Hunky Dory Repair iPhone 3G and 3GS Tear Down Guide

IPHONE 3

G/3GS R

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AND TEAR D

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TOOLS REQUIRED

• Regular grade iPhone screw driver, preferably 1.5 Phillips head

• Regular pry stick for holding flex cables in place, or remove them from jaw locks and sockets (Spudger)

• Clean workspace and anti static mat to make sure none of the new parts get damaged

• Flat head screwdriver (Generic ones will do fine, but preferably we need to start using the tool kits provided at each kiosk and store)

• Suction cup for LCD removal

• TIME, go slow, speed comes with multiple repairs, constancy and quality is KING.

• Super Glue

• Correct parts for each guide breakdown

DIGITIZER/LCD ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT

BOTTOM SCREW REMOVAL

Make sure to:• Never let the screws strip, these are

made out of pot metal, so they tend to strip if forced off

• Never bend the screws in any direction, as this can sometimes cause the back casing and the surrounding plastic to crack

LCD ASSEMBLY REMOVAL

Make sure to:• Secure the suction cup just above the home button, this point has the best

vantage point for leverage.• Try to hold the very edges of the display, the hardest part is making sure

that when pulling the display up, one does not break the black rubber lining.

• GO SLOW. Damaging the rubber makes for the refurb process to become harder, and the quality of the work is diminished.

REMOVING THE LCD

Make sure to:• Carefully pull the screen up from the bottom to the top, leaving the screen

at about a 90 degree angle.• There is two ribbons attached to the top of the mainboard, one for the

digitizer and one for the LCD THEY CANNOT BE DAMAGED. Hold this angle in place for the next step.

• Try not to grip the metal frame to hard, we don’t want it to bend in any manner.

REMOVING LCD RIBBON

Make sure to:• Position your hands correctly to hold the LCD assembly at an

angle so ribbons are not ripped or torn, as well as the sockets can sometimes be damaged if the ribbon is pulled off incorrectly

• The ribbon marked “1” is the LCD ribbon and is delicate. Remove with Spudger pry stick.

REMOVE DIGITIZER RIBBON

Make sure to:• Continue to hold the assembly at the correct angle so the ribbons are not

damaged.• The ribbon marked “2” is the digitizer ribbon• A 3gs digitizer ribbon has an all gold inside, while the 3g ribbon has a

black center block. Make sure to check the digitizer ribbon before placing in the unit.

REMOVAL OF EARPIECE RIBBON

Make sure to:• Tilt the assembly on a complete vertical angle to correctly view the ribbon

and FPC lock (Jaw Lock)• The ribbon marked “3” is for the earpiece, always check for corrosion and

water damage to make sure we are not fixing something that is more damaged then able to be repaired.

• The Jaw lock has to be in the upright position in order to correctly remove the ribbon, and must be closed when replacing the ribbon.

REMOVING FIRST PHILLIPS HEAD SCREW

Make sure to:• Try not to press down on the LCD or the metal frame,

we may only be replacing the front glass so the LCD must be intact in order to proceed.

• Try to be gentle, the screws are not iron tight, but sometimes moisture causes them to lock and can become stripped.

REMOVING TWO RIGHT SIDE FRAME SCREWS

Make sure to:• Prop the frame and digitizer up, or work directly

horizontal without gripping the LCD or cutting any appendages on the cracked or damaged glass.

• Try to be gentle again, as always, these screws aren’t made of the best material!

REMOVING BLACK TAPE ON LEFT SIDE FRAME

Make sure to:• Use the small flat head screw driver to slowly peel back

the black tape that covers the other frame screws.• This is not something that needs to be in the phone for it

to function, but it must be there for aesthetic purposes and helps the frame slide into the back cover, make sure the screw heads are flush when replacing

3 LEFT SIDE FRAME SCREW REMOVAL

Make sure to:• Properly hold the assembly as you remove the screws• This side is the most important when it comes to foundation

structure strength, all of these screws need to be removed in order to take out the LCD, and they insure that no dust or particles enter the LCD space

LCD REMOVAL FROM METAL MID-FRAME

Make sure to:• Lightly start to pry the LCD from the two side frames carefully, you do not

want to bend the outer frame sides, as this will cause the LCD assembly to sit incorrectly within the

• Make sure to always go slow, and remove the LCD from the frame on both sides, keeping the frame straight and not bending or cracking the LCD

CAREFULLY REMOVE THE LCD FROM THE FRAME

Make sure to:• Correctly remove the LCD, placing it face down with the

metal and ribbons pointing up on a microfiber towel so no scratches and minimal dust will rest on the LCD

PUTTING THE NEW LCD ON THE PHONE

Make sure to:

• Grab a full digitizer and home button assembly.

