iMac Intel 24" EMC 2111 Optical Drive 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

Remove the strip of tape covering the optical drive cable connector.

Schritt 14

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.

Schritt 15

Pull the optical drive ribbon cable out of its socket, being careful not to rip it in the process.

Schritt 16

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

Schritt 17

Peel off the strip of EMI tape attaching the right side of the optical drive to the rear case.

Schritt 18

Push down on the optical drive bracket retaining clip while pulling the top edge of the optical drive away from the rear case.

Looking at pic on step 18, if you follow the black plastic release clip downwards there is another clip (just below the drive) so you need to pinch them together (with the optical drive in the middle), rather than just press down on the top clip.

If you look at the picture on step 19, you will see the corresponding release clip (just behind the middle of the orange ribbon cable) but it's not immediately obvious to see unless your looking for it.

Tahir Khan - 11/05/15

Schritt 19

Rotate the optical drive slightly toward the bottom edge of the iMac while pulling it away from the rear case to release the lower retaining clip.
Pull the optical drive away from the right side of the rear case and remove it from the iMac.

Schritt 20

Remove the two T6 Torx screws securing the optical drive cable to the optical drive.

Schritt 21

Insert the flat end of a spudger into the gap between the optical drive cable connector and the optical drive.
Twist the spudger to separate the connector from the optical drive.
Repeat this process for both sides of the connector.

Schritt 22

Pull the optical drive cable connector away from the optical drive.

Schritt 23

Use the flat end of a spudger to remove the pieces of EMI foam from the underside of the optical drive.
Don't forget to transfer these to your new drive.

Schritt 24

Remove the two T10 Torx screws from the side of your optical drive.

Schritt 25

Remove the two T10 Torx screws from the side of your optical drive.

Schritt 26

Use the tip of a spudger to push the two optical drive bracket tabs out of their slots in the top of the optical drive.

Schritt 27

Using the tip of a spudger, press the optical drive bracket tab out of its slot on the side of the optical drive.

Schritt 28

Use the tip of a spudger to press the optical drive bracket tabs out of the slots in the top of the optical drive.

Schritt 29

Pull the optical drive bracket toward the open end of the optical drive to free it from the optical drive.

Schritt 30

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the optical drive thermal sensor off the adhesive securing it to the optical drive.
Don't forget to transfer the optical drive thermal sensor to your new drive.
If you have a disk or anything else stuck inside your optical drive, we have a guide to remedy the situation.