DIY Tutorial: How to Replace MacBook Pro 15 Left Fan – Step-by-Step Guide
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 12 Steps
Heads up! Be super careful with these tiny screws—they love to disappear! If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Swapping out a faulty fan is a breeze and will keep your laptop chill and happy. If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 1
– Using your fingers, slide both battery release tabs away from the battery, and pop that battery right out of the computer. If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 2
– Dance with joy as you unscrew the three adorable 2mm Phillips screws from the memory door.
– Give the memory door a little lift and slide it towards you with style, watching it break free from the casing like a boss.
Step 3
– Let’s start by removing those two tiny 2.8 mm Phillips screws located in the battery compartment near the latch.
Step 4
– Time to give those 6 pesky screws their eviction notice:
Step 5
– Let’s get started by taking out those four 3.2 mm PH00 Phillips screws on the port side of your computer. You’re doing great!
Step 6
– Twist the computer 90 degrees and take out the two 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the back of the computer.
Step 7
– Give the computer another 90-degree spin and then pop out those four 3.2 mm Phillips screws from the side. If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Step 8
Take it easy when removing the upper case! It’s linked to the logic board with a delicate ribbon cable, so give it a gentle nudge instead of a quick yank.
– Start by gently lifting the back of the case and let your fingers glide along the sides, freeing it as you go. Once the sides are loose, give the case a little rock up and down to help release the front of the upper case.
– You’ll find four sneaky plastic clips hiding above the DVD slot, plus another one above and to the left of the IR sensor. These little guys can be tricky to disengage without a little prying, and they might give you a hard time when it’s time to put everything back together.
– Reassembly Tip: Give a firm press on the tip of the top case right above each clip until you hear that satisfying snap, letting you know they’re back in their cozy slots.
– Reassembly Tip: The two center DVD clips can be a bit stubborn and often won’t snap back into place without a little extra help. Instead of just pressing down, support the frame by sliding a plastic spudger into the DVD slot right under the clip location until it feels snug, then press down until you hear that delightful snap.
Tools Used
Step 9
Heads up: You can swap out the hard drive without disconnecting the keyboard from the chassis, but you’ll need to prop it up to keep it out of the way, so you can work on removing the drive with both hands.
Watch out when you’re taking out the keyboard-trackpad ribbon cable! Make sure the back of the upper case is disengaged from the hinge area. It’s easy to accidentally bend the screw receivers on either side of the keyboard.
– Gently unplug the trackpad and keyboard ribbon cable from the logic board, and feel free to peel away any tape that might be in the way.
– Carefully lift off the upper case.
Step 10
– Grab your trusty spudger and gently nudge the iSight cable off the logic board by sliding it to the left and popping it out of its connector. If you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
Tools Used
Step 11
– Use a spudger to gently lift and disconnect the left fan and left ambient light sensor cables. Just slide the spudger underneath each cable and give it a little nudge upwards.
– Next, carefully peel the left ambient light sensor cable off the top of the left fan. Peel off any tape that’s in the way as you go. It’s like peeling a banana!
