In cable by depressing the locking mechanism while pulling the connector away from its socket.

    • Remove the power supply from the outer case.

    Edit

  39. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 38, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the plastic wall that is installed directly to the right of the LED driver board.

    Edit

  40. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 39, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the plastic pressure wall installed next to the hard drive.

    Edit

  41. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 40, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 40, image 2 of 2

    • Slightly pull the logic board away from the back of the outer case, then lift it upward to clear the lower front face of the outer case.

    Edit

  42. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 41, image 1 of 1

    • Disconnect the audio port cable by pulling its connector away from the front face of the logic board.

    Edit

  43. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 42, image 1 of 1

    • If present, peel off the tape securing the hard drive SATA cable to the logic board.

    Edit

  44. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 43, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 43, image 2 of 2

    • Depress the locking mechanism and carefully pull the DC-In cable out of its socket on the back of the logic board.

    Edit

  45. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement: step 44, image 1 of 1

    • Being careful not to damage the socket on the logic board, gently pull the hard drive SATA data cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

    • Remove the logic board, minding any cables that may get caught.

    • When reinstalling the logic board, plug in a mini display port cable and a USB cable into the outer USB port before tightening the logic board screws to ensure proper alignment.

    Edit

  46. iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, PRAM Battery: step 45, image 1 of 2 iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2389 PRAM Battery Replacement, PRAM Battery: step 45, image 2 of 2

    • Use the tip of a spudger to pry the PRAM battery out of its socket on the logic board.

    • The PRAM battery is a BR2032 lithium coin cell.

    Edit
Conclusion

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

19 other people completed this guide.

13 Comments

Merci pour cette aide précieuse et fort bien faite.

très utile.

jpmoll - Reply

Andrew, could a bad PRAM battery cause the iMac to not start at all? I just replaced the PSU, and still dead. I have an iMac A1311 EMC2389. Thanks.

agigante - Reply

Yes. This is quite common with Macs, but the battery usually lasts a long time, especially if the machine is on most of the time.

On Your Left -

I can’t believe Apple put the PRAM battery there! Prior iMac models had them very easily accessible just behind the LCD screen. I just did a SSD install for someone and was going to replace the battery while I was at it. Not going to take a chance of breaking something in the process.

amiller770 - Reply

Me either. It’s ridiculous. Insures business at the repair center.

Dwight Fisher -

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