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Creaking case problem SOLVED!! (MacBook Pro and MacBook Air) - with VIDEO!

N

Nik

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 3, 2007
688
1,492
France
I just solved the creaking case problem which affects many MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs! I am still a little stunned. :D

How did I do it?
See for yourselves, I made a video. Please don't spoil others after watching it. :)
http://youtu.be/NMoIYYTZtZk

Video is still being processed by YouTube, 1080p will be available shortly.
 
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I'm going to give this a try, thanks!

Not sure why it's so secretive and mysterious though...and requires watching a long video for such a VERY simple thing...you should just say it outright, "apply ------ to -------."

;-)
 
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I feel asleep a quarter way into the video but woke up at the end to hear your solution. I'm not sure I would oil my case screws if I had this problem.
 
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PeterKG said:
I feel asleep a quarter way into the video but woke up at the end to hear your solution. I'm not sure I would oil my case screws if I had this problem.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's my first YouTube video and I am not a native english speaker, therefore it's slow. I will improve my skills. :)
 
Warning

Quite possible to end up with a floppy screen due to too much oil. The creaking is the friction surface, the friction surface is necessary to hold the screen in place. Too much lube will make the friction insufficient to hold the screen as desired...
 
simonsi said:
Quite possible to end up with a floppy screen due to too much oil. The creaking is the friction surface, the friction surface is necessary to hold the screen in place. Too much lube will make the friction insufficient to hold the screen as desired...
Click to expand...

The screen has absolutely nothing to do with this. The screws of the bottom case are not used for holding the screen in place. BTW the oil only reaches the upper part of the screw and does not flood the case. :)
You do not need to do this, it is just a suggestion. It worked perfectly with my MacBook Pro so I shared it and even made a video.
 
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Nik said:
The screen has absolutely nothing to do with this. The screws of the bottom case are not used for holding the screen in place. BTW the oil only reaches the upper part of the screw and does not flood the case. :)
You do not need to do this, it is just a suggestion. It worked perfectly with my MacBook Pro so I shared it and even made a video.
Click to expand...

Ooops my bad
 
I don't know if we've ever gotten an agreement on what causes the creaking. Some say it's the screws; some say it's 3 springs inside the case. I've experienced the creaking myself and it drove me crazy. I'm on a replacement machine now that creaks very little. I suspect that all Retina MacBook Pros creak but to differing degrees and can be not noticeable or can be terrible.

Edit: You say in your video that you didn't want to drive a long distance to bring it to Apple. But I tried bringing in my machine twice to Apple for creaking and they didn't solve the problem, they only reduced the amount of creaking. So if your case has creaking I think you only have 2 options: either return it or exchange it within 14 days or use a solution like Nik's with the öl. You can't count on Apple fixing the creaking problem.
 
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I had some KY lube left over from last nights party that I tried. Just like last night it only lasts a few minutes and I kept having to re apply it :)

In all seriousness it looks like there are several things that can make the creak. Metal rubbing against metal in his case. In my case its the springs in the 15 or so internal grounding pins. Some are a little noisier then others. I think mine have broken in a bit as when I press on the back middle of my 15" its quieter now.
 
Nik said:
Yeah, it's my first YouTube video and I am not a native english speaker, therefore it's slow. I will improve my skills. :)
Click to expand...

Nik,

My comment was rude and undeserved. I apologize. Your video was good for a first time. Your english was just fine. I'm lucky to not have any creaking, and hope your fix will help someone else. :)
 
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I wonder if the root cause is the metal-to-metal rubbing between bottom case and screw heads, maybe it could still be solved with a dry method? A non-metallic washer perhaps?
 
Good video and also good enough English.

I don’t really like the idea of wicking oil into your Macbook. It does not belong in there and some will probably oil it over and over util it finally gets on the logic board.

I think you could accomplish the same thing by backing out the bottom case screws a little and retightening them. In the video the screw looks like its not quite tight when you push down on the bottom case.

Anyway best of luck.
 
triplelucky said:
Good video and also good enough English.

