Macbook Air A1466 A1369 Hinge Cover Replacement Guide/ Wobbly Hinge

This repair as shown is performed on a 2013 MacBook Air, but will likely be similar for all Macbook Air models until 2017, and other Macbooks with plastic hinges.

Purpose

'''this repair guide is to be used to replace a broken hinge cover, identified below, or improving a wobbly or loose screen. This guide does NOT include instructions for replacing the metal screen hinge, as the display cables run through it and it is a very advanced repair compared to the fixes discussed in this article.'''

Step 1: Disassembly.

This repair guide will not include disassembly information, it is recommended that you use a teardown guide such as iFixit’s display assembly replacement guide as a reference, and will refer to that in this repair guide.


 * Follow Steps 1-26 in the mentioned guide, or until the display assembly is completely removed from the base
 * Place display assembly face up on table, and remove the plastic hinge cover as indicated below:


 * If replacing the hinge cover was the only intended repair, move to step 3. If improving a wobbly screen hinge, move to step 2.

Step 2: Cleaning, improving hinge


 * Note: This may have minor to very good results, and does not guarantee that the issue will be resolved. However, it requires no additional parts and is reversible compared to replacing the hinge entirely.


 * Remove the six screws as indicated below.




 * use an old toothbrush or similar tool to remove dirt or dust from the hinge, and then use a cotton swab to clean the metal hinge with 90 percent or higher Isopropyl Alcohol. The reason for the looseness may be resulting from liquid spilling on the hinge, so a simple clean may solve the problem before any further repairs are considered.

Step 3: Reassembly


 * When you are ready to begin Reassembling, reverse the steps in the guide you used to disassemble the device, making sure all the hinge screws are tight enough to not allow the screen to be loose. It is not possible to tell how effective the fix was until you have assembled the device fully, as the integrity of the hinge partially relies on the bottom cover. If the screen is still extremely wobbly, you may have to look into an entire hinge replacement or display assembly replacement.

Parts
A1369 A1466 LCD cable- Store.rossmanngroup.com

A1369 A1466 Plastic Hinge Cover- AliExpress Ebay