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adamtj11

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 26, 2011
418
41
Belfast
So using a pentalobe I have managed to "wreck" a few of the heads of the screws of my air, which is annoying because now I can't get them in or out, so the creak noise is ridiculous(obviously because the screws are half in-half out.. I think the screwdriver I bought has a faulty head(I had the creaky Macbook air problem). Anyone have any idea how I can get the screws out? bit of a bad situation I'm in here, as I have probably invalidated warranty..
 

nefan65

macrumors 65816
Apr 15, 2009
1,354
14
Uh Oh...you're screwed... :) Sorry couldn't resist.

Like the other poster mentioned, press down as hard as you can and turn slowly. That should do it.
 

adamtj11

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 26, 2011
418
41
Belfast
So I rang Apple, they said I didn't invalidate warranty, and that screws fall out from time to time, so I might be okay.
 

digitalhen

macrumors regular
Jan 10, 2006
219
64
I have an iFixIt pentalobe, and it too trashed the heads on some of my screws. I've just chosen to pretend it's not a problem for now :)
 

Zapdoc

macrumors 6502
Mar 4, 2012
384
69
Damaged - stuck screws MBP

The screws on my MBP are stuck - literally I used Locktite for auto screws on them as they were loose and now cannot shift them - tried pressing hard and turning slowly but none will move the slightest - any help ?
 

calvol

macrumors 6502a
Feb 3, 2011
995
4
See if you can find a local machine shop that can help you. Sometimes an impact air wrench will break a stuck screw. If that doesn't work, they can use a reverse head attachment, which will dig into what's left of the top of the screw. And if that doesn't work, they will drill it out.
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
55,097
52,705
Behind the Lens, UK
Is the head sticking out enough to get a good (not cheap rubish) set of pliers or mulgrips on? Failing that if the head is proud you can very carefully use a junior hacksaw to cut across the head (in line with one of the existing lines) and then use a flat head screwdriver in the new slot you just cut. Last option is to drill them out but you will need to be very careful. Don't even think about it with a hand held or if you are inexperienced. Lastly before you try these put plenty of masking tap over everything to keep any swarf out of your machine. Always buy quality tools and use the correct size driver in future. Good luck.
 

All Taken

macrumors 6502a
Dec 28, 2009
780
1
UK
The screws on my MBP are stuck - literally I used Locktite for auto screws on them as they were loose and now cannot shift them - tried pressing hard and turning slowly but none will move the slightest - any help ?

Don't ever do this, buy replacement screws if loose or take machine to apple.
 

J.C

macrumors 6502
Nov 12, 2008
457
58
So using a pentalobe I have managed to "wreck" a few of the heads of the screws of my air

I bought 3 pentalobe screwdrivers on eBay. All claimed to fit the MBA precisely. The first two were not large enough. There's dodgy screwdrivers on the market for sure. You may have one.
 

kyjaotkb

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2009
937
883
London, UK
I too was a victim of POS screwdrivers from eBay yesterday night when trying to pry open my 2011 MBA to replace the 128 SSD by a 256 second-hand SSD...

Damned screwdrivers indeed !

Broke 3 of them.
Then i tried using Torx screwdrivers.
Then all kinds of screwdrivers.
then kitchen knives
then a corkscrew
then swiss army knife (all blades)
then all kinds of pliers
then I called / emailed my friends and family about borrowing a Dremel

I cut some ugly scars on the unibody Alum hood.

i finally used a cutter like this one
images


and carved some kind of line to get a lever effect and be able to turn the screw off the MBA. it worked (the whole damn screw removal took me about 6 hours though).
then I went to sleep - but I was too eager to restore my TM backup so i did it... went to bed at 4am finally...
 

goRoostr

macrumors member
May 17, 2012
63
0
Philadelphia Suburbs
Ive encountered damaged screws plenty of times in buying broken Macbook Pros from people who tried to repair them themselves, and ended up stripping the screws( not saying your at fault). I use a dremel with a cutting blade attached, and cut a divot into the screw, and then just take it out with a flat head screw driver. If the screws are flush up against something it wont work. I would recommend buying the new screws before you start.
 

langdon1

macrumors newbie
Jan 23, 2013
2
0
I had this problem too.
I ended up being able to remove all the screws but one that ended up being stripped with no hope of any screwdriver getting it out.

So.. i took a variable speed drill and found a bit that was slightly smaller than the head of the pentalobe screw and went at it slowly to wear it down. When it got thin enough from attrition a little upward force applied to the bottom case bent the remaining metal on the head so I could remove the case. Then i took a dremel and notched the top to remove the damaged screw.


However, my problem now is finding philips head screws to replace the pentalobe screws with so I never again have to deal with this ****. Does anyone know what size and type I can use??
 
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