Chosen Solution
Just replaced the trackpad (and battery and a couple of other parts). Now the trackpad will not click. I can set it to tap to click which works just fine. It is a new battery. Must admit I left the plastic sheet over the tape on the battery so it is not glued in. That does add a bit of thickness but seems secure enough. The metal plate is bowed a bit but don’t think it would affect the trackpad. Tried adjusting the bottom screw but no change. Yes, I did SMC reset. Want to eliminate any hardware problem before resetting anything else. Thanks. Here is a photo of the new trackpad and cable installed.
The one thing I didn’t take a photo of was the metal plate. However, the bow is away from the trackpad and toward the battery so I don’t think it would add any pressure to the trackpad. I don’t want to take out the battery again until I have a logical idea and expectation of what would fix the problem. Do you have an opinion on leaving the plastic sheet which is about 1/16” thick in? I could place a thin piece of plastic over the tape. This is the second time I’ve replaced the battery (using the string method) and since it has to be removed to get to the trackpad I’m happy to have the plastic there. And, second do you have an opinion on the bottom screw? Is it an adjusting screw? Should it be screwed all the way in or backed off a bit. I’d like to commend ifixit for the great photos and tips in the repair guides. I had to go all the way down to removing the logic board to replace the speakers and the magsafe connector. With my old eyes I appreciated being able to zoom in on the details of these small parts. I’m an electrical engineer who had the fun of designing the first PCs and Workstations in the 1980s with Digital Equipment Corporation. Cables weren’t tiny little ribbons then although I did work under a microscope debugging a 5 micron single chip CPU. That was cool too.
Here are the metal plate images top side then bottom side:
Here is the track pad before trying to click — note depth
Here is the track pad as I’m clicking it. No problem — it clicks.
Here is the track pad turned over (as it would be used) no movement - no click.
Here I’ve set a rubber pad to show the point that if you push up on when the trackpad is turned over (as in normal use) the click now happens.
Here is the metal plate in position over the trackpad
What this tells me is this is a hardware problem. I don’t know mechanically what holds the trackpad bottom edge up enough to push down for the click. Gravity is holding it down. The metal cover doesn’t seem to make any difference. And, whether the battery is in or out doesn’t either. So, what am I missing here? Thanks, Cathy
@danj Thank you. I now understand what needs to happen. I think the problem is at the spring hinge. Here is the hinge which looks like the two parts of the hinge are flat. Do you need to bend the half of the hinge screwed to the track pad to get the angle right? I had tried that I thought but didn’t seem to work. Before I try bending the hinge too much please let me know I’m on the right track or not. I understand what angle we’re looking for just don’t want to do too much bending without your OK. I did put the old trackpad in and it does the same thing so it is the angle that is not right.
I sure wish there was a track pad repair guide for this. I saw that there isn’t one because you have to take out the battery with is an onerous job. I had replaced the battery a year or two ago. I used the string method rather than take all the electronic boards out before using a fluid near them. Still a tough job. The new battery had double-sided tape instead glue so this time it was much easier to remove. And, now I have plastic over the tape so it isn’t even taped down. Which is fortunate since I’ve had it in and out several times now. The repair guide I used for most of this project was the speaker replacement guide. Extremely well done! Thank you for your help. I do appreciate it! Cathy
OK I think I get where you are stuck at. The touchpad is only held at the top edge by the two spring bars. They are tensioned to push the touchpad slightly outwards so the bottom edge is tangs are resting on the uppercase in the cutout depressions.
The adjustment screw in-between is used to set the top edge to just meet up with the switch blister which is on the backside of the trackpad.
The downward pressure to enable a click is technically only on the lower half of the trackpad in this series. The reason for the backplate is I’ve often seen it damaged enough to mess up the trackpad depression. I also use a couple of Post-It note sheets along the sides and bottom to help center the trackpad so its not rubbing along the edges.
