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Waterproofing Xperia Z3 when reassembling?

OK now we have some very good guides for dissassebling the Xperia Z3 and Compact models.

But what do you guys recommend for assembly, to make the phones waterproof again?

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I just disassemble mine and I have bought a gasket from these guys:

https://www.replacebase.co.uk/sony-xperi...

If I remember correctly they guarantee their gaskets for a year! They also sell genuine Sony parts not fake aftermarket parts!!

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Are the parts at replacebase really original? They look much he same as on ebay. I have also repaired a lot of z3/compact and have problems with screen lifting after a while, specially on Compact. The biggest problem with compact is that many suppliers sell screens that are too thick. Original is 2,85 mm thick, but many kopi screens are 3,2 mm. The glass it self is aprox the same thickness, meaning it is the inside (LCD and flex cable with IC) that are too thick. I ask many suppliers to measure but they are not able to do it (:-P)

I have found a way to repair the Z3 that give me more success. I clean the frame with acetone and then isoprop, then I apply 3M or Loctite primer on the frame and screen. Then I use the top and bottom part of the precut adhesive, but change the sides to iphone 6s adhesive, it is thinner at fit better on the small edge of the frame.

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Then I apply the screen to the frame and try to hold the sides a little bended out so the adhesive not stuck on the side of the frame edge. (somtimes using isesame tool and drag it gently along the side between the glass and phone frame). This way I make sure all the adhesive is only between glass and frame. Then I put a broken screen with front facing down on to the new, put som tape to place it into position and use clamps to press down for some hours.

Sometimes I put the screen and frame on a heating plate (also used for LCD seperation) and heat to 50 C for 10-15 min. and at the same time use some heavy wight to the phone to make preassure. I levae it for some hours after I turn of the heater. So far the success rate has increased a lot.

Still I would very much like to get hold of the same adhesive that the factory use, it is far stronger that the ebay type. The original is most often the transperent type, not the black foam type.

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@igunnar63, Is it necessary to clean the frame with both acetone and isoprop? Acetone eats plastic (Z3 compact plasctic frame, not 5" Z3) and isoprop cleans any grease. I also have more problems with Z3 Compact than the original Z3, screen lifting. Even after heating and clamps over night. I got some "Red Tape" now that seems better than the adhesive they give you with the screen. It even sticks better than the 3M SL tape. The Z3 Compact frustrates me. Some stick perfect, screen and back. Some just lifts up in the corners after some days. Guess I have to try "Gorilla Glue".

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All the guides I have read state that the Z3 Compact will not be waterproof after opening it. You can check this buy entering this code to access the service menu on the phone:

*#*#7378423#*#*

Then you go to Service Tests -> Pressure Sensor

Make sure the flaps for charge port and sim port are pressed in. Press down on the screen or just squeeze the phone and the pressure should change if the phone is waterproof. It does not change much but if it does not change then the phone is not waterproof.

I have changed the back cover on two phones. What I found out was that you must have an original back cover adhesive. Use it even if the back cover comes with adhesive. Check on Ebay for "xperia z3 compact adhesive". If you are changing the LCD you must buy the front adhesive. The second time I used the original adhesive and the pressure test was successful.

Sony Xperia adhesive

I am not sure how much the pressure should rise on a new Xperia Z3 on the pressure test but I will go to a shop and test this on a new device. Then I can give a better idea of how much the pressure should rise on a new waterproof device :-)

I have an idea about using the heat gun on the back cover after assembling to maybe making the the adhesive more fluid and filling out all spaces. Not sure about this but the pressure test must be the final test anyway!

For the LCD I could not find any source for the LCD/digitizer only. It seems Sony original part consists of LCD/digitizer+frame assembly and not the LCD/digitizer separetly

##UPDATE on LCD and adhesive##

It is easy now to get hold of LCD/digitizer only. And I have good luck with replacing only the screen. Much cheaper. There are too many really cheap but crappy frame/LCD complete parts. I only recommend the original complete ones but they are really expensive.

