MacBook Air 13" 2013 A1466 Display horizontal flickering moving lid

Hi Dan,

I only have a T5 and P5 screwdriver. I would also need a T8 screwdriver as well to remove the display hinges, correct?

At the moment, the flickering only occasionally happens before returning normal.

If I don’t take the display off to tighten the hinges or replace the LVDS cable, do you happen to know if the horizontal flickering would get worse or be permanent?

Also, I previously brought the laptop to a reputable repair shop due to the broken over-extended hinge. They said the only way to fix that was to replace the entire display. Based on your knowledge, would you happen to agree with that?

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

It could short out! The blacklight power travels through the same connection which you don't want it to short out to the data lines. The more you twist the lid the more stress you place on the wires.

Best to stop using it until you get it fixed.

Hi @danj

So I just went to the repair tech and they said the only solution was an LCD replacement for $325, which I declined as it's way out of my budget.

The tech said that if the display cable was in fact damaged, there wouldn't be any image displaying on the screen.

When I mentioned perhaps the LVDS cable was damaged, they said the 2013 Air 13" doesn't have an LVDS cable, but rather a cable that starts with an "e", maybe eDP cable?

In your opinion, do you still believe my problem can be solved by either tightening the hinge screws or replacing the LVDS cable?

Just to make sure, is the cable you're talking about pictured in Step 19 of the guide?

MacBook Air 13" Mid 2013 Display Assembly Replacement

And are the hinge screws that need tightening pictured in Step 21?

MacBook Air 13" Mid 2013 Display Assembly Replacement

Thanks so much for your help. I truly appreciate it!

The tech is a little confused ;-}

The MacBook Pro retina screens use a variation of DisplayPort iDP - internal DispayPort (and the earlier version was called eDP - embedded DispayPort)

The MacBook Air systems use the older LVDS signaling system which is sorta like the difference between Analog TV and Digital TV. If you remember thoughts days... You had the fight with the antennas to get a clear picture and with the new digital system it either works or doesn't or you get a bunch of blocks on the screen when the signal was interrupted. The 2017 MacBook Air is the last LVDS display and 2018 intro'ed the retina display on the airs. Now to confuse things a bit the connections are vary similar! Both use the same type of connector (different pinouts) So that doesn't tell you much looking at the guide images.

Just like your bedroom door the hinge has two surfaces which are screwed the frame part and the door part and you have two or three hinges! Here we have two and we need to also get to the 'door side' screws which are located underneath to black plastic clutch cover which is why you need to take the display fully off to gain access to them. And if the LVDS cable is damaged you'll need to replace it.

If you click on the part I posted you can see its the same one you pointed to in Step 19. Until you open things up to see what's up you may only need to paint the wires with some insulating paint (nail polish works!) to you may need to replace the cable.

Hi @danj

I see, that makes sense.

The hinge screws require a T8 screwdriver, correct? I have the P5 and T5, so I guess that's the only tool I'm missing to take off the display?

What screwdriver do the screws underneath the black plastic clutch cover take?

I'm really hesitant to remove the display as the laptop still works currently. I've never done anything this invasive or complicated. I somehow messed up my old iPhone 5 swapping out the battery...

So I guess I'll need to buy a T8 screwdriver then. The replacement LVDS cable is cheap enough that I'll buy that just in case. Am I missing anything else?

Thanks so much for your help. Once I get the parts in, if I have any questions, can I message you?