Remove the four identical Phillips 3.4 mm screws from the memory door. These screws have 4 mm diameter heads rather than the 3 mm heads on the body screws.
Remove the three Phillips screws in the battery compartment near the latch. Apple was nice enough to tilt these screws at a slight angle to make them easier to remove. On the A1261 these screws have 4 mm diameter heads rather than the 3 mm heads on the body screws.
Do not yank the upper case off quickly. The case is attached to the logic board via a ribbon cable.
Lift up the back of the case and work your fingers along the sides, freeing the case as you go. Once you have freed the sides, you may need to rock the case up and down to free the front of the upper case.
Disconnect the ten indicated connectors from the logic board.
The connectors have different positions for the four MacBook Pro revisions covered by this guide, and their locations are highlighted in the three pictures on this step.
If the right speaker assembly remains attached to the logic board, hold the logic board with one hand and slide the speaker up slightly to free it from the logic board.
To properly reassemble your MacBook Pro, you'll have to clean off and replace the thermal compound from the three chips on the underside of the logic board. Use our Applying Thermal Paste Guide to prepare the processor and heat sink surfaces.
Disconnect the two antenna cables attached to the AirPort Extreme card.
The cable with the gray shielding attaches to the left side connector, while the cable with the white shielding attaches to the right side.
If you have a MacBook Pro 17" Model A1229, there are three antenna cables attached to the AirPort Extreme card instead of two.
If you have a MacBook Pro 17” Model A1261 the cable with the black shielding attaches to the left side of the connector, while the cable with blue shielding attaches to the right side. The gray cable isunattached and the end covered.
Lift up on the left speaker assembly and rotate it slightly. It is not possible to entirely remove the speaker yet, as it is still connected to the left I/O board beneath.
Lift the heat sink and attached fans out of the computer.
If you are replacing the heat sink, be sure to transfer the attached thermal sensor to your new heat sink.
If you need to mount the heat sink back into the laptop, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.
Now is a good time to lean the fans back and clean out any dust bunnies from the grill. Also clean any dried thermal paste from the heat sink contact pads.
Remove the ten silver T6 Torx screws securing the display (five on each side). On the right a 9.6 mm screw secures the display data cable, also on the left the screw closest to the inside is 9.6 mm. The others are 7.8 mm.
Don't forget to replace the hinge end caps when reinstalling the display assembly. The end caps are side specific, so be sure that the posts are facing towards the lower case.
Lift the hard drive up from the right side and remove it from the computer. The Bluetooth assembly and orange ribbon cable are still attached to the hard drive and will come out with the hard drive.
Peel up the orange tape covering the right thermal sensor.
Use a spudger or your fingernail to pry the right thermal sensor off the lower case.
If you have a MacBook Pro 17" Model A1229 or A1261, repeat this process with the left thermal sensor. Note the locations are different, the right one is next to the inside fan screw receptacle. The left is on a line with the inside screw receptacle but 20 mm forward of it.