Motorola Moto G 2nd Generation Motherboard Replacement

Written By: Jared Geraets

Comments: 17

Motorola Moto G 2nd Generation Motherboard Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

10 - 15 minutes

Introduction

This guide will teach you how to replace the motherboard in your Moto G, in the event that it is malfunctioning. It may take a while, since the battery and SD/SIM card reader must be removed first, but all you will need are a T5 Torx screwdriver and a plastic opening tool.

Tools

Step 1

Make sure your Moto G is turned off and that any SIM or SD cards are removed before beginning disassembly.
Starting at the USB port on the bottom, remove the rear cover by prying it off with your finger.
Work your way down the sides to avoid cracking the rear cover.

Important - remove SIM cards before opening the phone.

Wojciech Dyba - 28/01/18

Step 2

Remove the eight 4.2 mm screws at the top and bottom of the phone using a T5 Torx screwdriver.
Using the same screwdriver, remove the six 3.2 mm screws on the sides.
Remove the next layer of the phone by prying it off with your fingers.

On mine, they’re all Torx T5

Stanley Reynolds - 13/09/19

You neglected to mention that the two buttons might fall out when you remove this part.

Stanley Reynolds - 13/09/19

Step 3

Using a plastic opening tool or tweezers, disconnect the SIM/SD card reader at the top of the phone.
Disconnect the battery connector by prying it off of the motherboard.
Disconnect the vibration motor by prying its connector off of the motherboard.

sir when I put on for charging it shows 50% charging after 1 hour when I removed the charger its showin 0 and total is dead. what is the reason

leela - 12/10/16

moto g 2 completely dead what the reason

leela - 12/10/16

There's no need to remove the battery or motherboard to get to the speakers - they are accessible as soon as the back cover is removed. Skip this step and jump straight to step 10

Paul Abraham - 23/04/17

In fact it is not necessary to remove the simcard rack. I managed to remove battery with the rack on. It is possible to remove the foil startingfrom the bottom of the battery and once peeled off the battery can be removed. You only need to disconnect the battery from the mother board.

Wojciech Dyba - 28/01/18

Step 4

Using a plastic opening tool, carefully pry off the entire SIM/SD card reader component.
Don't worry about ripping the copper foil a little bit, it is easy to put back on.
When reassembling the device, do not attempt to smooth the foil down with your finger. Metal foil can become sharp if folded in a certain way, and you may be cut.
The battery may be removed without removing the SIM/SD card reader. Simply peel back the copper foil from the opposite end of the device, stopping just before you reach the SIM/SD card reader.

As mentioned in a comment on the previous step, you don’t actually need to remove the SIM/SD card reader at all.

If you peel back the copper foil from the opposite end of the device, you can sneak the battery out (and the new battery in) by just sliding the battery ribbon cable out from under the SIM/SD card reader.

David - 13/06/20

Thx for the idea. I’ll let you know if it was working - I’ll my battery soon. regards!

ausssiefan - 26/06/20

Perfect as mentioned - just slide the cable foil under the sim rack - no need to remove the rack. Works flawlessly, quick repair.

ausssiefan - 03/07/20

Step 5

Peel off the two black stickers on the right side of the battery using your fingers.
Remove the battery by pulling the right side of it upwards.
The black stickers are the protruding ends of the two parallel adhesive strips which hold the battery in place. You can see the adhesive strips in the third image. Focus your effort on these regions.
If you did not remove the SIM/SD card reader in the previous step, you will need to carefully slide the battery ribbon cable out from under it once you have freed the battery from the adhesive strips.

HINT: The ‘two black stickers’ are the ends of the two parallel adhesive strips which hold the battery in. There is no other adhesive holding the battery, so focus your attention on these regions when prying the battery out!

David - 13/06/20

If the copper foil is damaged beyond repair, what can be used to replace it?

Xander Squier - 28/09/20