I don’t really like the idea of wicking oil into your Macbook. It does not belong in there and some will probably oil it over and over util it finally gets on the logic board.

I think you could accomplish the same thing by backing out the bottom case screws a little and retightening them. In the video the screw looks like its not quite tight when you push down on the bottom case.

Anyway best of luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for some positive feedback on my english. :D

1. The oil does not get in the MacBook, but just under the screw heads. As depicted in the video.

2a. Even IF (big if!) it would get inside of the notebook it would not do any damage, because I use fine mechanics oil which does not get sticky over time.

2b. Oil does not conduct electricity, thereofore the electronics can not be damaged. You can even submerge your computer in oil which some people are actually doing for cooling purposes (see google for more info on this).

Your doubts are unfounded. Everything is cool if you are not overdoing it. :)
 
Ok I see that oil does not conduct. That is my science lesson of today. Thanks.

I do still think that the better fix to the problem might be to tighten the screws if they are creaking because of movement between the screw and the bottom case.
 
triplelucky said:
Ok I see that oil does not conduct. That is my science lesson of today. Thanks.

I do still think that the better fix to the problem might be to tighten the screws if they are creaking because of movement between the screw and the bottom case.
Click to expand...

The screws sit in there pretty tight. The whole backplate is a little spring-loaded, thats why I can expose the head of the screw by pushing on the bottom case.
If you want to tighten the screws you need a P5 pentalobe screw driver which does not come cheap. Oil is far cheaper and I doubt that tightening the screw even more would help, it may - in fact - result in even more noise because the tightness of the whole thing is the reason for the problem in the first place.

Anyway someone may try it by tightening the screws, I'm glad to see more ideas on this. :)
 
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Ok I did this, as promised, though a little differently...and a little machine oil does indeed do the trick!

Rather than run oil into the screw threads blindly, I used my $8 pentalobe screwdriver to:

1. Remove ALL screws and backplate
2. Carefully oil the rather dry and friction-y springs
3. Oil the two cheesy plastic clips (female side) that hold two cheesy plastic inserts on backplate
4. Oiled each backplate screw as I replaced them

I tightened them very tight, though I know most people say LOOSENING them is what fixes the creaking. I wanted to see if the oil would help. It does. A lot...

(I also did one other thing that I am very happy about, not related to oil, which I discussed in my own thread about this...)
 
Apparently this method solves so problem for some people. One person on YouTube writes: "Thanks...my mid 2012 rMBP had that creaking noise for the longest time, so long in fact I stopped noticing it. Your oil trick got rid of it."
 
WD40 or silicon (plumbers' grease?) - re: Creaking Issue

I'm an old (somewhat old - @ 65, one stops counting) PC fellow. I have interest in the so-called "creaking issue" of the MBPr (or rMBP), as I am contemplating buying one.

As I understand it, poster Nik came up with an oil resolution. If indeed this works, then perhaps WD40 or liquid silicon would be a better alternative. And if I understand the issue correctly, a very (very) small amount of either on certain screw heads and ground clips, etc., will solve the noise issue, which apparenty is caused by thermal expansion at certain joints. This is likely why Apple in its wisdom decided to leave some room for such expansion. And we know that the metal-to-metal (or other materials) rubbing noise "should not" be an Apple customer's concern.

If one goes this route: How to apply WD40 or other aerosol lubricants? The best way is to use a tooth pick held far away from the MBPr, spray the lubricant on the pick, and use it as a tiny dropper on each screw head, clip, etc. Perhaps plumbers' grease (very tiny amount, fellows and gals) would be better, as its viscosity is higher and will withstand some heat.

Having written this, I am not a big proponent of monkeying around with a new MBPr - I would not do this. I believe the best solution in this case would be to return it within the return time window - however, (smile) I can only imagine Apple or a third party vendor recycling these MBPr's to re-sell to the same people having this same problem.

In my case, since portability is not a major concern, perhaps an iMac would be better. Good luck, everyone.
 
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