Nexus 4 Motherboard Replacement

Geschrieben von: Kaitlyn Jones

Kommentare: 48

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Moderate

Schritte

Zeitaufwand

15 Minuten

Einleitung

This guide details how to remove the motherboard from your Nexus 4.

Werkzeuge

Ersatzteile

Nexus 4 (GSM) Motherboard

Schritt 1

Power off the phone, by long-pressing the power button and touching Power off.
Remove the SIM tray using the SIM Card Eject Tool.
This step is required in order to remove the back case.

Schritt 2

Remove the two screws from the bottom of the phone with a T5 Torx Screwdriver.

T5? Mine needs a T6

keith.griffiths - 30/06/17

Mine used the T3, T 4 and 5 were way to big?

Michael Kelly - 29/09/21

Schritt 3

Gently open the back case by prying along the edge of the cover, starting at a corner of the phone and circling around the phone using a plastic opening tool.
The opening process may take a few minutes. The plastic will make a light snapping noise as the back cover separates from the rest of the phone.

Remove Sim Tray before opening the case, chance to broke the case with sim tray inserted.

sajishv -

Tried using the smaller opening tool first, but the tip broke off quite violently. Switched over to the bigger one and that worked a bit better.

Just be very patient especially around the corners.

coolspongebob92 -

Definitely need patience for this. Unfortunately, I broke one end of the plastic opening where the SIM card tray goes. Quite fragile right there, especially as you wrestle with the corner. I think it broke as one of the corners popped off.

Ahmad -

Seriously, you can use your nails to get a better grip and feel the snap before you break anything. My plastic opening tool didn't work as expected and left pieces of plastic inside the case.

castanedamiguel -

Sorry for my poor english, i'm french ;-). I change my N4 backdoor. I agree with the fact that you must be patient to remove the whole backdoor. At the beginning, it's easy to open a breach, but to remove the entire backdoor, i take less than 10 minutes. I break an opening tool, i use my nails, and with my last plastic opening tool, i turn around the phone and i finally full open it. So be patient and do not force. Thx I fix it !

Siegfried Akougna -

hi, i have replaced my screen but have snaged the white wire i can now not get any signal thing i need a new wire, it came out of the little gold thing that gribs down

cameron - 15/07/14

So great to have these instructions. I ended up using a credit card and slid it in between the case and cover. I started on the bottom side where it was loose, forced it to the corner. when it popped up I kept sliding it around. I did that all the way around and then used the tools to lift if up.

Matthew Schmidt - 14/05/15

I found out that the bottom right corner (looking at the screen) is easiest to start from. Be very careful near the buttons and the sim tray, the plastic gets easiely deformed there. Took me quite a long time and lots of patience to not break anything.

Matti Eskelinen - 05/12/15

Just in case you've never opened such a compact, tightly snapped device before (such as me): Just attempt to insert and _slide_ prying tools and an old plastic card around the case for a few times, it appears the case will eventually separate more or less "on it's own" if you keep doing this. Attempting to visibly PULL the case off edge by edge does NOT help (I just spent almost an hour to figure out that attempting to use the tools like a crow bar does not yield any viable result despite looking good at start). Apart from unnecessarily warping the case, attempting to pull the case off may also result in the case getting stuck on the power button - you want to avoid that...

Also check that all button "pins" are still there when the case separates; for me the power button "pin" (the external plastic springy bar) came loose and needed to be reattached.

Daniel Neugebauer - 22/11/16

Schritt 4

Remove the two 1.8 mm Phillips screws holding down the battery connector.
Using a plastic opening tool, disconnect the battery cable from its socket on the motherboard.

what do i do if the screw is stripped?

Amulya -

How did you strip the screw? Torx screws are pretty hard to strip

Ethan Chow - 05/09/15

They were very tight on first disassembly, I broke the pointy tip of my screwdriver (from iFixit) into it, but fortunately, could get the piece out and continue.

molnarmarton - 19/11/16

Why is it important to remove the battery because I cannot see it causing any hindrance in removing the black panel that houses the camera and other circuitry

Rajat Singh -

Rajat, for any repair the battery should be removed first. Its easy to accidentally short out the battery when using screwdrivers to loosen screws.

Don Barthel - 22/09/15

I successfully replaced my speaker without removing the battery. Better save users some time by deleting steps 4 and 5 from this tutorial. Thanks a lot by the way :)

castanedamiguel -

Indeed you can probably technically remove the speaker without removing the battery however removing the battery as soon as possible once you get inside, or before getting inside a device when possible, is not worth! First it prevent from any short circuit that can destroy the device and it is also a way to ensure the device is totally disabled before starting fixing it. Those devices today are always powered even if turned off. So to conclude: Always remove the battery before you make any job inside a device. Do this step in priority as soon as the battery can be removed.

