Repairing A Trackpad That Clicks But Won T Register Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          30 minutes

Sections

Lower Case
2 steps
Battery
3 steps
Trackpad
6 steps
Repairing a trackpad that clicks but won’t register
3 steps

Flags

Member-Contributed Guide

An awesome member of our community made this guide. It is not managed by iFixit staff.

BackMacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2009
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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Remove the lower case screws

Remove the following 10 screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody:
Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.
Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

Remove the following 10 screws securing the lower case to the MacBook Pro 13" Unibody:

Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.

Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

1024

Step 2

              Lift the lower case away

Slightly lift the lower case and push it toward the rear of the computer to free the mounting tabs.

Slightly lift the lower case and push it toward the rear of the computer to free the mounting tabs.

Step 3

              Battery

Remove the following tri-point screws securing the battery to the upper case:
One 5.5 mm tri-point screw.
One 13.5 mm tri-point screw.

Remove the following tri-point screws securing the battery to the upper case:

One 5.5 mm tri-point screw.

One 13.5 mm tri-point screw.

Step 4

Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the battery connector up out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 5

Lift the battery out of the upper case.
If you’re installing a new battery, you should calibrate it after installation:
Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.
If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook’s SMC.

Lift the battery out of the upper case.

If you’re installing a new battery, you should calibrate it after installation:

Charge it to 100%, and then keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Next, unplug and use it normally to drain the battery. When you see the low battery warning, save your work, and keep your laptop on until it goes to sleep due to low battery. Wait at least 5 hours, then charge your laptop uninterrupted to 100%.

If you notice any unusual behavior or problems after installing your new battery, you may need to reset your MacBook’s SMC.

Step 6

              Trackpad

Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry the trackpad connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully pry the trackpad connector up from its socket on the logic board.

Step 7

Open your MacBook Pro and set it on a table as shown.

Open your MacBook Pro and set it on a table as shown.

Step 8

While holding the edge of the trackpad closest to the logic board with one hand, remove the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws highlighted in red.

While holding the edge of the trackpad closest to the logic board with one hand, remove the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws highlighted in red.

Step 9

If necessary, carefully dislodge the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by pushing it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.
Carefully push the trackpad connector and cable down through the slot cut into the upper case.
It may be necessary to use a spudger to help get the trackpad connector past the edge of the logic board.
Once the cable has been completely pulled through its slot in the upper case, pull the trackpad away from the outer edge of the upper case and remove it from the machine.

If necessary, carefully dislodge the edge of the trackpad closest to the keyboard from its recess in the upper case by pushing it away from the brackets attached to the upper case.

Carefully push the trackpad connector and cable down through the slot cut into the upper case.

It may be necessary to use a spudger to help get the trackpad connector past the edge of the logic board.

Once the cable has been completely pulled through its slot in the upper case, pull the trackpad away from the outer edge of the upper case and remove it from the machine.

Step 10

If you are installing a replacement trackpad that didn’t come with the attached flex cable, you’ll need to use the cable from your old trackpad.
To remove the flex cable from the old trackpad, first flip open the latch on the ZIF connector, opposite the cable. Then, apply a little heat from a hair dryer or iOpener to soften the adhesive securing the cable to the trackpad, and carefully peel off and remove the cable.
When installing your new trackpad, routing the cable through the upper case and past the logic board may be difficult. It is helpful to use the tip of a spudger to guide the connector past the logic board while pushing the cable through its slot in the upper case with your other hand.

If you are installing a replacement trackpad that didn’t come with the attached flex cable, you’ll need to use the cable from your old trackpad.

To remove the flex cable from the old trackpad, first flip open the latch on the ZIF connector, opposite the cable. Then, apply a little heat from a hair dryer or iOpener to soften the adhesive securing the cable to the trackpad, and carefully peel off and remove the cable.

When installing your new trackpad, routing the cable through the upper case and past the logic board may be difficult. It is helpful to use the tip of a spudger to guide the connector past the logic board while pushing the cable through its slot in the upper case with your other hand.

Step 11

Next, reinstall the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws along the inner edge of the trackpad.
Tighten the screws all the way, then back them out about 1/4 turn.
Check the alignment of the trackpad on the keyboard side of the upper case. Once you have centered the trackpad in the upper case, tighten the four Phillips screws all the way.

Next, reinstall the four 1.2 mm Phillips screws along the inner edge of the trackpad.

Tighten the screws all the way, then back them out about 1/4 turn.

Check the alignment of the trackpad on the keyboard side of the upper case. Once you have centered the trackpad in the upper case, tighten the four Phillips screws all the way.

Step 12

              Lift the tape

Using a small X-Acto knife or pin, carefully lift the tape. Peel it back to lift the top of the contact switch.
NOTE: Do not completely remove the tape. Leave the other side attached as shown in the next step. This will allow you to easily align the top contact with the bottom after cleaning.

Using a small X-Acto knife or pin, carefully lift the tape. Peel it back to lift the top of the contact switch.

NOTE: Do not completely remove the tape. Leave the other side attached as shown in the next step. This will allow you to easily align the top contact with the bottom after cleaning.

Step 13

              Clean the contact

Once the contact is revealed, use a Q-tip with a small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) to wipe both the top and bottom of the contact.

Once the contact is revealed, use a Q-tip with a small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) to wipe both the top and bottom of the contact.

Step 14

              Replace the tape

Place the tape back down and rub it with your fingernail or a plastic spudger to assure contact.

Place the tape back down and rub it with your fingernail or a plastic spudger to assure contact.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions (From Step 11) in reverse order.

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                                                                                      15 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 2 other contributors

                    scottgriz

Member since: 02/04/2010

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Neil Snape - Mar 26, 2017

In the other trackpad replacement guide, it doesn’t have this tip, to take off the clicker and clean it. I did just that thanks to this guide and the clicker is now working reliably again.

scottgriz - Mar 26, 2017

That’s great. The one I repaired this way has been working great. The original replacement guide is just that. It’s meant to remove the trackpad and replace it with a new one. I figured I had nothing to lose by digging a little deeper to fix the one I had and this guide is the result. Glad it was helpful.

Scott

zapper222 - Apr 20, 2017

Great tip, I thought I was going to have to replace my track pad too but this fixed it up.

rileyjim - May 16, 2017

Wish I would have read this before buying a new track pad! Thanks for all your expert information on this site, much appreciated.

Andrés Lloret - Sep 12, 2017

Awesome guide! it was very helpfull and acurate ! Thanks, my trackpad came back to life!

Member-Contributed Guide#

Introduction#

What you need#

Member-Contributed Guide

Introduction

What you need