iMac G4 15" 700 MHz EMC 1873 PRAM Battery Replacement

Geschrieben von: Ryan Kozak

Kommentare: 17

iMac G4 15" 700 MHz EMC 1873 PRAM Battery Replacement

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Moderate

Schritte

Zeitaufwand

30 Minuten

Einleitung

How to replace the PRAM battery on your iMac G4.

Werkzeuge

Schritt 1

Place the computer monitor face down on a safe, harmless surface.
Using a Phillips #00 screw driver, remove the four 6.86 mm screws from the metal plate.

Schritt 2

Remove the metal plate from bottom of the iMac G4.
The four screws do not completely separate from the metal plate.

Schritt 3

Release the tabs on each side of the module by simultaneously pushing each tab away from the RAM.
These tabs lock the module in place and releasing them will cause the module to "pop" up.
Remove the RAM module from the iMac.

You to not need to remove the RAM to complete this task.

douglux - 13/12/20

Schritt 4

Use a spudger to lift and remove the AirPort's antenna connector.
This step is only applicable to iMacs that came with an AirPort card installed.

Schritt 5

Remove the four 28.07mm Torx #15 screws from the lower case.

Schritt 6

Open the base by carefully pulling straight off, do not rotate the cover.
Open slowly to ensure that no cables are damaged or disconnected.

You can skip steps 7-9; there is no need to disconnect any internal wiring or RAM. Crack open the base a couple of inches (it doesn't really rotate, just pull it out), and the PRAM battery will be right under your nose. It's no problem to pop it out with your fingers and put the new one in. Just make sure that you note the positive and negative terminals on the old one, and put the new one in the same way.

whshep -

No one mentioned the need for thermal paste in the reassembly...

Federico Jimenez - 05/05/14

Thermal paste? Where would you put that? As I understand it there's no need for that anywhere other than the CPU/Heatsync

Steven Hatch - 15/08/16

There's a post (or block really) that connects the cpu heatsink to the upper part of the metal shell that is just to the right (facing the imac) of the drive door. Upon reassembly it's best to clean the matching surfaces and reapply thermal paste to that upper post.

Joe Pena - 16/08/16

what's with the apparent loose black wire visible in step 6 & 7 ?? same as the loose wire just sitting there in step 3 ( which was like that on mine, just loose.....? )

rickcee44 - 21/06/15

I hear that wire is bluetooth hook up.. my model has the other side but my board doesn't have the hook up... go fig :(

sean - 17/07/15

agreed with whshep. I did not disconnect these cables to complete this repair.

douglux - 13/12/20

Schritt 7

Squeeze the small black tab and wiggle gently to remove the colored power cable.
Do not pull directly on the colored wires.
Do not remove black grounding wire.

The black tab is in in the middle of the plug (facing us in the photo.) Pushing not very hard on the top unlatches the bottom.

Matt D - 15/04/20

I got away with not disconnecting these cables and was still able to complete the repair.

douglux - 13/12/20

What if I remove the grounding cable

Roman -

Schritt 8

Grab both sides of the blue connector and firmly pull to remove it from the mother board.
Do not pull directly on the ribbon cable.

It's a bit vague. That is, it explains where and how the memory module fits, but most importantly it does not. What type of DIMM memory it has to be and its speed as well as the process of not touching hands with the gold connectors of the memory module

Carlos Sousa - 02/07/18

I left this connected as well. Was able to complete the repair with it connected.

douglux - 13/12/20

What is this ribbon called? I need a new one and don’t know where to find one.

Ian Young -

Schritt 9

Release the tabs on each side of the module by pulling them away from the internal RAM
Once the tabs are pulled the module will "pop" out and you can slowly remove it.

Schritt 10

Use a spudger to gently pull the side of the battery out of the socket.
Remove the PRAM battery

Abschluss

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

Tinte & Feder

Ryan Kozak

Mitglied seit: 10/10/11

1639 Reputation

3 Kommentare

This is missing a description of re-doing the thermal paste which connects the heat sinks in the top part with the heat sinks in the bottom part. Check elsewhere on the internet for that (don't look at the other battery replacement guide here on ifixit, that one is criminal in how bad it is, I used to be impressed because that guy had the highest reputation in all of iFixit, now I realized he just gamed the system by putting up zillions of low-quality guides, and letting other people clean up the mess behind him.)

This heat thing is important, as your processor will overheat, and cause your mac to crash randomly.

Netmammal - 05/07/17

Not bad indications, thanks, however the other comment is quite right. It is too important re- doing the thermal paste , as long as in this computer is needed in more parts than any other 'conventional' PC.

More over, once you have opened the mac, I would suggest to change the cpu thermal paste too.

Saying that, my point is that this is the second time I have to change the battery and I have faced a little problem assembling the external RAM (it wont click again) … and I´m still thinking why is mandatory (or at lest it looks like) to removing the external RAM and the airport card in order to open the other part of the computer?

At far as I´m concerned there is not phisical interference with the work, is it?

euato - 29/12/18

To replace the PRAM battery you only need steps 1, 2, 5, 6 and 10. Or check out this guide instead, which includes the thermal paste step: iMac G4 17 800 MHz EMC 1936 PRAM Battery Replacement

Tobias Smollett - 28/11/21