MacBook Pro 15" Unibody 2.53 GHz Mid 2009 Feet Replacement

Written By: Adam O'Camb
  • Comments: 6
MacBook Pro 15" Unibody 2.53 GHz Mid 2009 Feet Replacement

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

8

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Bring an aging MacBook Pro back to life with a new set of feet.

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    • Remove the following ten screws securing the lower case to the upper case:

    • Seven 3 mm Phillips screws.

    • Three 13.5 mm Phillips screws.

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    • Using both hands, lift the lower case near the vent to pop it off two clips securing it to the upper case.

    • Remove the lower case and set it aside.

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    • Remove any broken or damaged feet.

    • Remove any pieces from the old foot that may have broken off in the foot hole.

    • Use tweezers to peel up and remove the old adhesive tape from the foot pad.

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    • Scrub the foot pad with adhesive remover to remove any remaining adhesive.

    On my mid-2009 unibody MacBook Pro, there were thin, circular, black cloth pieces inside the case, covering the holes where the feet came through. I had to remove this tape, in order to push the feet through.

    Edward Horner -

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    • Wipe the foot pad with an alcohol prep pad to remove any residue left by the cleaner.

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    • Peel a replacement foot from the plastic backing.

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    • Align the new foot inside the foot pad.

    • Make sure the alignment nub on the foot is lined up with the small hole near the perimeter of the pad.

    • Lay the foot down while keeping it properly aligned.

    • Check for proper alignment from the inside of the lower case. Use tweezers to slide the alignment nub so it lines up with the hole.

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    • Press the new foot down firmly with your finger and maintain pressure for 30 seconds to set the pressure sensitive adhesive. Support the other side of the cover while you press the foot down.

    • Repeat the last six steps for any broken or damaged feet.

    Support the rear feet from inside with your other hand before pressing down on new foot. Failure to do so may damage the plastic air grille inside the rear of the lower case. See the photos in step 3 above.

    hterlecki -

    My A1278 hasn't got holes in the backplate?

    The feet just seem to be stuck on with adhesive.

    Do I still have to unscrew the back?

    Regards,

    Rob.

    Rob Haygarth -

    Hi Rob,

    If the backplate doesn’t have the holes, you can still use the feet by just glueing them on. You would not have to open the backplate.

    Arthur Shi -

    I have been told that if you are using adhesive, you should follow these steps and remove the bottom.

    This way, adhesive doesn’t get inside the machine.

    Larry D Turner -

    Hi Larry,

    That is definitely true, if you are adding liquid adhesives. The feet we sell come with adhesive pre-installed on the feet. All you have to do is peel and stick!

    Arthur Shi -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Adam O'Camb

Member since: 11/04/15

206065 Reputation

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