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iMac iFixIt adhesive question

Cruciarius

Cruciarius

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 18, 2013
109
17
Massachusetts
I have to remove the screen to my late 2014 iMac, due to over heating issues. In hopes that it's just a dust issue and dusting out the interior will solve my problems.

Anyway...

The adhesive strips arrived today and 2 of them are bent. Will that be bad for reattaching the screen? I'd hate to dust the heck out of the interior, then not be able to secure the screen back on, due to the bent strips. I sent iFitIt a message on Twitter asking them earlier today, but imagine I'll get a quicker reply in here.
Saved Image 2020-02-22 at 11.04.06 PM.png
 
Be careful using those ifixit adhesive strips. Someone in another forum used the ifixit strips and the screen fell off. Make sure the strips are in good condition and if they're not, ask ifixit to send you another set.
 
It should be fine. Just make sure you press it down evenly when you put it on the housing. Also make sure you’ve removed any small pieces of the old adhesive that you don’t get when you get the bulk of it. If you want to be really cautious you can also leave the screen pointed upward overnight.
 
So 1 person says it's fine and 1 person says it should be replaced by iFit It. I'd think it would be fine. Should flatten out, with pressure.

Also, I watched the iFit It video guide as well as read the guide on the site. Neither one say how long to let the adhesives sit, before you can prop it up and use it. I would assume at the very least an hour or two. Maybe an over night thing?

Maybe not letting it sit for a while is why that other user reported the screen just falling off, after using these adhesive strips.
 
I used them when replacing the HDD to anSSD in my 2013 21 iMac, no problems at all. iFixIt is my source of choice when looking for spare parts of tools for my Apple stuff. No worries, even the slight bending does not cause problems. After taking off the protection it is easy to fix them straight and plain.
 
Once the stickers are applied, they're thin and supple enough that any bends incurred during transport will not matter. Mine were fine, and my iMac has been perfectly fine for the past twelve months (since I applied them)
 
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Thank you for all the replies.

Another quick question that I think was missed, since it was in a reply I did above and not the original post:

How long should I leave the iMac laying down, for the adhesives to set? I watched the iFix It YouTube guide as well as read the guide on the site, but neither one state how long to leave it for. I would assume you'd leave it for maybe 2 hours, at least. Maybe even an over night thing? Depending on which it is will depend on what time of day I do this.
 
So... I did it. It wasn't nearly as tough of a task as I thought it would be. Hardest part was cutting the old adhesive from the bottom edge of the screen and the rest of the display.

After removing the screen, I saw why my iMac always ran so hot and was frequently going into forced sleep mode, due to overheating. Dust. Lots of dust. Removing the fan, I saw nearly a wall of dust all over the fan blades.

So a tip:
Rather than ditching the iMac, due to some issues, try opening it up and dusting out the interior. Doing so will cost roughly $20 + can of air. More, if you want the wedge, which I didn't buy.

Prior to this operation, my iMac was running around 200° F and the fan was going at a good 2.5k+ RPM pretty much all the time.

After the operation, it's sitting at 187° F, but the fan is only 1.3k RPM.

Yes, I know most people use C temps, but I've used mine at F for so long, I left it as is. I plan to switch to C soon.

If this project didn't work, I was prepping to buy the 2018 Mac Mini. Which I still may do in the future, so I don't need to deal with doing this every so often. The Mac Mini would be a much easier thing to work on, without needing extra tools.
 
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So... what is the best choice for adhesive stripes? I'm thinking on install a new SSD into my 21.5" 2013 iMac, but it's scary when you read about falling screens after a few weeks

There isn't any "original" stripes wich have a thin layer of foam, right? So all of them are "flat" and without foam.

I'm all ears :)
 
SCREAM ESP said:
So... what is the best choice for adhesive stripes? I'm thinking on install a new SSD into my 21.5" 2013 iMac, but it's scary when you read about falling screens after a few weeks

There isn't any "original" stripes wich have a thin layer of foam, right? So all of them are "flat" and without foam.

