[Guide] How I fixed my 3G light leak

[myan31]

Here’s an example of the light leak issue with iPhone 3g. (Photo taken by tschur at MacWorld)



Here's how I fixed mine:

1. Remove the two screws on either side of the charging port


2. Apply a suction cup (I used my Garmin windshield mount), to the glass screen. Try to mount it right below the home button.


3. Pull the suction cup toward you and the screen should come out (bottom first)


4. You will see 3 cables running from the top right corner of the screen to the main board of the phone. 3 cables are numbered 1, 2, and 3. Remove the cables in that order. (Note: in the picture, my number 1 cable has already been detached, number 3 is underneath number 2)


5. Once the three cables are detached, the entire LCD unit is now separate from the main board. I found two youtube videos that might aid you in the process of removing the screen.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmi4lq0FTU4"]YouTube - iPhone 3G opened under 1 min[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fF0DF-mbn4"]YouTube - iPhone 3G Disassembly & Screen Replacement Directions[/ame]
 
6. Look on the left side of your iPhone LCD unit; you will notice that Apple has already applied a small strip of electrical tape to the metal casing. Unfortunately, this strip is sometimes misaligned, causing light leakage. Simply add more electrical tape to anywhere you experience light leak.


Note: the tape does NOT have to cover the black rubber gasket (the part that meets the bezel when assembled). Simply apply electrical tape to anywhere on the metal frame supporting the LCD unit. Apply tape to all the places you experience light leak.

7. Reassemble the phone, reconnecting cables 1, 2, and 3, and then re-screw the two screws holding the LCD unit in place.

Your phone should now be light leak free!! Enjoy!

**All of the pictures were taken by me, except for the first, and the two youtube links.

[istorm]

Great, this has been driving me crazy. I thought my iPhone 3G is defective. "Thanked" for the guide!

[reeko]

great guide, obviously warranty is voided?

also, do you not think that they should be being produced without a light leak?

and

i get light leak through the right half of my ear piece speaker

[myan31]

great guide, obviously warranty is voided?

also, do you not think that they should be being produced without a light leak?

and

i get light leak through the right half of my ear piece speaker

Yes, the warranty is voided. Albeit it would be extremely hard for Apple to tell that your phone has opened since there's no prying involved. Everyone has their own morals, I'm not in a place to judge nor suggest any fraudulent activity.

I was quite shocked to discover that Apple simply used a thin piece of electrical tape to prevent the back light "leaking" out of the LCD casing. The piece of tape could be easily misaligned, thus not covering up the entire LCD casing, allowing light to leak out.

The issue at hand could be easily addressed by Apple by increasing the width of the electrical tape used to seal the LCD casing.

To answer your question, if Apple has recognized the issue, there's a very good chance that they have already implemented manufacturing revisions to rectify it. However, if you were to get a replacement phone, chances are, the phone was manufactured early, thus the light leak may still be there.

If your light leak is coming out of the ear-piece speaker, the issue is exacerbated. This would probably require you to disassemble the LCD assembly in order to get to the source of the problem. I suggest you try to swap it out. Don't sweat the light leak on the side, it's an easy fix. Light leak from the ear-piece -not so simple.

[bobright]

Lol that is ridiculous