⟐ Commented March 27, 2024 at 0:24 MST

⟐ Commented January 06, 2026 at 17:42 MST

1. Reset the SMC
2. Reset the NVRAM
3. Open the bottom of the MBP
   - clean the dust
   - check the batteries (look fine)
   - disconnect the battery
   - press and hold the power button for 10sec
   - connect the charger and press the power button

Unfortunately no luck. There wasn't a single movement of the fans, noice from the speakers or light from screen :-(

From what I understand there should be a faulty Logic Board.
The machine is out of warranty (that's why I did step #3 of the investigation).

1.5years ago I spilled a bit of water on the MBP. Turned it off immediately and wasn't using it for 3 days. On day 4 it was working except the screen, however it wasn't an issue for me as I'm using external screen. For my biggest surprise the screen turned on 2 days later.
Since then I never had any issues with the machine.

After opening it I noticed a tiny erosion (marked on the image) which I cleaned with alcohol

Ordered an USB C Power Meter Tester to check the power.

Wanted to ask for some advice what I should look for as a possible reason for this faulty machine?

I'm pretty handy guy and finished an electronics schools (15 years ago and haven't practices much since then as I focused on Software) so more than happy to dig and try to fix it myself (happy owner of the ifixit pro tech toolkit).

⟐ Commented October 12, 2023 at 22:02 MST

⟐ Commented February 02, 2025 at 21:56 MST

These Macbooks are now around 4-5 years so it's not a bad idea to replace the thermal paste.

They're not obsolute so there will still be users who can benefit from a guide.

Update:

So I was able to open the MacBook and disassemble the motherboard with the video.

Since I'm comfortable around electronics (this isn't my first time opening up a MacBook, laptop, or even a smartphone), I did choose to replace the thermal paste on the cpu and gpu.

And honestly, after four years of service... Kind of disappointed about the original paste. Dan said that paste will last longer now due to improvements, but the original paste was crumbly as hell. Furthermore I noticed small blank spots on the cpu and it's heatsink, so not very good spread. The gpu did have a good spread. They definitely were generous with the paste on the gpu, because its surroundings were covered with paste too.

Cleaning wasn't difficult, as I said the paste was in a very crumbly state.

After cleaning I gave the copper plates of the heatsink and the cpu and gpu some time to evaporate the alcohol.

I used Noctua NT-H2 and used the "X" to spread the paste on both cpu and gpu.

The only annoying experience was to place back the motherboard in the case. I needed multiple attempts because there was always some small connector/ribbon cable underneath the motherboard. Ugh! After playing like an octopus for a while, I was able to place the motherboard back and with all connectors/ribbon cables out on top of it.

It's do-able but only for people who have a steady hand and... most of all... lots and lots of patience. Take your time. Take some breaks if you get tired or frustrated because the moment that you attempt to work a bit faster or anything like that... something will go wrong. I 100% guarantee that.

I made only one mistake. The connector cable from the left fan is incredibely fragile due to its L-shape (that's what I think). In trying to get the L-shape cable from underneath the board to the top on the board, I got a small tear in the ribbon cable. This fan no longer works. We learn from our mistakes. Should've taped the connector on top of the fan, I wouldn't had an issue to "fish" for the cable since it can't get trapped underneath the board that way. Already ordered a replacement fan.

The temperatures are amazing though. In idle I went from 60-63° to 46-51°. The one remaining fan is also a lot quieter. I'm not going to claim this huge difference to the new paste though. There was so much built up dust in the MacBook... I was genuinely surprised that the MacBook didn't have much higher temps in idle. Both fans were completly covered up in thick dust, and the outlets on both fans same thing. How it managed to get some kind of airflow through those thick dust is a mystery to me.

Anyway, I am very happy with the result. Yes, I did damage one fan connector, but one can only learn with making mishaps.

⟐ Commented February 14, 2026 at 4:21 MST

To make it clear i’ll make a description of the issue:

• Click sounds exactly like a metallic spring under tension, only clicks once and sometimes twice.
• Occurs around 30 / 50 degrees angle, always around those two angles.
• Only occurs when CLOSING the lid and when doing it “gently”.
• Sometimes the lid is completely silent when closing and sometimes it clicks every time.
• The clicking has in the last 2 days disappeared on the left side and now only occurs on the right side.
• Display hinge feels 100% smooth and is not loose, feels similar to my 2015 15” in terms of how firm the hinge is.
• The display lid aligns perfectly with the rest of the laptop, does not move or shift when clicking so I could physically feel the click.
• Seems to occur more frequent when the laptop is in colder room temperatures or have been closed during the night.

My guess is that that the spring for the display hinge gets stuck or something around 30*/50* angle which results in a click when it moves, can it be due to insufficient lubrication of the hinge?

Is this a common issue with the 16” since I tested it on two display models in a store and they both made a similar noise.

Is there anyway of fixing it myself? I got AppleCare so if its annoying enough ill bring it in.

⟐ Commented February 02, 2023 at 16:51 MST

Apple even allowed the batteries of M1 MacBook Air to be user-serviceable, but not the Pro models.

