iMac Intel 24" EMC 2111 Hard Drive Fan Replacement

Schritt 1

Loosen the two Phillips screws securing the access door to your iMac.
Both screws remain captive within the access door.
Remove the access door.

Schritt 2

Remove the following screws along the lower edge of your iMac:
Three 6 mm T8 Torx screws
One 8 mm T8 Torx screw

My iMac had four 6mm T8 Torx screws (so not one 8mm screw)

floor - 23/12/15

My late 2006 iMac24 also has only 4, 6mm long T8 screws here.

JC Gidley - 26/10/18

Schritt 3

Lay your iMac stand-side down on a flat surface.
To lift the front bezel off the iMac, simultaneously:
Use your thumbs to press in the RAM arms and hold the iMac down.
Use your index fingers to pull the small bridge of material on the front bezel toward yourself.
Pull the front bezel up with your index fingers.
Once the small bridge of material has cleared the RAM arms, lift the front bezel by its lower edge just enough to clear the bottom edge of the rear case.

My iMac did not have the "small bridge of material" mentioned, however the bezel just lifted off easily.

maccentric -

Schritt 4

Lift the front bezel off the rear case and rotate it away from the bottom edge of the iMac, minding the camera and microphone cables still attached to its upper edge.
The third picture shows the top front bezel brackets and their slots cut into the top edge of the iMac's rear case.
Do not completely remove the front bezel, as it is still attached by the camera/microphone cables.

Schritt 5

If necessary, remove the strip of tape covering the microphone cable connector.
The microphone connector is located near the inside of top edge of your iMac.

Schritt 6

Disconnect the microphone cable.
Disconnect the camera cable by pulling its connector away from the socket on the camera board.
The camera cable connector and socket are delicate and easily bent. Remove with caution.

I found it easier not to remove the cables connecting camera and microphone, but rather to lean the plastic frame agains a pile of books so that it could rest almost vertical avoiding the need to disconnect those two sensitive cables.

Stefano C -

I agree that for a simple, quick battery change, don't risk damaging those delicate wires. Ignore Step 6 and instead of disconnecting the mic and camera wires, keep them in place and just have a friend hold the plastic frame up while you change the battery, or prop it up as mentioned by Stefano C above.

WT Kwok -

Make sure you double check the new logic board for the presence of the GPU assembly before installing. I stupidly installed a new board without moving the GPU from the old one first. So i guess you can say this guide worked for me twice. :)

Trevor Kearsey -

Schritt 7

Peel the two highlighted EMI shield tabs off the frame of the LCD.

Schritt 8

Remove the two T6 Torx screws securing the display data cable to the logic board.

Wait, we need a T6 screwdriver as well?

I purchased the T8 and T10 from your site as per the parts list above and now am here with an opened iMac on the dining room table unable to continue :/

Stephen Alianiello - 28/05/18

Schritt 9

Pull the black plastic tab attached to the display data cable connector to disconnect it from the logic board.

Schritt 10

Use your fingertips to pull both sides of the wide inverter cable connector out of its socket on the logic board.
De-route the inverter cable from its location next to the CPU fan.

Schritt 11

Before attempting this step, we recommend laying your iMac stand-side down on a table to avoid the display falling down.
Remove the eight T8 Torx screws securing the display assembly to the rear case.
It is helpful to use a thin magnetized screwdriver to remove these screws.

It would be useful to use a torx screw driver with a long, narrow shank… some of these screws are in tight places.

Joe Liscouski - 24/04/19

It may also be useful to prop up the back so it is level. This will prevent the screws from falling inside. They can be retrieved once the scene is off.

John-Francis mergen -

Schritt 12

Remove the display assembly from the iMac.

Schritt 13

Peel back the piece of EMI tape connecting the bottom edge of the right speaker to the metal frame of the iMac.
Peel the tape away from the lower corner of the right speaker.

Schritt 14

De-route the right-hand speaker's cable from between the logic board and the optical drive fan.
Disconnect the cable from the logic board.

Schritt 15

Remove the 26 mm T10 Torx screw securing the right speaker to the iMac.

Schritt 16

Pull the right speaker away from the logic board and remove it from the iMac.

Schritt 17

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry both antenna connectors off their sockets on the AirPort card.
The black antenna attaches closest to the bottom edge of the iMac.

Schritt 18

Use both fingertips to disconnect the camera and microphone cable from its socket on the logic board.
Pull the connector perpendicular to the face of the logic board.

Schritt 19

Pull the optical drive fan connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

Schritt 20

Pull the left speaker connector toward the top edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

Schritt 21

Pull the optical drive thermal sensor connector toward the right side of the iMac to disconnect it from its socket.

Schritt 22

If necessary, remove the strip of tape covering the optical drive connector.

Schritt 23

Gently pull the cable retainer on the optical drive cable ZIF socket toward the right side of the iMac.
The retainer should move about 1 mm and stop. Do not attempt to remove the retainer.
Pull the optical drive ribbon cable out of its socket, being careful not to rip it in the process.

Schritt 24

Disconnect the hard drive thermal sensor and hard drive fan cables from the logic board by pulling their connectors toward the top edge of the iMac.

Schritt 25

Pull the CPU fan connector toward the left edge of the iMac to disconnect it from the logic board.

Schritt 26

Disconnect the power button cable from the logic board.
Pull its connector perpendicular to the face of the logic board.

Schritt 27

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the single Bluetooth antenna off its socket on the Bluetooth board.

Schritt 28

Pull the ambient temperature sensor cable perpendicular to the face of the logic board to disconnect it from its socket.

Schritt 29

Disconnect the DC-In cable from the logic board by pulling its cable toward the right side of the iMac while depressing its locking mechanism.
It is helpful to use a spudger and pry from alternating sides of the connector to help "walk" it out of its socket.

Schritt 30

Pull the hard drive SATA data cable perpendicular to the face of the logic board to disconnect it from its socket.
To avoid damaging the socket on the logic board, we recommend using a metal spudger to help separate the SATA data cable and its socket.

Schritt 31

Peel the foam tape off the top edge of the heat sink framework.

Schritt 32

Remove the following ten screws:
Three 6.6 mm T10 Torx fine thread screws
Three 7 mm T10 Torx coarse thread screws
Two 9.3 mm T10 Torx coarse thread screws
Two 5.3 mm T10 Torx coarse thread screws

Schritt 33

Pull the right edge of the logic board slightly away from the rear case to dislodge the rear I/O ports from their bezel.
Tilt the top edge of the board away from the rear case and lift the logic board assembly out of the rear case, minding any cables that may get caught.
When reinstalling the logic board, it is helpful to use tape to temporarily tuck the cables out of the way until the board is properly seated in the rear case.
During reassembly of the logic board, pay attention to the position of the I/O connectors. When the board is back in the case, insert a USB or Thunderbolt cable into one of the connectors to align it perfectly.

Schritt 34

Pull the hard drive fan off the plastic posts molded into the rear case.
Remove the hard drive fan.