• Clean the glass and the LCD with compressed air to keep all dust from settling

• Remove the covered plastic from the inside of the digitizer

• Insert the LCD carefully making sure to align all of the screw holes correctly

• Take a look at the LCD with it in place, but unscrewed, DOUBLE TRIPLE CHECK FOR DUST OR FIBERS

• Align all of the six screws, starting with the main top screw next to the ribbons.

• Screw in the left and right sides, replacing the black strip of tape

• Plug the ribbons in reverse order, 3 then 2 then 1

• Align the edges of the screen, making sure all of the ribbons are secure, start from the top and push the LCD back into place with the assembly. Check sides for gaps

• Screw in the two bottom bezel screws and VOILA! The new screen is cleaned and in place.

REPLACING THE POWER BUTTON/ VIBRATE, VOLUME KEY ASSEMBLY

RIBBON.









• GO SLOW. Damaged the rubber makes for the refurb process to become harder, and the quality of the work is diminished.

REMOVING THE LCD





REMOVING LCD RIBBON













REMOVE THE SIM CARD TRAY FROM THE PHONE

Make sure to:• Make sure you do not push down to hard, or pull the sim card

out aggressively, these plastic trays show any slight usage of damage, and can sometimes render the simcard lever completely unusable.

• Put them aside and make sure the tray and sim card are account for, try to do this before the repair, so that the simcard is not misplaced.

REMOVE THE BOTTOM DOCK FLEX

Make sure to:• Pull the ribbon carefully and correctly off, these have a

tendency to have adhesive on the bottom that can sometimes cause the ribbon to crack and rip, which means another part to replace.

REMOVE THE AUDIO AND HEAD JACK FLEX

Make sure to:• Correctly use the spudger to remove the ribbon carefully,

this socket can sometimes rise with the ribbon itself, damaging the board and making the phone un-repairable.

• This flex ribbon powers the volume keys, vibrate switch and headphone jack

REMOVE THE WIFI ANTENNA RIBBON PIN

Make sure to:• Remove this pin delicately, the pot metal for the small circle

that it plugs into can sometimes bend, which would cause the pin to no longer sit inside of the metal circle, making the wifi antenna become disconnected and then signal loss will occur for both data, voice and wifi services

REMOVE THE “DO NOT REMOVE” STICKER

Make sure to:• Avoid the glorious apple writing that tells you not to remove it, this is how

Apple care checks to see if the phone has been replaced.• If you do not remove it, when unscrewing it may cause you to unscrew

harder which could then render the threads on the inside bad, which will not allow you to screw it back it, which can sometimes cause the batter and dock to seist to function because the board is not hitting the copper points.

REMOVE ALL BOARD SCREWS

Make sure to:• Remove each screw from the bottom, the orange screws are separate

size’s from the red and yellow screws, the yellow outlines screw being the do not remove screw.

• Make sure the original slide of ORGANIZATION is kept completely in mind, organization and making sure everything is correctly separated and labeled is integral for disassembly and reassembly.

REMOVE THE CAMERA FROM ITS ASSEMBLY

Make sure to:• This is an easy step, the there is a single arm and screw that

hold the camera into place, once removed, take your spudger and remove the camera from the black housing.

REMOVE THE BOARD FROM THE CASING

Make sure to:• Disconnect the bottom dock ribbon, make sure that all

ribbons and cables, as well as the camera are unplugged from their sockets and housings.

• Lightly pry up with the spudger tool, removing the board from the back casing.

REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THE CASING

Make sure to:• Remove the battery slowly, this are lithium ion batteries, so

they can be bent and de-molded from their original shape.• Start from the top, make sure to slide underneath the plastic

strip, but over top the ribbon sitting glue to the back casing.