I have experimented with different adhesives for screen and back glass. I find too much bad black adhesive, not being sticky enough and the screen or back coming off again. So I have tested the clear adhesive that requires heating. I use a heat mat or heat gun. This seems to be a good permanent solution. Like this search. Look for the clear one that says "requires heating".

##UPDATE on adhesive##

Like I commented I stopped using the black adhesive and always use the clear adhesive now. Use a heat plate since a heat gun can very easily damage the LCD.

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Thank you, this was quite interesting !

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Great bit of advice.

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Hi, would like to get any comments from anyone changing only the LCD/digitizer. What did you do with the speaker and adhesive? Did it get waterproof again?

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I have problem, please can you tell me some info about to get better? :(

I chnaged Z1 compact, Z3 compact and Z3 back screen and lcd. In all of them, is problem that the parts "are getting up" after few days. Between display and frame is about 1mm gap. I used adhesives on all of them. I put the adhesive, then LCD, then take some few books and put it on phone for hour to make pressure that the glue i thought will better works. But few hours then and problem shows.

Some people tell me that B7000 i should use. But where to aplicate? How much? Heat gun i used on disasembly phone (i heated it about 80-90 celsius and get the part off). Should I use heat gun after aplicate the back glass or screen? Im scared that the adhesive will not to hold it again. What sillicone or glue excatly should I buy? I cant imagine how much because, this glue or silicone will make more material so that space for lcd or back will be less and it makes to get up again after day? So what now? :( Please help

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check my answer below skalabmail, I have provided quite a bit of information :) by the way, books wouldn't be enough, as usually the frame sometimes is a little higher than the screen itself, so check my answer out. :-)

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I will give my answer for anyone looking for help on this, asle gave a great response on this answer by the way.

This will also help with those having issues with screens lifting etc.

Really, it is impossible for you to guarantee the phone will be as water resistant as it was coming out the factory, even if you use the same exact double sided adhesive that is used to assemble these phones, you need to remember that they also have the proper equipment when assembling these phones, and clean rooms for no dust and dirt etc. Providing a very compact seal.

But saying that, quite recently Sony have gone back on their warranty, and they now don't suggest taking their phones under water at all, I'm guessing this is because too many of their phones are coming back water damaged and they had to replace them under warranty, so they have probably changed it to avoid lawsuits and warranty replacements.

I have done many of these phones, and I don't have any issues repairing them, but I always say to the customer that the water resistance of the phone can not be guaranteed, and they must accept that or I refuse the repair, if they don't accept, I tell them to go to an authorised Sony repair centre.

A lot of people have a few issues with these repairs, the main one being SCREENS/BACK COVER LIFTING, this can happen for a few reasons, I will explain a few reasons why this can happen.

- Parts -

Using cheap/copy parts can cause lifting, this can be due to the fact that a lot of them don't meet the original parts standards, meaning it could be slightly bigger, slightly smaller, too thick or too thin, causing it to not fit correctly, it's also quite common on the third party screens, they use copy glass, these don't have the same coating/varnish underneath that allows the adhesive to grab the glass with a strong bond, so the adhesive eventually loses its bond with the glass.

- Frame/Housing -

This ones pretty simple, if the housing is too damaged/snapped or bent, you need to replace it, trying to put a screen on this will just result in a sloppy looking mess, that will fail extremely quickly.

- Cleaning -

This one is a big one, if you don't do this correctly, or don't do it at all, 100% of the time, you will get lifting issues.

What you need to do is clean off all the old adhesive, if all the old gunk is still there when applying new adhesive, the adhesive won't be able to grab the frame, causing a very weak bond, it also causes issues because the surface won't be as smooth.

You need to make sure to remove all of the old adhesive and gunk on the frame, using something to scrape it off, and use 99.9% isopropyl alcohol to clean up the entire frame and remove excess gunk, this de-greases the frame also, as dust, dirt, and oils from your fingers etc. cause a weak bond.

I also highly recommend going around the frame of the new screen and new back cover, as these will have oils on them, these are handled not only by you, but by the people who manufacture them, and by the people who send you the parts.

- Adhesive -

Using a good adhesive is a must, a lot of double sided adhesive rolls on eBay suck.

