There is no discussion of replacing the waterproof seal and how that may work without separating the display. How can the seal be placed on the proper surface all around whilst the display is still connected?

I also forgot to put the battery shield in, and adhered the display. I’m tempted to leave it like that. However, your negative experience is a good data point telling me to not be cheap.

Ordered a new adhesive , under $2 shipped from eBay.

When putting the computer together, pay attention to the placement of the gasket. It has a pin on the left side the enters the main board from the bottom. The right side straddles the tip of the heat pipe and there is a photo later on with close-up.

If the process is taken to replace the top case, you can leave the AirPort card hanging from the antenna wires. Only remove the card’s retaining screw and slide the card to the right (direction of the antenna connectors) to separate it from the main board.

In my computer this screw was not there, nor was a related washer. I got it used so perhaps someone has already been there and did not replace the screw.

Also, the photo here shows how this end of the fan gasket is placed

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In my computer these screws were the same size as the other side’s hinge screws. All 6 are the same size.

I did not find it necessary to detach this cable. The battery slid out from under it easily.

The “two plastic mounts” are not “snap buttons.” There are two nuts mounted on the back panel, and they are attached by screws from the front. The process described in this comment will at least separate the nuts from the back panel. The back panel itself may crack, or even the nut and its attachment may remain connected to screw and a hole be formed in the back panel.

The proper procedure is to remove the display as shown here. Then remove the black screws connecting to the back panel, instead of all the silver screws in step 5. Then use an opening tool on the back panel and remove it safely to access the battery from the back side.

Unfortunately it’s hard to find the adhesive cutout needed to properly re-attach the display after removal (I only found the part GH81-13867A on eBay from Europe, about $28 with shipping). And even then it would be hard to remove the old adhesive well. We’ll likely have to reply on reuse of the old adhesive, and the display will not longer be attached perfectly as before.

One way to easily access the bracket (for removal and for insertion) is to rotate the display around the cable connection horizontally, so that the screen is not above the bracket but rather to the side.

When disassembling, note that the screen assembly is hinged to the bottom on the edge away from the home button. After first opening the screen to about 30 degrees as above, slide the screen in the direction where the home button was to disengage this hinge (this is the first bullet item in step 13 below). Then rotate to expose the bracket to eyes and tweezers.

jor_rox - If you plug power again, does the charging screen show again? If so, the main board is still alive.

First to suspect is the button cable. Be sure all the cables are well seated.