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semiauto

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2012
38
0
Alright, so I was going along fine in the process of removing the Superdrive when one of the screws stripped, even though I was using the correct screw driver (Phillips #00) accroding to OWC's instructional video.


The screw that stripped is the one circled in red on the left. It's the shorter of the two (I think it's 3mm?). The one circled on the right is also a phillips #00 and I am afraid that if I try it will also be stripped. The weird thing is that the screwdriver works fine for taking off the 10 phillip screws that hold the bottom plate in.

Am I using the wrong screwdriver?!
What can I do to get the stripped screw out?

Any help is appreciated, thank you
 

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thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
You could check ifixit on this. It's also important to note that cheap screwdrivers can be problematic at times in case you're using one.
 

wootdawg

macrumors newbie
Apr 25, 2007
28
0
usa
The problem here isn't pentalobe screws, as the screws in question are Phillips. In some cases it seems the thread lock they put on the screws is very tight and difficult to break free. If you don't have a quality driver, then getting one would be the first step. I like wiha tools precision screwdrivers, since they are of high quality and work well, but many other companies make quality drivers too. I personally haven't tried the rubber band trick, but it sounds like it's worth a shot. If that doesn't work out, then since the head is stripped or semi stripped, you will probably have to damage the screw to remove it. I would use a set of small "side cutters" (wire cutting pliers) to try to cut into the sides of the screw head. While applying significant pressure to the cutter handles, biting into the screw head, try to turn the screw counterclockwise to loosen it. If all else fails, you could cut the head from the screw and then try to use pliers to unscrew the "stub" once the bracket is out of the way. The screw would then need replaced, since it's been stripped and/or damaged in removal.
 

Orange Furball

macrumors 65816
May 18, 2012
1,325
6
Scranton, PA, USA
You can also try using a small drip of jb weld to flue the tip of the screwdriver to the screw (very carefully and do not get it on anything other than the screwdriver and screw) let it dry and extract your screw. If you want to try to keep the screwdriver after you are use Bondo.

As for good screwdrivers, I use a Kobalt kit. It comes with 4 flat head, 4 Philips, and some extra random sockets (I have no use for them except for one that works for taking out PC motherboard screws) it was about $20 at Lowes and it came with a nice case and a pretty good handle for the bits. I'll try to find a link if you want
 

riptideMBP

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2011
260
0
Hey OP, that screw on the optical bay bracket seems to be a very common screw to strip when doing a mod. "The goal is to remove the optical drive, not the screw and that can be accomplished quite easily by just turning the bracket..."~Fry-man22 Try and see if you can just rotate the bracket far enough to switch out the drives.
 

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Retrostarscream

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2010
99
17
Miami FL
This happened to me with the installation of my Samsung SSD and I tired the rubber band to no avail.

The idea might terrify the faint of heart, but decided to nuke this screw and so took a power drill to it at the lowest speed. It Worked fantastically and was able to continue and use an alternate screw with a slightly bigger head as a replacement.
 

andyriot

macrumors member
Jul 1, 2010
72
0
I had the same issue the other day when replacing my Superdrive for HDD caddy.

The precision screw driver set I was using worked great for all but those two circled in red. I had to get a larger handled driver with attachments in order to provide enough torque to unscrew it. I guess I wasnt able to provide enough force using the tiny precision driver.
 

ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,075
1,445
This happened to me with the installation of my Samsung SSD and I tired the rubber band to no avail.

The idea might terrify the faint of heart, but decided to nuke this screw and so took a power drill to it at the lowest speed. It Worked fantastically and was able to continue and use an alternate screw with a slightly bigger head as a replacement.

Brave considering metal shards could have F'd up your machine pretty easily.
 

yusukeaoki

macrumors 68030
Mar 22, 2011
2,550
6
Tokyo, Japan
Oh god, I did the exact same thing as you in this process.
I somehow got it but completely stripped it.
I dont know why these 2 screws are so tight.
 

TDCorinthian

macrumors newbie
Sep 12, 2012
8
0
Texas
Glad I found this thread b/c I stripped the same two screws doing a dual drive upgrade. The rubber band didn't work for me, but instead I made a notch using a couple small flat-head screwdrivers.

I had the ifixit 54 bit set. First, I took the 1.3 flat-head, put some steady downward pressure and slightly rocked the screwdriver from side to side. I did this about 15 to 20 times until I had a noticeable notch. (If you look at the head of the bit you'll notice metal filings from the screw, but the bit itself is fine.) Then I took the 1.5 flat-head and did the same.

I was able to easily take out the stripped screws this way, and the best part is that I don't have to order replacement screws.
 

Dark Void

macrumors 68030
Jun 1, 2011
2,614
479
I had a stripped screw the other day in one of my laptops - use the rubber band trick described already. If you can get it some of the way, try using pliers to unscrew the rest of the way.
 

Sital

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2012
2,082
816
New England
I'd recommend investing in a set of screw extractors. Even if other methods work for your computer, these are very handy to have around the house.
 

thermodynamic

Suspended
May 3, 2009
1,341
1,192
USA
Oh god, I did the exact same thing as you in this process.
I somehow got it but completely stripped it.
I dont know why these 2 screws are so tight.

To show signs of user-attempted modification of an area that will void the warranty?

It's a shame; iFixit has shown (at least in the 2011 model they took apart) evidence that a person who manufactured the unit iFixit received had already done the stripping...

My 2011 has a cable going over the optibay as well; I chose not to remove it. I'd love to make use of the internal drive connector, but the warranty is far more valuable...
 

yusukeaoki

macrumors 68030
Mar 22, 2011
2,550
6
Tokyo, Japan
To show signs of user-attempted modification of an area that will void the warranty?

It's a shame; iFixit has shown (at least in the 2011 model they took apart) evidence that a person who manufactured the unit iFixit received had already done the stripping...

My 2011 has a cable going over the optibay as well; I chose not to remove it. I'd love to make use of the internal drive connector, but the warranty is far more valuable...

Im pretty sure f I just find a replacement screw and put it there, they wouldn't really notice...
Er, I hope they dont.
If they do, I just wasted 400 bucks on Apple Care.
 
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