Torx hinge screws won't budge

Question

MacBook Pro 17" Unibody

Model A1297 Unibody: Early 2009, Mid 2009, Mid 2010, Early 2011 & Late 2011

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James @james91461

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Ndz 4, 2011

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Torx hinge screws won't budge

Made the grave mistake of leaving my Macbook Pro in the wrong place and tripped over it landing on the display with my foot. Glass is intact but LCD is destroyed at first glance.

Before ordering a replacement decided to go ahead and do a tear down to investigate what I parts I needed to order. Used your guides to get all the way to the 6 torx screws that hold the display to the bottom and have broken two T6 drivers (bought at home depot and lowes) because the screws are over-tightened and will not budge. Took the finesse approach and tried light pressure and resorted to firm downward pressure (to hold driver in screw) and driver broke off inside screw (was able to remove.) Attempting to unscrew these with macbook laying flat - bottom up.

I've seen the hints on extracting stripped Torx screws (I have 2 now of the 6 that will have to have something special done to remove them), but was wondering if anyone had any tips to try to remove the remaining intact screws.

thanks in advance...

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Did you get this Mac new?

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 4, 2011crwdnd2934271:0 mayer crwdne2934271:0

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Brian @almostworking

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Ndz 4, 2011

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wow. I use Wiha brand tools for working on computers/macs ( their ESD model line)... and have yet to have a problem... that is the best answer i can give based on my experiences, I've not had this problem before...... This is not an expensive brand either, very good thou in my estimation anyway. can be found on amazon.com and ebay.

Based on your question the Torx screws are not striped just the drivers used so far have broken.

Threadlocker is used on these screws, but it is the blue kind so they should come out with a modest amount of force.

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Mayer, Original owner of this Mac. It's a late 2009 model.

Brian, I'm going to order a T6 driver - Wiha brand from Amazon and see if that works.

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 4, 2011crwdnd2934271:0 James crwdne2934271:0

ok. I hope that works for you, they are strong drivers, for working on electronics, their " ESD " model line is what you would need. Usually yellow in color. Non insulating antistatic..... I have had mine for a few years now ( they are not magnetic, selling a separate device for demagnetize/magnetize the tips as needed) .

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 4, 2011crwdnd2934271:0 Brian crwdne2934271:0

Got the driver in a few days ago and crossed my fingers it wouldn't snap in two. Did not snap in two, but screws still won't budge. Since this is inside my prized possession and a delicate environment, I'm far from "man-handling it" but I did put a fair amount of force behind it and NADA! I'm beginning to think apple put the industrial strength thread lock on these screws. Tried all 6 and none broke free. Good news (if any) is that the driver is solid and WILL be around for future projects so thanks for the recommendation! :)

I've checked a few sites on sending it to let someone else repair, but can only imagine they would hit the same problem and would have to have a way to get around this - meaning I should be able to as well. Any other ideas? It's not like I'm working on a car and can hammer, drill, or put a blow torch to it to free it up - yet any way! :)

Thanks again for the driver recommendation!

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 18, 2011crwdnd2934271:0 James crwdne2934271:0

Did you ever get these out?

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 13, 2017crwdnd2934271:0 Jeffrey Anderson crwdne2934271:0

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Mayer, Original owner of this Mac. It's a late 2009 model.

Brian, I'm going to order a T6 driver - Wiha brand from Amazon and see if that works. — James
ok. I hope that works for you, they are strong drivers, for working on electronics, their " ESD " model line is what you would need. Usually yellow in color. Non insulating antistatic..... I have had mine for a few years now ( they are not magnetic, selling a separate device for demagnetize/magnetize the tips as needed) . — Brian
Got the driver in a few days ago and crossed my fingers it wouldn't snap in two. Did not snap in two, but screws still won't budge. Since this is inside my prized possession and a delicate environment, I'm far from "man-handling it" but I did put a fair amount of force behind it and NADA! I'm beginning to think apple put the industrial strength thread lock on these screws. Tried all 6 and none broke free. Good news (if any) is that the driver is solid and WILL be around for future projects so thanks for the recommendation! :)

I've checked a few sites on sending it to let someone else repair, but can only imagine they would hit the same problem and would have to have a way to get around this - meaning I should be able to as well. Any other ideas? It's not like I'm working on a car and can hammer, drill, or put a blow torch to it to free it up - yet any way! :)

Thanks again for the driver recommendation! — James

score 2 · Answer 1 · 2011-09-18T19:16:04-07:00

osvaldo @osvaldo77823

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Ndz 18, 2011

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Call Apple up and ask 4 a "flat rate fee", let them deal with it

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supplier @supplier crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 1 · Answer 2 · 2012-07-15T02:57:45-07:00

supplier @supplier

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Maw 15, 2012

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To avoid stripping/damaging the TORX 6 screws use a RATCHETED battery drill (NOT hammer type for drilling tiles/concrete). MOST battery drills are equipped with a ratcheted chuck, even my very old super-cheap Tandy (yep Tandy) supplied battery drill. Set the ratchet setting to its lowest setting for your first attempt and increase to higher settings if required.

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MacBook Pro 17" Unibody

Torx hinge screws won't budge

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