I'm all ears :)
Click to expand...

Just do it, you will be impressed on how much faster your iMac will be. I did this last year with my late 2013, just as a test. Other option would have been, buying a new iMac. So I spend around 150 € instead of 1500 € for a used 2017/18.
 
SCREAM ESP said:
I will :) Question is, I would like the best adhesive for it, so I think I'll bought iFixit's
Click to expand...
I just got the best rated strips I could find off Amazon. I don't think any strips including Apple's has a thin foam layer. I think as the tape cures and dries up over the years it looks like a thin foam.
 
eric89074 said:
I just got the best rated strips I could find off Amazon. I don't think any strips including Apple's has a thin foam layer. I think as the tape cures and dries up over the years it looks like a thin foam.
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Mine is/was thin foam as well. Being just tape, you would not be able to get the screen off easily. You need to cut the "foam" with a small plastic "pizza cutter".
 
ThugFreak said:
You bought the correct tape.
I bought tape strips from 3 different places online.
iFixit was the only place that had the correct (easy to remove) foam tape.
The other places sell plasic tape that's hell to remove. It doesn't cut. You destroy 2-3 pizza cutter wheels because the tape keeps sticking to the wheel making it impossible to roll. You end up bending the wheels so much, they become soft. And you have to stick paper in the gap because the plastic tape keeps re-sticking. Once you cut the foam tape, it doesn't re-stick. The foam tape takes about 30 seconds to cut through. The plastic tape takes 15-30 minutes.
Click to expand...

I see. Thanks for the info. It’s difficult to tell from pictures but they seem to be double sided adhesive without foam on it., and of course it is handy in case you want to remove screen again in a future. Also, having foam helps the screen to stay in place

I’ll let you know once received
 
The adhesive strips I used were from IFitIt and it's been 2 weeks. Screen is still on really well. I'd recommend going with the IFixIt strips.
 
Just received

photo_2020-03-09_16-17-58.jpg


They looks pretty nice, still not sure if there's foam on them but I'm confident that quality is very good

Now, waiting for nvme2PCIe adapter to perform full upgrade
 
SCREAM ESP said:
Foamed or not foamed? ;)

I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. It was supposed to be delivered yesterday but still nothing
Click to expand...
Foam? Are you talking about the wedge? I debated getting the wedge, but being that when I opened my iMac would likely be the 1 and only time I opened it, I didn't bother. I put the iMac on it's back, so the monitor didn't tilt on me. That's how I saw it opened up on a YouTube video, so I just did the same. Couldn't justify buying the foam wedge, for a 1 time opening.

Fingers crossed this iMac lasts me until another Mac Mini refresh (rumors suggest possibly this year). My iMac is 6 years old. Other than taking it to Apple for repairs, it's never been opened. Speaking of, I should note my issues were of... I'm unsure. It kept having very weird graphical issues. It was under warranty, for those Apple visits. They replaced the screen, power supply, and motherboard. When I opened it for the dusting I did, it looked like when Apple opened it, they never dusted it. The fan had a literal wall of dust clogging the fan.

I have noticed that after opening it up, using a can of air to blow everything out, including the removal of the fan to clean that as best possible, I do still notice a strange issue. If I run a YouTube video full screen, the screen goes black with audio cut every so often. Running YouTube videos full screen is so rare for me, I'm not too worried about it. As I said above, I hope this just lasts until a Mac Mini refresh. That 1 issue doesn't bother my normal daily usage.
 
Foam? Are you talking about the wedge?

I'm talking about adhesive stripes, I think that having or not a foam layer between both adhesive sides can hold the screen much better rather than the ones without foam.

Also, easier to remove in case I wanted to access the inners again
 
SCREAM ESP said:
I'm talking about adhesive stripes, I think that having or not a foam layer between both adhesive sides can hold the screen much better rather than the ones without foam.

Also, easier to remove in case I wanted to access the inners again
Click to expand...
I think these had what you're talking about. Don't think I'd trust strips without it.
 
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