For the Xperia range, I always recommend getting the pre cut adhesive, not only are these usually high quality/original, they also take a lot less time to install.

When applying the double sided adhesive, you want to make sure to get it as flat as possible, air bubbles under the adhesive can also cause the bond to weaken.

A good place I have used in the past for adhesive is a company called Replacebase, they offer original Xperia pre cut adhesive with 12 months warranty.

NEVER USE super glue or any other form of liquid glue, these simply don't perform as well as double sided adhesive, you may get an initial good bond strength, but these will be very brittle, making the screen prone to falling out after a single drop, and most of the time the bond just breaks off by itself, you also run the risk of getting the liquid in to places it shouldn't be, causing further damage to the device.

- Heat -

There has always been the debate whether heating up the adhesive after everything has been applied makes it stronger.

Well, after Tesa and ifixit did a interview, they gave a lot of answers.

It doesn't make the max bond stronger, but, it does make the initial bond strength reach max strength in less time, if you have done all the initial preparation before applying the adhesive, you will usually get 80% initial bonding strength, and it takes usually 24 hours or so to reach max strength, heating up the adhesive isn't necessary, but, will help reach max strength in less time, as this causes the adhesive to get in to all the crevices to get that bond.

They recommend around 40c - 50c to warm the adhesive up.

- Clamps -

Clamping was also something that was debated, you get 80% initial strength from the bond just by using your fingers, but this would need to be even pressure along the whole surface, which can be tricky.

So personally and from all the repairs I've done, clamps are a big help, as the device can then be left for the bond to reach max strength, I usually leave it overnight, and the screen or back cover (whichever needs replacing) is always flush, and I don't get lifting issues, I provide 12 months warranty on the part replaced, and haven't had a single person come back with lifting issues.

If you have any questions, just comment and I will be sure to try and answer them! :-)

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Wow @gedo1992 this was a great summary! I must say I agree with everything here after repairing most Sony Z "waterproof" models. I have seen issues with cheap parts and getting good parts and cleaning out old glue is essential. Never ever use acetone for cleaning out glue! I use "Blue Alcohol" that is available at paint shops. And like you write, if you need superglue you better check left over glue or bent frame. It is like ipads, If it is not naturally flush it will break some other place eventually.

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Thank you! :-)

Yes, definitely don't use acetone for anything like the Xperias, it's pretty good to use on the iPad frames though, since they are aluminium, and acetone doesn't mess that up, in fact, one of the guys from Tesa actually recommended the use of acetone on the iPads to get rid of left over adhesive, as it breaks it down very well, then go over with isopropyl alcohol to clean everything up and get rid of oils from the acetone and any leftover junk on there.

But for the Xperias, isopropyl alcohol does a safe and fantastic job of cleaning up the frame!

The worst issue with iPads is, if they have dented corners or side walls, and you don't correct them, then you will definitely break the new digitizer going in, sorting these out are simple though using the likes of gTool. :-)

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I flipped when I read the part about your customers, it's awesome to have professional advice on the internet, thank you!

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Not a problem! Appreciate the comment! It's what I am here for, to help people out, as I know a lot of people can struggle with the Sony repairs. :-)

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My understanding is that the double-sided adhesive are leaky at best. To achieve waterproofing, you need the original heat-melt adhesive, which is clear, not black or white. This definitely needs to be heated.

I followed these instructions http://www.etradesupply.com/blog/what-yo...

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i changed my sony xperia z3 dual sim back cover and lcd screen with digitizer,I used black silicone glue and the phone is waterproof again and I'm using it under water since a while and no problems

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Thanks for your update Zein. You sure did this securely. I never thought of using silicon glue but that sounds pretty failproof. So instead of using the attached adhesive or extra "original" adhesive and a heatgun (and maybe not 100% success), silicone glue should guarantee to work. Then again if the back is broken again you will have a hard time getting the back off I guess. Lets hope you don't break it again :-)

In fact I went over my own Z3 Compact that was not showing pressure rise. I went over it again with a heat gun on the edges and let the phone stay under pressure for an hour and voila the pressure test succeded!