Apart from immediate accusations of corporate greed, what could the technical reasons for them to eventually decide not to allow end users self-service the batteries despite clearly intended to allow such operation by design?

⟐ Answer accepted August 27, 2022 at 11:25 MST

If I shake my Macbook sideways with the device parallel to the floor I can feel/hear something wobbly moving around. Does anyone here have any idea what component causes this?

I also seem to notice that when the Macbook is closed with the lid down, grabbing it with both hands and using my thumbs to firmly press on top of the lid near the centre and than shaking it sideways lessens or stops the wobble. Like it comes from the screen, but feels it comes from the case.

I am very curious what it is and if it’s normal.

⟐ Commented June 18, 2025 at 14:21 MST

⟐ Answered September 27, 2023 at 5:57 MST

my Macbook Pro (16", 2019) was repaired about a 7 months ago - I had the entire bottom replaced. Recently, my laptop has started shutting down when under strain (like playing a video game) - but today it shut down when using google maps. I checked the CPU die temperature and I saw it was 100C from simply starting up and opening chrome. If I leave it on idle for about 20 mins, it gets down to about 55-65C but never lower.

I have just restarted PRAM and the fans aren't blocked. Is there anything I can do to fix this from software? I really don't want to have to bring it in again.

Hey, thanks for the replies, here is the diagnostics when I am idling and literally just have background apps running. For context, I had chrome, terminal, mail, whatsapp and spotify running in the background:

And here it is when I opened photoshop to try and save this image to send to you guys:

It's now back down to ~70C after about 5-10 mins but when I check the die temperature it is consistently 70C even when I'm doing the most mundane tasks like simply opening Chrome. I know Chrome is notorious for using processing power, but this is a (relatively) new computer, especially considering the CPU etc has been replaced when I brought it in for repair last time. Here is the command line die temperature - 90C is when I opened photoshop:

Is this normal? This computer (2019 16") has always seemed to have issues cooling down for me, but 90C when doing simply tasks seems excessive? Then when I try to do something more complicated (like play a game) - its either throttled to be unplayable, or not throttled and my computer shuts down from the heat.

⟐ Answered June 01, 2023 at 3:16 MST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eUxSBHV...

⟐ Commented August 23, 2022 at 5:28 MST

I bought the Macbook Pro June 2020.

Why would a new Macbook Pro not start?

Apple help can't figure it out either.

Can someone help me figure this out!

⟐ Commented August 18, 2024 at 18:44 MST

⟐ Answer edited September 17, 2022 at 10:10 MST

⟐ Commented September 19, 2025 at 23:46 MST

I've torn the lid angle sensor while trying to clean the inside of my computer. I've attempted to work around this by putting the computer to sleep before closing the lid however the screen turns back on as soon as it is closed. Also strange that the screen will stay on indefinitely until the battery is dead, even though i've changed my power savings settings are to turn the display off after one minute of inactivity. Its odd because if the sensor is broken and the computer thinks that it's still open, it should turn off after inactivity. The only solution i've found is to shut the computer off before closing it which is not ideal. Finally, i've found replacement cables online however i've been reading that this will need to be calibrated by a professional? Can anyone confirm if this is true?

Thank You

Thank you all for the wealth of information. Just to provide an update to you all, i made sure to purchase a used angle sensor that was taken from a working computer and replaced it on my own. So far everything works as it should!

⟐ Answer edited October 25, 2024 at 12:50 MST

the title says it all. I saw a glitchy pixel line at the top flickering a few seconds before the screen was just black. All i have as a second screen is a laggy tv. I obviously restarted already and installed the latest macOS update. I use tools like BetterTouchTool, Alfred and Bartender, if that may cause an issue maybe (?)

It happened after I transported it in a backpack. But this can only be a coincidence, because the laptop is well protected in a special compartmant and i have nothing inside the pack that could pressure damage the display or something. The case itself also doesnt show any signs of cracks, scratches, dents, bents or anything.

The battery is also fully charged and I have never used any third party method to charge it.

During the macOS update the tv got no signal but you could see a very dark and very blurry image of the apple and the progress bar.

Using my iPad in sidecar mode froze the image on the ipad after 1 or 2 minutes. The tv signal was solid though as long as i didnt restart or pressed the power button or something.

In the sea of outdated articles I tried a few things but every restart or long press of the power button results in no signal on the tv. so its very hard and frustrating to not see anything at all.

i dont know what long pressing the power (touch id) button does, though… as i cant seeee it :D

Ive read a lot that this is more often a software issue than a hardware issue and would like to avoid sending it in.

Since I’ve had very good experiences in this forum already, I hope you guys will rescue me once again :(

Thanks!

⟐ Commented October 19, 2024 at 1:32 MST

Anyway, I assembled everything according to the guide and everything works well, the battery is also great. However, I have just noticed, that even though the power button works, the touch id does not:

Whenever I log into the account after starting the mac, I enter the password, and after some time whenever it goes to sleep I cannot open it with touch id. Additionally, touch ID stopped working with saved passwords in Safari.