REMOVE THE TOP POWER BUTTON SCREWS

Make sure to:• Correctly organize the screws, as these match in size, but

are different from every other screw in the phone, so if lost, they can make the power button different from the original.

• Make sure to watch how you unscrew them, they are in pretty heavily, so trying to hard can cause the ribbon to peel back and tear.

REMOVING THE ACTUAL HOME BUTTON

Make sure to:• Remove the power button correctly, you don’t want to bend

the metal swing arm, that can cause the power button to incorrectly push down when re-inserted.

• Separate the power button from everything else, but put it near the two screws so you know where it goes!

PEEL THE ENTIRE RIBBON BACK, CAREFULLY!

Make sure to:• CAREFULLY peel the ribbon from the back case, try prying it

up a little with a guitar pic, or a plastic puller, as sometimes when you peel it off, it will separate in two pieces. The ribbons can be recycled, and the more intact they are, the better.

REMOVE THE VARIOUS LEFT RIBBON SCREWS

Make sure to:• Start from the top, the orange screw is the headphone jack screw, and all

of the screws on this ribbon are unique and need to be accounted for in order to correctly re-assembly the device

• The screws are on very difficult threads, and you can break them if you unscrew them to hard, and it will be difficult to re-secure the new ribbon

• A 3.8 Phillips will work on these a little better, as the heads are a little stronger then the rest of the screws.

REMOVE THE VIBRATE/ VOLUME SCREWS

Make sure to:• Be very careful with the top most screw, it is used to secure the vibrate

switch cradle in place, and if you unscrew it or tug on it, it can break the cradle, and you'll have to re-do the cradle by purchasing another!

• The volume screws are the same size, but the vibrate cradle screw is completely unique, and they need to be seperated.

REMOVE THE VOLUME SLIDE FROM PINIONS

Make sure to:• Remove it slowly, you don’t want to bend the metal frame,

we will be using that to adhere to the new ribbon to make the volume keys lineup.

• You don’t need to pull it all the way off, we still have some other things to pull, but lay it to the side so its not in the way.

REMOVE THE ENTIRE RIBBON

Make sure to:• Remove the whole assembly at the same time, making sure

not to damage the silver vibrate switch cradle, this needs to be removed, as does the silver volume key frame.

• Unless we use a ribbon assembly, this process cuts down on parts usage, and can be done just as good as a whole assembly ribbon

CREATING THE NEW RIBBON AND REASSEMBLY

• Now that we have the ribbon in pieces, take the silver cradle vibrate switch off carefully, if you look below the actual switch, there is two rubber pylons that are used to connect it to the cradle, heat that up with a hot stick for a couple of seconds, then use the other end of the spudger, the side that acts as a pick, and push down, removing the actual vibrate switch, now the cradle is separate and can be used again

• Peel back the pop caps for the volume keys from the silver volume key frame

• Peel back the pop cap for the power button cradle, the black plastic square on the top right of the ribbon, and then

• Now take the new ribbon, install the black power button cradle, making sure the pop cap is correctly placed.

• Now install the volume key frame, making sure all of the correct 3m tape lines up with how it should be installed

• When installing the vibrate switch cradle, put the two rubber pylons into the adjacent holes, heat them with the hot stick, going in a circular motion so that button like cylinders are melted into place, making sure that it correctly fits. Using super glue is also ok behind the switch, just make sure to only use a VERY small amount, spreading it evenly.

REPLACING 3G/3GS DOCK ASSEMBLY

This Process involves two variances, as the 3g has a little different setup then the 3GS because the 3GS models came with another wifi/signal antenna plugin on the dock assembly. This will be pointed out in the instructions.










REMOVING THE LCD





REMOVING LCD RIBBON




















REMOVE THE 3GS DOCK ANTENNA PIN

Make sure to:• Remember that this is only on the 3GS model and not the

3G. This antenna piece is very important, and it helps increase the signal on the 3gs.

• Use the spudger to pop it off the pin hole that’s on the bottom right of the board, this needs to be removed before taking off the board.























