iPod Nano 3rd Generation Take Apart Dismantle "How to" Guide

[cabajet]

they dude... wich one is the battery?? my ipod is completly dead, do u think that if i change the battery i can revive it??

[RepairsUniverse]

@cabajet If the battery is the issue, yes, a replacement will fix it up. However if it will not turn on at all there is a possibility there are other issues. If the device is plugged into a computer, does iTunes recognize it?

[cabajet]

@RepairsUniverse noooup... itunes doesnt recognize it... it doesnt turns anything on... its completly death haha

[RepairsUniverse]

@cabajet If its not recognized by iTunes, it normally means there are further issues, likely motherboard damage. In this case, we would normally consider the device "totaled" and not worth repairing.

[cabajet]

@RepairsUniverse sorry sorry it does recognize it... it says something about preparing for recuperate your files, buuuut i click accept and that message shows everytime again and again and again, the screen of the ipod doesnt light up...

[RepairsUniverse]

@cabajet This would point to motherboard damage. Did the device have water damage?

[cabajet]

@RepairsUniverse noo... it doesnt... it's just old... do you think there's no way to recover my music?? cause i lost it in the computer, so all i wanna do is to fix the ipod and then download a program to download from ipod to pc... to recover the music...

[domox232]

I having a hard time getting the back cover off



[HAMMERxHCA]

Hello mate, do you have any tips for removing the click wheel on these 3rd Gen Nano's?

I received a green one with white click wheel, and I would like to replace with a black wheel and paint the front cover black.

Thanks for the video and any extra tips you may have! Cheers!

[RepairsUniverse]

@HAMMERxHCA Sure - Follow this guide up until around 2:40. From there, remove the few screws holding the back plate onto the front cover and carefully use a pry tool to lift the clickwheel out. The flex cables on these are pretty fragile, so take your time and be sure nothing else is holding the clickwheel in place. Good luck!

[Gam3rTagger]

damn apple really made these things to last

[RudedogRacin]

I just got one that has no power, but I don't know any history on it. I tried a wall charger I have for a Ipod touch 2nd Gen, and nothin happened. Any Ideas? I thought maybe the battery? I don't know if it runs through the battery or not, like some laptops. Great vid anyway, hope you can help!

Thanks, Brodie

[RepairsUniverse]

@RudedogRacin A great test is to hook it up to a computer and see if iTunes recognizes it. If it does not, there is a high possibility of motherboard damage, likely from water.

You can attempt to diagnose it from disassembling the Nano and checking all connection or if any physical damage is present. It is not likely the battery, as the charger would run through the battery and still charge/turn on the device.

[RudedogRacin]

@RepairsUniverse Alright. Don't actually have a usb cable cause in the Ipod deal I kinda got the short end of the stick, but it was cheap as hell! I'll try to get one and try that.

[RudedogRacin]

@RepairsUniverse Also, I couldn't seem to get the cover off. Been tryin to for like a half hour. Have all kinds of stuff around for case openers, but at my dads... I tried some of the "Precision Screwdrivers" (The really tiny ones, silver, had ribs, I'm sure you know them) Also tried a credit card, just cut the corner off. I'm gonna guess its not supposed to fight me this much? I'm gonna try a guitar pick tomarrow.

[RepairsUniverse]

@RudedogRacin Some of the housings are very stubborn, but using the right tools make all the difference. A guitar pick may work, but may need something a bit more sturdy. Metal pry tools work great for this, or similarly, a butter knife can get the job done as well. Just take your time with it. Once a small bit is lifted, the rest will come easily.

[RudedogRacin]

@RepairsUniverse Ya finally got it with a butter knife and pocket knife. Plugged in and nothin, I'm givin up on it. Got nothin it so its all good. Thanks for the help! -Brodie

[RepairsUniverse]

@RudedogRacin No problem at all!

[masteryummy]

hey, awesome video! I want to paint my gen 3 Ipod Nano. Would you recommend taking the internals out before doing it, or should I just cover the screen, entry points, imports parts with masking tape?

[RepairsUniverse]

@masteryummy Thanks! I would recommend taking it apart and removing everything. If you cover the ports it will probably be fine, but wont have a great paint job. If you only have the housing, you can get a much better finish with the paint.