Also, whenever I try to add a new fingerprint, I get following error, right after I click add fingerprint and enter the password:

Failed

Unable to complete Touch ID enrollment.

So it does not even allow to put a finger on it. Anyone knows how I can solve this issue? Because power button works.

What I did so far:

• Tried to reset NVRAM and SMC
• Tried to add new fingerprint in Safe Mode
• Visually inspected if the ribbon for touch id and power button is damaged (it is not)
• Tried creating a new user and adding a fingerprint
• Tried running Apple Diagnostics (Control+D on startup) - no hardware failures.

Anyone encountered it and knows about any possible solutions I can try?

Finally found some time to disassemble it, I reconnected everything, as you can see in the images (even though low quality but hopefully good enough), the touch ID does not work and touch id enrolment fails :(

⟐ Commented October 01, 2025 at 3:53 MST

⟐ Commented January 06, 2025 at 11:23 MST

While I was wiping of the water the computer turned on several times and it all seemed to be fine.

How ever, I am still a little bit afraid that I might have ruined something so I just left it shut down.

How long should I wait before using it again? To make sure the water get dry… I don’t have any tool to open it.

⟐ Commented November 25, 2023 at 8:09 MST

Subsequently reading this MacBook Pro 16" 2021 Screen Replacement, I came to think: great! My plan should work! If there's a guide for this, and iFixit sells the parts (on rare occasion, when they come up), then surely this is a viable solution 🙂

However... I've since stumbled across this post Display issues on MacBook Pro 14" M1 - Shadows on Screen

The updated first answer gives me a strong impression that any attempt to replace the display with a donor (not sourced directly from apple) would essentially be futile, due to the apparent need for system calibration to pair it to it's body.

There is a caveat in that second post, insofar as desoldering a couple of specific ICs and transplanting them onto the new display should get around the apple calibration/serialisation issue. However, I attempted to shop around little ol' New Zealand to find someone to do such a repair, found a repairer who works with someone who apparently has the full schematics for this model of mbp, and has experience with this sort of repair, and this is the response I got from them when asking if they'd do it:

"this type of job is beyond their capabilities. It’s mainly due to the schematics of the board, security that Apple puts on its logic boards & the complexity of it (High risk of it not working) & they don’t think it would be a successful job"

So, back to my original question: is it an exercise in futility trying to use a donor display assembly (that is not sourced directly from apple) to replace the display of a broken A2385 mbp?

Or is there some solution to my goal here that I haven't thought of (aside from getting a new logic board from apple instead)?

Thanks for any and all help!!

Currently, I have in my possession a 16" 2021 M1 Macbook pro A2485, which I *think* is missing the logic board only (bought of trademe (NZ eBay equivalent))

I want a functional 16" 2021 Macbook pro A2485

I believe the cheapest solution is for me to purchase an identical model (A2485) MBP with a broken display, and have my current display assembly, which I believe is perfectly functional, transplanted into an otherwise perfectly functional MBP with a broken/malfunctioning screen. I currently have my eye on a A2485 with the auction closing in a few days, to enable this - *if* I can get a repair combining the two, to actually work

Alternatively, I believe another solution would be to have a matching, functioning logic board with paired touch ID transplanted into my current MacBook shell, such as this one MacBook Pro 16" (2021 A2485 M1 Pro) 10-Core CPU/16-Core GPU Logic Board with Paired Touch ID Sensor . I am under the impression that this will be more expensive (I do not have the liquid-damaged logic board to exchange through apple's self-service program), but obviously that depends on how much a A2485 MBP with broken display ends up costing me, so that may not necessarily be the case

So as far as I can tell, my options are as follows:

Option 1: attempt possibly futile display assembly transplant from Mac with no logic board to Mac with broken screen

- Find ways from iFixit big brains to make this less likely to be futile 🙏 🤞

Option 2: buy logic board with paired touch sensor to transplant into my current Mac with no logic board. Hope that iFixit big brains tell me if this is a dumb idea/ how I can make it work without it likely going 🍐-shaped

Option 3: %#*@ it all to hell, throw the beautiful MacBook I have in the trash/ on a $1 reserve auction for some poor soul to go down the same rabbit hole/ dead end as me

A final note/ question on Option 1:

Is it somehow possibly to do something like do display transplant without T-CON transplant, and also intentionally break something isolated like a lid angle sensor, then go to an authorised apple repairer to have intentionally broken sensor repaired, and then in the system calibration post-repair, apple inadvertently fixes the display serialisation/ non-matching T-CON?

I'm probably showing just how naïeve I am with the above suggestion - maybe the lid angle sensor is a dumb example and there's a better part to try that on with, maybe the authorised repairer will notice a display mis-match when attempting the repair and refuse service, maybe the system calibration post- authorised repair will only work for said repaired part, or maybe apple will pick up the non-apple-sourced display on calibration and not complete it. I dunno. But figured it's worth throwing out there! Thoughts?

Or any other suggestions for me avoiding going nuclear on option 3? Thanks!!

⟐ Commented June 16, 2023 at 7:08 MST