REMOVING THE DOCK ASSEMBLY SCREWS

Make sure to:• Remember that the bottom screws are very important, and

you don’t want to bend or break the thread holders they screw into, or you wont be able to get the new dock to sit in correctly..

• The orange circled screw is a different size and is unique to the rest of the phone, so again ORGANIZE all the screws carefully.

REMOVE THE DOCK ASSEMBLY FROM THE CASE

Make sure to:• Tilt the assembly to the bottom of the case and pull it out, making sure not

to get it caight on the thread holders, they have to be perfectly straight, on the 3GS, make sure to have the antenna unplugged from the bottom right side, or you will make it hard to reinstall.

• Keep the part, we will need to recycle the black assembly piece• On the bottom of the black dock, peel off the mesh, we will re-glue them

back on the case

RE-ASSEMBLING THE PHONE

• Make sure to peel off the mesh guards that are on the bottom of the black dock piece, this is very imperative to the aesthetics of the phone, and the mesh keeps dust from getting inside of the phone and damaging internal parts.

• Carefully start from the last step back to the first step when reassembling, use the way that you have laid out and organized your screws to help you figure out what to do next.

• Carefully plug in all the ribbons in their correct spot, you should be going from the last number “7” to “1”. This is the easiest way to remember what step you are on, and lets you know what you don’t have to do.

• GO SLOW! Reassembly is key in making sure that no mistakes are made, and can make or break how well a repair will go. We have time, but customers want quality, they want it to look and feel like it did when they bought it from apple.

• If you have any issues, just go backwards on each slide, reverting all the disassembly steps, and reassembling the phone.

REPLACING THE BACK CASING AND BEZEL ASSEMBLY










REMOVING THE LCD





REMOVING LCD RIBBON




















REMOVE THE 3GS DOCK ANTENNA PIN

Make sure to:• Remember that this is only on the 3GS model and not the

3G. This antenna piece is very important, and it helps increase the signal on the 3gs.

• Use the spudger to pop it off the pin hole that’s on the bottom right of the board, this needs to be removed before taking off the board.






























• Keep the part, we will need to recycle the black assembly piece• On the bottom of the black dock, peel off the mesh, we will re-glue them

back on the case

REMOVE THE TOP POWER BUTTON SCREWS

Make sure to:• Correctly organize the screws, as these match in size, but

are different from every other screw in the phone, so if lost, they can make the power button different from the original.

• Make sure to watch how you unscrew them, they are in pretty heavily, so trying to hard can cause the ribbon to peel back and tear.

REMOVING THE ACTUAL HOME BUTTON

Make sure to:• Remove the power button correctly, you don’t want to bend

the metal swing arm, that can cause the power button to incorrectly push down when re-inserted.

• Separate the power button from everything else, but put it near the two screws so you know where it goes!

PEEL THE ENTIRE RIBBON BACK, CAREFULLY!

Make sure to:• CAREFULLY peel the ribbon from the back case, try prying it

up a little with a guitar pic, or a plastic puller, as sometimes when you peel it off, it will separate in two pieces. The ribbons can be recycled, and the more intact they are, the better.

REMOVE THE VARIOUS LEFT RIBBON SCREWS

Make sure to:• Start from the top, the orange screw is the headphone jack screw, and all

of the screws on this ribbon are unique and need to be accounted for in order to correctly re-assembly the device

• The screws are on very difficult threads, and you can break them if you unscrew them to hard, and it will be difficult to re-secure the new ribbon

• A 3.8 Phillips will work on these a little better, as the heads are a little stronger then the rest of the screws.

REMOVE THE VIBRATE/ VOLUME SCREWS

Make sure to:• Be very careful with the top most screw, it is used to secure the vibrate

switch cradle in place, and if you unscrew it or tug on it, it can break the cradle, and you'll have to re-do the cradle by purchasing another!

• The volume screws are the same size, but the vibrate cradle screw is completely unique, and they need to be seperated.

REMOVE THE VOLUME SLIDE FROM PINIONS

Make sure to:• Remove it slowly, you don’t want to bend the metal frame,

we will be using that to adhere to the new ribbon to make the volume keys lineup.

• You don’t need to pull it all the way off, we still have some other things to pull, but lay it to the side so its not in the way.