Gaetan -

I didn't remove the battery, and I was able to complete the install of the headphone jack just fine. I did disconnect the battery, however, since I didn't want to take any chances (some people saying that the phone never really powers off completely made me cautious).

Garrett Spencer - 04/05/14

The battery removal step is unnecessary and difficult. You should disconnect the battery, but there is no need to rip it out of its glued in position.

Malcolm Smith - 17/06/14

The Battery removal is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT something you should skip.

You do not need to fully remove the battery but make sure it is disconnected!

You can complete without any apparent damage but could potentially cause ESD that will manifist itself down the road.

It's a safety precaution to prevent static damage to your components.

Garrett

Garrett B - 31/10/14

Cut or remove the tape from the antenna & battery before proceeding to try to remove the battery. They are taped together and you can easily damage the antenna if you are not careful. Even after the tape is removed, be careful of the antenna wire while removing the battery.

Matt McAdam - 02/05/15

Wish I had seen your comment before gently prying up the battery and pulling the white antenna cable straight out of its tiny gold connector. Down to wifi-only as I await the replacement cable from eBay.

Alex - 22/08/15

I found the #00 screwdriver too big to remove the screws in my N4. Sadly, I don't have a #000

laidig - 13/05/15

I also had trouble with the screw: The (supposed) PH00 from a cheap kit didn’t fit; I also didn’t have a PH000. – But I managed to (carefully and very slowly) remove them with a PH0 (yes, a larger one!), which just barely got a grip on them.

Tom Janson - 10/06/15

Well that sucked. Really wish you had mentioned the antenna cord being taped to the side of the original battery. I yanked it out when prying off the glued down battery and ended up with a wifi-only device. The Nexus 4 battery replacement guide could really use an update.

Alex - 22/08/15

Schritt 5

Remove the blue tape that secures the white antenna cable to the battery.
Using a spudger, carefully disconnect the white antenna cable.
Carefully pry the battery out with a Plastic Opening Tool, starting at the top left-hand corner and working down towards the bottom right-hand corner.
If necessary, you can also use a plastic card to separate the battery from the metal midframe.
The battery is securely glued to the phone. When reinstalling the battery, press the battery firmly against the adhesive strip.

Also confirming that the battery removal step is unnecessary (wish I had read the other comments before proceeding with it)

Eugene Brodsky - 29/10/14

I disagree. There are some gotchas that a newbie might need to be warned about. Leave the step in.

David Spalding - 07/01/16

Isn't the antenna cable attached to the battery through the blue tape in the picture? In my first attempt replacing a broken screen I broke the antenna cable while removing the battery, so I had to buy a new cable to replace the old one.

Javier - 09/11/14

I just did the same thing. Wish I had seen your comment earlier!

Alex - 22/08/15

The battery was tightly gluid. To be able to put some more force than with the plastic opening tool I was using, I used a children plastic eating spoon. Worked like a charm!

Kurt - 14/01/15

I have a suggestion for all those who need to get the battery out. If you start from the top of the battery where the contacts are, you will notice that you can bend the top of the battery to some extent by lifting it with the plastic tool. This allows you to slip in the blade of a slim spattle (even if the blade is an inch wide). Since the cage of the battery is made of metal as well there is no danger for the chips and circuits. If you rock the blade to the left and to the right and apply a littel downward pressure you literally cut through the glue underneath the battery and will get it out in no time. Plus, there is no danger of cutting the antenna ;)

I hope it works for you guys.

Cheers

Paul Philipp Neumann - 15/01/15

I am trying to replace the battery. Since the battery originally glued on, if I replaced a new one, do I need to glue it back on as well or the connector should be able to hold it? If I need to glue it back on, what glue should I use to be safe on the phone??? Thanks a lot!

Steve - 13/09/15

IMHO If you REMOVED the adhesive strip, I don't think you MUST put something new in. It helps with positioning and keeping the battery from shifting while you reassemble the phone. If you use some kind of tape, use very thin, and sparingly (1" x 2" strip?).

David Spalding - 07/01/16

Getting the battery out is extremely tricky, why do LG glue it in place so strongly, a couple of pieces of slim double sided tape would suffice. Fortunately I have an iFixIt black spudger that I was able to slowly pry the battery out with, starting at the top and working my way down to the bottom, if the old battery wasn't any good before I started, it certainly isn't now as I had to bend the battery quite a lot to get it out. Take it slowly and carefully and you will get there.

George Smith - 06/01/16

+1 for the black spudger, glad I had it. It's also comes very handy to work on the connectors; much better suited for that job than the blue prying tools... I'm also not feeling too good about how the old battery bent during removal.

