My Ideapad Y530 left hinge sheared in two and my online search brought me here. From the number of online hits about broken hinges with this series, there will no doubt be plenty of interest in taking apart these laptops. Thanks to Navros' excellent post, I was eventually able to disassemble my Y530 and replace it with hinges from ebay for $14. I don't want to step on anyone's toes here but I ran into a number of gotchas not mentioned so I compiled a detailed list of instructions for the Y530 along with photos. YMMV for other models. If the admin wants to make this into a KB, you're welcome to it.
*As noted by Navros, TAKE YOUR TIME and watch for hidden ribbon cables and especially PINCHED WIRES AT THE HINGE. After I reassembled the Y530, I had two pinched wires on both sides that I had to fix. The pinched wire on the left side prevented my laptop from powering up and I thought I killed my laptop!
** Keep track of all screws you remove and where they go. Somehow I ended up with an extra screw and I cannot figure out where it goes. Because of all the different size screws you will encounter, I recommend storing your screws flat side down (so they don't roll around) in the same geometry you pull them out in.
Pictures can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57954663@N00/sets/72157625624476479/detail/
0) Remove the battery and unplug from the AC power brick.
1) As noted, there is a small slot above the F2 & F3 buttons on the keyboard. Use a flathead screwdriver and lift it up enough to get your fingernails into the gap and pull the plastic cover up. Watch out for the ribbon cables on the right side! (pic 001)
2) Leverage up the metal keyboard starting with the side that is now exposed. There is tight resistance at the sides at first so be careful not to bend your keyboard. There is a ribbon cable underneath so be careful. I recommend disconnecting the ribbon cable once you have lifted the keyboard to a 45 degree angle. Use a small screwdriver or tweezers to push out the white plastic tabs on both sides (away from the bracket towards the cable). This releases the ribbon cable connector. (pic 002, 003)
3) Finish removing the keyboard. There are tabs near the space bar and I found it helps to push the keyboard down and away at those points.
4) In the recess where the keyboard used to be, remove the small phillips screw where the ALT key was and set aside. Remember to replace this screw when reassembling. (pic 004)
5) There are 3 cables that need to be disconnected. a) a blue 1/2 inch ribbon cable next to the track pad connector (pic 005). b) a 3 wire white connector next to 2 wider white connectors (pic 006). c) a white 1 inch ribbon cable next to a 2 inch black cable (pic 007). For the ribbon cables, release them as you did in step 2.
6) Turn the laptop over so the bottom is facing up. Remove all the screws marked A, B, C and D. Remove the hard disk cover (small door) and remove the screw hidden under. Remove the large door (long screw) and remove all the black screws underneath including the one holding down the fan. There should be at least 5 screws. Keep your screws organized so you know where they all go back!
Y510 owners can skip step 7...
7) There are two silver phillip head screws hidden by the DVD door. Push a paperclip into the small hole next to the DVD eject button on the door to release the DVD tray (pic 102). Carefully slide out the DVD tray. You will immediately see one hidden silver screw (pic103). Remove and set aside. One of the rails has a tiny phillips screw holding down two small metal parts. Carefully remove this screw and remove the small metal parts (pic 104). Note the orientation of the metal parts as you remove them. You can now slide the metal slider off the plastic rail. Pull the tray out as far as it goes and carefully turn the freed end towards yourself. You can now get at the 2nd hidden silver screw (pic 105). Remove it and set aside with the other one. Close the DVD tray.
8) Turn the laptop on its side with the screen partly open to stabilize it. Work you fingernails into gap between the bottom and the palm rest cover and remove the cover. Take your time and work you way around the cover, turning the laptop to whatever orientation is convenient. I found it helpful to use a small flathead screwdriver in the battery compartment to jimmy it free. There are small plastic brackets in there that need coaxing to come apart. Remove the top plastic cover and set aside.
9) If you are replacing the left hinge (by the AC power jack), you will need to remove 2 screws holding down a small circuit board covering the hinge. There is a sticky conductor on top of the ethernet jack that needs to be peeled off.
10) Remove the 2 rubber pads at the bottom of the screen and 4 plastic diamond shape covers on the sides to uncover the screen screws. Remove these and set aside. Note, the screws are not the same length.
11) You can now pry the bottom of the screen off. There doesn't seem any elegant way to do this other than to separate it at the very bottom and to twist up. In fact, this broke most of the plastic brackets holding it down. When I replaced it, the bottom screws seemed to adequate to hold it in place (pic 202).
12) You now have enough access to the hinges to replace them as needed. I replaced both since I was here anyway. You can remove the screen if you want but I was able to get the hinges out without doing so. Either way, take great care to MAKE SURE ALL WIRES ARE ROUTED UNDERNEATH THE HINGES AND ARE NOT PINCHED! There is a nasty metal pin on the hinges that will destroy your wires if you are not careful. After you screw down the new hinges, carefully and visually inspect that the wires are safe while opening and closing the hinges. (pic 203 - 207)
13) Reassemble the laptop in reverse order. If you were careful and organized, all screws will be accounted for.
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