Macbook Pro DIY thermal paste disaster!! In need of desperate help/advice

[tofudc5]

Hi guys,
I tried to re-apply the thermal paste myself but when it came to disconnecting the wire connectors from the logic board, 3 of the connectors came off completely from the logic board or has damaged the pins. (the battery connection, and two for the left fan)

I have a feeling that these three became brittle or weak from the heat that was generated from the laptop (hence i wanted to do the thermal paste mod). Or it's just my stupidity that these broke. But the others came off without a problem.

What I wanted to know is, is it possible to have these connectors fixed by sending my logic board away to Apple or do I need to buy a new logic board?

Then if I have to buy a new logic board, can I put in a 2.6GHz Penryn instead of the original 2.4ghz?

I'm so embarrassed, depressed and angry all at the same time, hope someone can help.

 

[gr8tfly]

(Trying to think of how to phrase this, as to not offend...) They didn't break because they were brittle from heat? The CPU would shutdown long before there could be any damaging temperatures to components.

Some of the connectors are counterintuitive when it comes to opening them, and are fragile on top of it.

Anyway, it's very doubtful you can get the logic board repaired by Apple (as in "they won't"). It's replaced as a complete unit. Even if you could get the part(s), it would be expensive to have someone do the work. Sorry I don't have better news, but I think that's the reality of the situation.

I doubt a newer model logic board would fit, especially if there's a different chipset.

You might check iFixit for replacements. eBay is sometimes a good source, but you have to make sure it's the exact part and, of course, there's the lack of any warranty (usually).

 

[tofudc5]

thanks for the input. I didn't mean the components might have been damaged from the heat directly sent to those components if that makes any sense. I just meant from the heat that's generated from whatever it is in the laptop that makes the bottom exterior way too hot to touch.

I've found replacement parts, but just wondering how much a repair, if it is repairable would cost to see which option to take.

 

[gr8tfly]

thanks for the input. I didn't mean the components might have been damaged from the heat directly sent to those components if that makes any sense. I just meant from the heat that's generated from whatever it is in the laptop that makes the bottom exterior way too hot to touch.

I've found replacement parts, but just wondering how much a repair, if it is repairable would cost to see which option to take.

If you found someone qualified to work on those connectors, on a thin, multi-layer PCB; I would have to guess somewhere in the range of $100-$250. That's assuming all they have to do is replace the connectors - no assembly or disassembly of the MBP. There's also a chance one or more of the cables going to those broken connectors might have also been damaged. If so, those parts will start to add up quickly. This is all just a SWAG, as I'm not active in the repair business at the moment.

 

[miles01110]

I just meant from the heat that's generated from whatever it is in the laptop that makes the bottom exterior way too hot to touch.

Luckily machines and electrical components generally have a higher heat tolerance than humans.