To others as it seems these steps are consulted for other repairs: If you don't intend to replace the battery, leave it in if you can, just disconnect it. Removal appears to be a pretty destructive process; at least I wouldn't want to use the old battery again.

Daniel Neugebauer - 22/11/16

An alternative to a plastic pry tool (small tip) is an auto interior tool. There are several sizes including a 1" blade/wedge that is meant for gently releasing panels with friction fasteners. A decent auto interior pry tool works a treat for slowly, purposefully sliding under the battery. I didn't need to, but moistening (not drenching!) it with a little Goo Gone price label remover may help -- but remember to dry off any fluid before reassembling the phone with a new battery.

David Spalding - 07/01/16

The battery can be removed with the help of an old credit or loyalty card cut down in width. Once you have managed to lift the connector end of the battery, use the plastic card to push down and side to side so as to separate the battery from the sticky tapes holding it in place.

Stan - 30/09/16

Schritt 6

Remove the nine 4.6 mm Phillips #000 screws. Gently lift out the plastic cover.
The midframe is held in with two clips, one at either side. Use a plastic spudger to release each side and gently lift up and away.

Schritt 7

Remove the two 4.8 mm screws that hold the speaker enclosure together using the Phillips 00 screwdriver.

Schritt 8

Gently pry the speaker up and away from the back of the phone using a plastic opening tool, and lift it out of the phone.

The best way to remove the speaker cover out, is to pry up from above, not from below

Oscar del Pozo - 12/01/15

Please don't remove the battery - just disconnect the connector. (Step 4)

Step 5 is unnecessary - I have just replaced my Nexus 4 speaker without doing this step. All works fine.

Phillip Barnett - 31/01/15

Schritt 9

Using a spudger, pop off the gray connector on the top right of the motherboard.

Schritt 10

Gently lift the audio jack upwards and to the left to remove it from the motherboard.

Where do you get the replacement part from?

Ellen Liverpool - 24/06/14

amazon, ebay. easy.

Terrence Cheung - 30/06/14

I fixed my Nexus 4 headphone Jack! It took me less than one hour. The part I ordered from China directly aliexpress.com paid 6 US dollars including shipping to the Netherlands.

Putting the part in place was the hardest for me. Its really tiny. I had to cut of a little bit of the edge of the hole where the ambient sensor goes in, because the shape of the ambient sensor base.

Chris Koele - 01/12/14

works well, without removing the accu

don't forget to remove the simmcard first

thank you!

mikegrossehering - 05/11/15

Schritt 11

The audio port will likely lift out together with the ambient light sensor rubber cap.
Remove the cap from the old part and move it to the new one. Ensure the cap stays in place when installing the new audio port into the phone.

Schritt 12

Gently pry the metal tab up using a spudger, and lift up the disconnected black flap.

Schritt 13

With a spudger, carefully pry up the black tab connecting the camera to the motherboard.
Lift up the camera from the socket.

Schritt 14

Remove the Sim Card and the Sim Card metal tray.

Schritt 15

Remove the white antenna interconnect cable that attaches the motherboard to the bottom right-hand corner of phone by pulling on it gently.

Schritt 16

Remove the tab located in the bottom right-hand corner of the motherboard attaching the motherboard to the front display assembly using a spudger.

Schritt 17

Remove the last tab connecting the motherboard to the front display assembly located in the upper right-hand corner of the motherboard using a spudger.
Once this tab is removed, the flap will be free and will spring away from the motherboard.

Schritt 18

Using a spudger, gently lift up the motherboard from the front display assembly.
Carefully remove the motherboard using your hands.

Abschluss

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

Tinte & Feder

Kaitlyn Jones

Mitglied seit: 28/01/13

4952 Reputation

4 Kommentare

This manual doesn't mention to take out volume and Power Buttons and removing the lower PCB with the USB port and LED!

I would edit but unfortunately I didnt take any pics

Robin Munkittrick -

As Robin says, this misses out a few bits that are needed if you are trying to replace the screen and digitiser - two buttons, lower usb assembly and also a very small, mysterious, soft rubber insert that goes at the top and no doubt does something vital. Sorry also no pictures but none of these are exceptionally tricky - though the usb assembly needs gentle handling and patience. It took me a lot longer than the guide suggested but thanks to those clear instructions it all got done … and now my faithful old phone works again! Thanks a million!

tim bergel - 12/10/17

My Nexus 4 Battery socket on the Motherboard has blown off.

How do i retrieve the Data from my phone. Please help me !!!

anthony_joypaul2222 - 24/01/20

If you want to exchange just the MB there are some steps you can skip, i.e. step5 (removal of the battery), steps 7 & 8 (removal speaker), steps 10 & 11 (removal of the audio port, unplugging is sufficient) and step 15 (just unplug the antenna cable from the MB)

Heinrich Schmidt - 31/12/20