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hi asle.actually i broke my lcd and i had to disassemble my z3 again.it was easy to remove the back cover.but i had a hard time cleaning the dried silicon off the edges.and i used it again to glue my lcd and back cover.works perfectly

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@zein hamza , did you check if it was waterproof with the pressure test? I only succeeded when replacing the back cover. I did a couple of LCD/digitizer replacements a while back. They always come without the speaker so that has to be moved over from the original screen. I was not able to get an original adhesive foam for that. It is not possible to get that waterproof again then. Anyone tried and succeded? If you buy a complete LCD/frame like I did, the speaker is sealed. But beware of non-noriginal cheap LCD/frame assemblies. I have several cases from users trying to buy cheap parts. It is then better to use the original frame and only replace the LCD/digitizer.

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I have problem, please can you tell me some info about to get better? :(

I chnaged Z1 compact, Z3 compact and Z3 back screen and lcd. In all of them, is problem that the parts "are getting up" after few days. Between display and frame is about 1mm gap. I used adhesives on all of them. I put the adhesive, then LCD, then take some few books and put it on phone for hour to make pressure that the glue i thought will better works. But few hours then and problem shows.

Some people tell me that B7000 i should use. But where to aplicate? How much? Heat gun i used on disasembly phone (i heated it about 80-90 celsius and get the part off). Should I use heat gun after aplicate the back glass or screen? Im scared that the adhesive will not to hold it again. What sillicone or glue excatly should I buy? I cant imagine how much because, this glue or silicone will make more material so that space for lcd or back will be less and it makes to get up again after day? So what now? :( Please help

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How can you apply the black silicone all around fast enough ?

Do you have like a really small tip or something ?

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@asle . Concerning the speaker,all you have to do is to use a thin nozzle to spread the silicone around the old speaker's sticker(the nylon sticker is usually found glued to the screen)hope you noticed it.you can also use a medical syringe to dispense the silicone on it.Be very careful not to mess it with extra silicone.I did not do ant pressure test because I was very sure that my xperia z3 is waterproof again.I used it in water several times and still working.Note:this is my second time replacing the screen.

Good Luck

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nozzle? What nozzle? I dont understand how you mean it? You think to use some thin machine asi you apply paint with nozzles?

And what excatly do you mean about glue? What excatly is the glue and where i can buy it? Is it B7000? Thank you very much

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Does anybody know of any YouTube videos to remove back and front cover as I have just had my phone repair and they have not sealed it correctly?

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Hello guys, Great advices by the way.

I need to change my front since it was broken and the digitalizer stopped working.

I am thinking of using the black silicone glue as said above, but I don´t really know how to apply it.

Also, do you recommend getting the front Lcd + digitalizer with BEZEL or without ?

Thank you so much !

Alain

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I would stay away from glue really. The black cold adhesive is ok if you find original sticky one. If your bezel is bad then get LCD with bezel complete. If not don't bother since there are so many pieces to move over and you will at least have no chance of ever having any waterproofing.

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Hello guys.

I read somewhere that applying 2 adhesive bond tapes will help to avoid the screen coming off of the device.

Did anyone of you check this? Does it help?

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I have tried different approaches now. 2 adhesive tapes will rise the screen a bit. If it helps the screen from coming off I am not sure. This is a tricky part. Usually I found there are a lot of bad bond tapes. Always check if it is really sticky. It must be. Otherwise I now recommend the transparent adhesive that requires heat. This is I understand what Sony uses (never confirmed though). But the last times I used "hot" adhesive and a heating pad, the screen and back sticks permanently.

Like this search: http://goo.gl/xcvj3i - it is the clear ones, not the black. It always says "requires heat".

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Hi,

I investigated this problem and came to the following conclusion. The display flat cable is lose when the screen arrives. You need to glue this part of flatcable with components with thin double sided glue tape 100% flat/tight to the back of the screen. Otherwise this cable with components will put a constant (small) pressure on the top of the screen to push it "open" . The chinese screens / displays have a thicker display glued to the touch screen so the space inside the frame is not enough. You need to double the adhesive seal for those screens (already mentioned some were above)

Alex

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