Taking the MBP apart

If you’ve owned a laptop before and had it for some time then you know that at some point you have to take the machine apart. I know it’s just human nature to do it but when it comes to your $2k+ machine, you tend to take it on the cautious side. I’ve had a few laptops in my days. For some reason they always tend to last me longer than my desktops have (strange I know). A year ago, I found myself in the position with no other options than to do what I feared. Take a laptop apart without instructions to do so. I had my Presario 2700 and needed to replace the hard drive and figure out some other problems. Well, it was quite the daunting task. I couldn’t find any instructions on this task online to my dismay. So i just started to unscrew any and all screws. Well, this is not a small laptop but it was made as if they crammed an awful lot in the plastic case. It took several hours and a lot of patience. From time to time I still find that I need to take it apart (usually to re-solder something). Although I’ve done it before, I still find it to be a daunting task.

Fast forward to today: I’ve been noticing a strange noise coming from one of the fans in my macbook pro. I did a little research and found iFixit. What a great company, they not only had just about any part for the macbook pro (at reasonable prices) but they also had clear instructions on how to install any part they sell complete with pictures. Wow, I checked out the instructions on taking my macbook pro apart and found that it really wasn’t that difficult. Actually, it wasn’t difficult at all and only took a few minutes to accomplish.

Now that I had the computer part, time to identify components and see if there was any noticeable problems. Apple does a great job of laying out components for easy access and replacement. Everything looked to be in order so I tried using some compressed air to blow out the fans. This is a good idea especially on older computers since dust and hair has a tendency to build up in these areas and hamper cooling performance. Note: Blowing out fans can typically be done without taking the computer apart. The left side fan does seem to be a bit loud in its spinning and can be corrected by changing the angle of the laptop. This is most likely due to the fans bearings or axle. I did read that it could just need a bit of lubrication and that would require the lifting of the chrome covering (I don’t think this is a good idea on this particular type of fan).

Now that I did my checking, I did notice that there was a screw missing from the keyboard. I replaced the missing screw and put everything back together. The final test is to turn it on and see what happens. Well the missing screw actually helped the keyboard. I didn’t notice before that it was actually not stable enough on the one side but feels much more responsive now. Blowing out the fan does seem to have had a positive impact so I’m going to give a few days before ordering a new fan.

One other positive out of this experience is that I found the airport express card. I happen to have one of the older macbook pros that did not have the hardware upgradeable to the N spec. I suspect an upgrade in my future

Tags: macbookpro, mac book, airport extreme