[masteryummy]

@RepairsUniverse Okay, thanks for the reply. Is it easy to put back together? I heard one guy said he'd taken apart several, but when he put them back together they'd never snap back properly. Any thoughts on this?

[RepairsUniverse]

@masteryummy No problem at all. Can't say we have ever had a real issue when it came to reassembling. Aligning it properly is the most important part. As far as I know, our techs have not expressed any issues with everything not snapping back into place.

[masteryummy]

@RepairsUniverse Okay, I'll give it my best shot. Thanks again.

[RepairsUniverse]

@masteryummy No problem at all. Good luck!

[AndJusticeForAll1231]

Can someone help me? my ipods clickwheel has stopped working, i can still scroll up and down, but i cant click on anything, i cant fast forward or rewind or pause or go to the menu. can someone please help !

[RepairsUniverse]

@AndJusticeForAll1231 I would suggest disassembling the Nano and checking for any damage. Its possible the clickwheel flex cable has become faulty, in which case replacing this would resolve the issue. This and other parts for the Nano 3rd gen are available at RepairsUniverse (dot) com.

[Blu811]

ive taken apart my ipod touch and wanted to take apart this nano but my tool has started to dull out with in a matter of minutes. what should i do other than buying a new one?

[RepairsUniverse]

@Blu811 There are tons of possible pry tools available, we always suggest inexperienced customers to stick with plastic pry tools as they will not scratch the housing or screen up. More experienced techs normally use things like guitar picks, flat head screwdrivers, knife blades, or harder pry tools. Just know that these can cause more damage if you are not careful.

[epatman07]

Is it possible to remove just the click wheel from the aluminum front panel, and put it into another?

[epatman07]

I love British people -3

[lvm333]

nice! thanks!

[RepairsUniverse]

@lvm333 No problem at all! Glad you found the video useful!

[kingx2000]

i bet ur are from england :D

[TheRocker1414]

My iPod has a bit of a bend to it from being dropped so much, and I can't get the safe pry tool to catch the clips. I've ran it along all sides at least 20 times and it still won't open. Any ideas?

[RepairsUniverse]

@TheRocker1414 Try something a bit more solid such as a small flat head screwdriver. That may give you enough leverage to pop the clips. Hope this helps, good luck with your repair!

[TheRocker1414]

@RepairsUniverse Alright I will try this out, and post again if it works. Thanks a lot RepairUniverse!

[Blutquell]

You forgot to mention the six different screws have different lengths and diameters. You need to remember or note which one is which, else if you put them incorrectly you can strip them.

[WickedCoolification]

It would be extremely helpful if you could demonstrate how to remove the click wheel assembly. I understand everything you have shown here, and would feel comfortable doing this myself, but what i need to know, and cannot find anywhere, is how to remove the click wheel assembly safely and properly. I need to know this because I have plans to buy a new faceplate for my ipod nano 3g, but it does not come with a click wheel. The plan is to remove the click wheel from one, and put it in the other.

[RepairsUniverse]

@WickedCoolification Sorry, we don't have a video showing the clickwheel replacement.

[Registole]

Sometimes my clickwheel works, sometimes (most of the time) it doesn't. it worked perfectly for a year after i found it on the road (not even kidding). Pooped out when i went to europe :(

[thestig792]

good video

[RepairsUniverse]

@thestig792 Glad you found it useful.

[daghostpunisher]

what about the wheel, how do i take it out.

[DennyColts]

is it possible to replace the headphone jack because thats what fucked up on mine??

[iceman0521]

i have an ipod 3rd gen that had i little bit of hot water spilled on it. it still turns on but it won't react, i push play, menu, forward, and reverse but it doesn't work, and its none responsive to when i touch the circle. in ur opinion do u think that something for short circuited or that it'll be fine once the water evaporates? (this happened 11 pm 06/13/10)

[th19940305]

@iceman0521 want to sell it i buy broken ipods

[gangstayakuza]

lol my headphone jack fell out as soon as i opened the ipod.(so THATS why it wasnt working!) where can i buy a new one because the ribbon cable is torn ( i have no idea how. its never been opened.)