REMOVE THE ENTIRE RIBBON

Make sure to:• Remove the whole assembly at the same time, making sure

not to damage the silver vibrate switch cradle, this needs to be removed, as does the silver volume key frame.

• Unless we use a ribbon assembly, this process cuts down on parts usage, and can be done just as good as a whole assembly ribbon

REMOVING THE SIM CARD LEVER

Make sure to:• Be careful when unscrewing the lever screw, it does not have

metal threads on the bottom of the case, and is more held into place by force and plastic

• Remove that lever and make sure to keep the screw and the lever together.

REMOVE THE WI-FI ANTENNA BOARD

Make sure to:• Remove the board carefully using your spudger or pry tool, on the left side

underneath the board there is the actual antenna that uses the screw to hold it to the metal of the case, as well as for extended signal, this piece falls off all the time, it gets dust and seperates itself from the board. A little glue will get it back on, make sure to give it ample time to dry before putting it back on

REMOVE THE MUTE BUTTON

Make sure to:• Set this aside, preferably next to the vibrate switch screw, next to the

ribbon assembly.• This normally falls out right after you remove the ribbon, so it isnt really a

step by any means, but needs to be considered when replacing the case.• Make sure to clean off the white or black part, and scrub the metal with a

chore boy sponge (green side) this makes it shinier when replacing.

UNSCREW AND REMOVE THE VIBRATE MOTOR

Make sure to:• Be careful when removing it from the casing, as sometimes

just removing it makes the metal wrap sleeve come undone, and then the vibrate motor cannot be put back on correctly, which sometimes happens, but the low cost of the part makes it easy to replace. Just make sure the two copper points are pointing up, with a space from the yellow rubber wedge.








• Keep the part, we will need to recycle the black assembly piece, unless your not replacing it

• On the bottom of the black dock, peel off the mesh, we will re-glue them back on the case

FINISHING TOUCHES BEFORE PULLING BEZEL

Make sure to:• Remove the black camera housing on the top right, unless

the assembly we are using includes it.• Take a sponge and scrub the bezel as much as you can, we

want that brush metal look to be better then we got it!

REMOVE THE BEZEL, HEADPHONE CHROME

Make sure to:Skip this step if we have a full assembly unit available!• Pull the bezel very carefully, we do not want it to bend at all!• Sometimes heating it up a bit makes it fall right off, and is

the standard way to remove it• Once it is off, you now have your volume keys, as well as the

headphone chrome needs to be pulled off the back case.

RE-GLUING PIECES ON THE NEW CASE• Now that we have everything removed from the outer case, if we are using just the backing

and not a full assembly, there is a couple of things we need to do in order to correctly put the case back together.

• Make sure to clean the bottom of the bezel with a razor and a flat head screw driver, you need to remove all of the glue from the bottom of it in order to put it on the new backing correctly,

• After cleaning the bezel correctly, now you can glue the headphone chrome back into place, make sure to spread the glue evenly, you don’t want any of it to seep out of the whole it falls into, sometimes it can bend and wont sit right, if that happens start with a new fresh one and move forward

• Next, make sure the black camera housing is correctly in place, the 3G housing has a square shape, and the 3GS is more circular, they usually have adhesive on the bottom, and with a little heat they will adhere onto the back of the case correctly.

• Next, before putting the bezel on, clean and scrub the volume keys and put them into place.

• Next, put a little glue on the outer edge of the back case, where the indentation is, and then carefully line up the bezel to the indents and install the bezel, clamping them to the correct positions so that everything is secured, and there is no gaps in the bezel and case.

• Now let it sit and dry, and then reassemble the phone, using the supplied documentation, starting from the back to the beginning, always insuring proper quality and functionality!

QUESTIONS!?

• Always feel free to reach out during the process to see if there is a better way, or a unique situation that you need help on, I am always here and so are your other techs, we are a TEAM and everything is collaborative and easier if we work together.

• Any changes that you think could occur in the process, or a faster, more efficient way, but one that doesn't’t affect quality, is always encouraged. If you can repeat your idea on every single repair of this model, we will work over changing the process together, the whole team and creating a new solution guide.

Devices & Hardware

Hunky Dory Repair iPhone 3G and 3GS Tear Down Guide